Responding to the suspension of his former swing coach Hank Haney, who made racially insensitive comments about LPGA players on his SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio show, Tiger Woods said Friday that Haney "deserved" to be punished.
After shooting an even-par 72 on Friday at the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio, Woods was quizzed for his response upon news of Haney's ban. Haney had mocked the LPGA and the success of some of the tour's Korean players.
"He deserved it," Woods told reporters after his second round at Muirfield Village. "Just can't look at life like that."
From 2004-10, Woods won six majors with the assistance of Haney, now 63.
On his SiriusXM show on Wednesday along with co-host Steve Johnson, Haney discussed the U.S. Women's Open by saying of the likely winner, "I'm gonna predict a Korean."
"I couldn't name you six players on the LPGA Tour," Haney continued. "Maybe I could. Well ... I'd go with Lee. If I didn't have to name a first name, I'd get a bunch of them right."
Upon handing down the suspension SiriusXM released a statement criticizing the comments as "insensitive" and citing the punishment coming "at the PGA Tour's instruction."
Haney later posted an apology statement on his Twitter account, saying "I have the highest respect for the women who have worked so hard to reach the pinnacle of their sport and I never meant to take away from their accomplishments."
"He obviously said what he meant, and he got what he deserved," Woods said.
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