Johnny Manziel: Tiger Woods snubbed me for an autograph
Before he was Johnny Football and his autograph was the subject of such conjecture, Johnny Manziel was a kid just like the rest of us — a kid who loved his sports heroes. And, like many kids, he wanted to get their autographs.
Among those Manizel idolized was Tiger Woods. When the Cleveland Browns back-up quarterback was “about 9 or 10” years old, he had a chance to see Woods up close and personal and ask for his autograph. Woods didn’t sign for Manziel.
The Manziel family was in Orlando, Fla., for a near-annual trip to play a member-guest tournament at Isleworth Country Club, where Woods once lived. Through the community grapevine, Manziel and some friends heard Woods was practicing at nearby Golden Bear Club, so they went looking for the world No. 1. They found him, but it didn’t pan out as they hoped.
“We saw Tiger on the 16th hole and asked for his autograph, and he said to catch him right after the round,” Manziel told Golf Digest. “I was sitting about 100 yards from the 18th green, and he drove by in a cart and was pulling his hat really, really low. I remember him saying, ‘No autographs today.'”
Manizel doesn’t hold a grudge over Woods for the rejection, saying he now understands how something like that could happen.
“I’m sure there are stories about me, maybe not in the same fashion, but maybe someone has asked, ‘Hey, can I take a picture with you?’ And I say, ‘Sure, I’m gonna use the restroom, and I’ll be right back.’ Then, something comes up,” he said.
Someday, Woods and Manziel, a solid single-digit-handicap golfer, will probably meet and laugh about it.
“If I ever run into Tiger at Nike or somewhere,” Manziel said, “it’ll be a funny story.”
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
