Tiger Woods is on the minds of golfers at the Masters following a DUI arrest
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tiger Woods is not competing in the 90th Masters at Augusta National Golf Club this week, but golfers on the course say they are looking for the 15-time major champion after he entered rehab following his March 27 DUI arrest in Florida.
“I look at it and say, ‘You’re just human like everybody else, and we have struggles,'” Jason Day said Monday about the allegations. “It’s sad. What I don’t understand is that it’s selfish of him to drive and put other people in danger.”
Woods, 50, pleaded not guilty to charges of DUI with property damage and refusing to submit to a legal test. Woods was also charged with distracted driving, a first offense, after he told police he was looking at his phone when his SUV clipped a tow truck near his home in Hobe Sound, Florida.
“When you’re the player he was and how determined he is, you think he can do anything, maybe that’s why he’s driving and drinking,” Day said.
Woods’ plane arrived in Switzerland on Friday, leading to speculation that he may enter a treatment center there. A judge issued a motion two days earlier that Woods travel outside the United States and enter a full-service inpatient treatment facility.
“It just shows the human side and the side of a person who struggles with some kind of addiction,” Day said. “He’s not immune to it just because he can hit the golf ball well. He’s had 25 to 30 surgeries, and when you have that many procedures, it hurts to come out of those procedures.”
“It just shows the human side and the human side of dealing with some kind of addiction. He’s not immune to it just because he can hit the golf ball really well. … It’s hard to see him go through what he goes through, and especially under a microscope.”
Jason Day on Tiger Woods
Woods, a five-time Masters champion, told a sheriff’s deputy after the March 27 accident that he had seven back surgeries and more than 20 surgeries on his right leg and that his ankle would pop when he walked.
After Woods was handcuffed, another officer found two white pills in his pants pocket. Woods said the pills were Norco, referring to a pain reliever containing acetaminophen and the opioid hydrocodone. Authorities later confirmed that Woods was in possession of hydrocodone.
“He’s my hero,” Day said. “He was my hero when I was growing up, the reason I play golf is because of this tournament [the Masters] and the Tiger. It’s hard to see him go through what he’s going through, especially under the microscope. It must be hard to be who he is and have everyone look down on him.
“Some people want him to fail. Some people obviously want him to succeed. It’s really hard for me to go through that and look at him, and I know he’s getting help now, that’s great. I hope he comes out on the other side and he’s better.”
Three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson is also not in the field this year. He announced last week that he will be away for an extended period of time as his family continues to “address a personal health issue.”
It is the first time since 1994 that neither Mickelson nor Woods are in the field at the Masters.
“Let’s be honest, without Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in events, golf, when they both leave, I honestly feel like it hurts the game of golf,” said 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed. “But at the same time, we want them to come back and be healthy and ready to go.”
Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson witnessed Woods’ final victory of 2019. Watson said he urged other past champions to go to the 18th green to congratulate him.
“I didn’t care about Tiger’s golf,” Watson said. “I told him from the first day we met [2006 or 2007]somewhere in there, I’m drawn to him as a person. Forget his golf — I don’t care about his golf.
“Anyone who has a problem with anything, I feel for them because I did it [gone] by using many mental things. So yeah, I’m always pulling for him. … Nothing but love for him, and I hope he can come back strong.”
Jacob Bridgeman qualified for his first Masters by winning the Genesis Invitational, which Woods held at Riviera Country Club outside Los Angeles.
“I think everybody has a soft spot for Tiger,” Bridgeman said. “He was a guy in our game who changed everything. He made these competitions what they are, and he made these bags what they are just because of his popularity. Everyone liked to watch him.
“I grew up watching Tiger. He was my idol in golf. I think everybody thinks about him and hopes that he can do the best.”
