AUGUSTA.- Tiger Woods was not present this Monday at the Mastersbut the 15-time major winner occupied the hearts and minds of several stars in the Augusta National.
His absence came after Woods stepped away from golf to begin treatment after pleading not guilty to drunk driving charges near his home in Jupiter Island, Floridaafter a car accident.
Woods assured police he was looking at his phone just before the incident, which left no one injured.
Police reported that Woods was found with two pills of hydrocodone, an opioid painkiller, and appeared unable to drive safely at the time of the stop.
“He’s just a human being like everyone else and we all have difficulties,” said the Australian Jason Daywinner of 2015 PGA Championship.
“It’s a shame. The only thing I don’t understand is that it’s a little selfish of him to drive and put other people at risk. But when you’re the player he was and you’re that strong-willed, you think you can do almost anything, and that’s probably why he was driving and under the influence.”
Fred Couplesa close friend and 1992 Masters champion, was happy to learn that Woods had flown to Swiss. “If you’re in Switzerland, you’ve got to be in a place that’s going to help you, and that’s the important thing,” Couples said.
“We probably won’t see him for a few months and when he comes back hopefully we can keep in touch.”
May he come back soon
Meanwhile, Day’s thoughts focused on the struggle Woods faces at age 50, following multiple back and leg surgeries. “As far as Tiger is concerned, this just shows the human factor and the human side of someone who is struggling with some type of addiction.”
“He’s not immune just because he can hit a golf ball really well. He’s had 25 to 30 surgeries, and going through so many procedures is painful.”
The constant media attention further complicates the situation, according to Day. “It’s hard to watch him go through what he’s going through and especially under the microscope, it must be hard to be who he is and have it all, and have everyone look at him with some disdain.”
Couples, who has also dealt with back pain for decades, said, “I would tell him that I love him and that things can always get better. Pain is a hard thing; after eight or 10 hours you just can’t take it anymore.”
Patrick Reed2018 Masters champion, summed up the feeling of his absence at Augusta: “Hopefully he can recover quickly and get back here playing golf as soon as he can.”
Day added that Woods has a lot of support among golfers: “People here support him and want him to get through this. It must be tough being as isolated as he usually is, staying home most of the time.”
“Sometimes you don’t have people around you to guide you in the right direction. It’s human, we all make mistakes, that’s part of learning and improving. I hope he gets the help he needs and comes out stronger and better from all this (…) It’s a little sad not to have him here this week.”
