Fan Sues Tiger Woods, Posts Video He Claims Shows Mid-Tournament Push That Caused Injury
A Florida man is suing both Tiger Woods and his caddie after he was allegedly shoved away from the golf star while attempting to take a “selfie” at a tournament in 2018.
The Associated Press reported a man named Brian Borruso filed a civil lawsuit Tuesday in Pinellas County, Florida against Woods and caddie Joe LaCava, citing an incident at the 2018 Valspar Championship northwest of Tampa in Palm Harbor, Florida.
Borruso’s lawsuit says that he tried to take a selfie as Woods approached a ball near the 13th green in the third round at Innisbrook Resort, and that LaCava “intentionally shoved” him, causing him to fall backward and into the crowd.
A video of the incident provided by Borruso’s attorney shows Tiger grabbing an iron as LaCava approaches someone and asks them to “Back it up.”
The incident sent Borruso to a hospital, he claims, where he was treated for injuries that are still affecting his quality of life and inhibiting his ability to find gainful employment.
In documents obtained by TMZ Sports, Borruso claimed the alleged shove caused him “bodily and mental injury … disability, disfigurement, mental anguish, loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life, expenses of hospitalization, medical and nursing care and treatment, loss of ability to earn income, and aggravation of a previously existing condition.”
Borruso’s attorney, Josh Drechsel, described Borruso’s injuries as “either permanent or continuing” and told the AP that he waited two years to file a lawsuit because he was trying to understand the full extent of the trauma caused by the contact with LaCava.
Drechsel is also asking golf fans who were at the scene to come forward.
The attorney is reportedly seeking to find two fans who were heard discussing the incident on another video.
In that video, the AP reported, one fans says, “He just pushed him. He just shoved him right out of there,” while another comments, “I love Tiger, but I don’t like him.”
For their part, PGA officials told Drechsel they could not provide any video of the Valspar Championship unless they were ordered to do so by the court, the lawyer told the AP.
Woods and LaCava are both named as defendants in Borruso’s suit.
The Tampa Bay Times reported Borruso is seeking over $30,000 in damages.
Neither Woods or LaCava has commented on the lawsuit, but plenty of golf fans have weighed in on the seemingly frivolous nature of the lawsuit.
2 yrs wow, guess isolation kicked memory into gear .
— Rick Dinesen (@RickDinesen) April 8, 2020
Entitlement syndrome. Selfie selfie selfie ???
— Brad Zacharias (@brad_zacharias) April 9, 2020
The ambulance chaser must have been really hard to find!
— Michael (@fulredy) April 9, 2020
LaCava replaced longtime Woods caddie Steve Williams in 2011 after the muscle-bound caddie claimed the golfer treated him like a “slave.”
In an excerpt of his book, Williams wrote, “One thing that really p–ed me off was how he would flippantly toss a club in the general direction of the bag, expecting me to go over and pick it up. I felt uneasy about bending down to pick up his discarded club – it was like I was his slave.”
USA Today calculated that Williams likely earned between $8.8 and $20 million as Woods’ caddie.
Woods tied American golfer Patrick Reed for second place at the 2018 Valspar Championship and took home a prize of $572,000, while Paul Casey of the U.K. won the tournament.
Woods was sued in 2018 by the family of a man who died in a car accident after drinking at the golfer’s Florida restaurant and then driving.
Woods was ultimately removed from the lawsuit.
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