The ‘colored’ comment by Euro Tour CEO George O’ Grady defending the racist joke Sergio Garcia hurled at Tiger Woods added insult to injury for Woods.

O’Grady apologized after the remarks he made on live television landed him in hot water on Thursday.

In response to Garcia’s “fried chicken” comment, O’Grady said Thursday that “most of Sergio’s friends are colored athletes in the United States.”

The European Tour CEO quickly apologized in a statement for using the offensive word, though he didn’t explain the reason behind him choosing the term. He said he “deeply regrets using an inappropriate word” and “unreservedly apologizes” for it.

The word “colored” was once widely used in the United States to refer to African-Americans, but it is now considered antiquated and offensive, writes the Christian Science Monitor. In some African countries, the term is used to denote individuals of mixed racial ancestry.

Golf players Sergio Garcia and Tiger Woods have exchanged jabs over the past two weeks, dating back to the third round of The Players Championship when Garcia implied that Woods deliberately stirred up the gallery as the Spaniard was playing a shot.

The verbal exchange, however, went below the belt when Garcia and his Ryder Cup teammates were at a dinner. The emcee, Golf Channel’s Steve Sands, jokingly asked Garcia if he would have Woods over for dinner during the U.S. Open.

 “We’ll have him round every night,” Garcia said. “We will serve fried chicken.”

The remark was reminiscent of a similar comment by Fuzzy Zoeller’s at Woods during his record-setting victory in the 1997 Masters, when Tiger Woods became the first player of black heritage to win a major.

Certain foods, like friend chicken and watermelon, specifically, have been used in dehumanizing caricatures of blacks as far back as the beginning of America’s segregation era in the 19th century.

Garcia released an apology in a statement and followed it up with a news conference. He said, “I feel sick about it and I feel truly, truly sorry.”

In a series of tweets, Tiger Woods reacted to the joke:

"The comment that was made wasn't silly. It was wrong, hurtful, and clearly inappropriate. I'm confident that there is real regret the remark was made. The Players ended nearly two weeks ago, and it's long past time to move on and talk about golf."

After Garcia shot even par on Thursday, he told reporters he didn’t hear about O’Grady’s comments as he was playing, but after he was told about it, he said “I think it’s unfortunate.”