AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tiger Woods was a giant a part of the dialog Monday on the Masters with out even being at Augusta Nationwide. His absence stemming from his arrest on suspicion of driving underneath the affect introduced a level of criticism from Jason Day.

Florida authorities decided Woods was impaired March 27 when his Land Rover struck a trailer and flipped on its aspect on a residential avenue. They discovered two painkiller tablets in his pocket. Woods was arrested and briefly jailed for refusing to undergo a urine check.

“He is only a human being like everybody else and now we have struggles,” Day mentioned. “It is unlucky. The one factor that I do not perceive is that it is slightly bit egocentric of him to drive and put different individuals in hurt’s approach, as nicely.

“However once you’re the participant that he was and the way strong-willed he’s, he thinks he can do nearly something,” Day mentioned. “And that is most likely why he is driving and slightly bit underneath the affect.”

That is the second straight yr Woods has missed the Masters, underneath solely completely different circumstances. He had ruptured his Achilles tendon in March of 2025 and did not even make it to the Masters Membership dinner for champions.

Woods entered a plea of not responsible final week, after which sought — and was granted — a movement to hunt remedy exterior the nation.

“He was my hero — he is my hero,” mentioned Day, the Australian who reached No. 1 on the earth a decade in the past. “The rationale why I play golf is due to this match and Tiger. It’s arduous to see him undergo what he’s going via, and particularly underneath the microscope. It have to be arduous to be who he’s and have the whole lot, everybody look on, sort of down on him.

“Some individuals need him to fail. Some individuals clearly need him to succeed,” Day mentioned. “It’s actually tough for me to undergo that and watch him, and I do know that he’s getting the assistance now, which is nice. I’m simply hoping he comes out on the opposite aspect and is best.”

Woods is a five-time champion on the Masters, the final one in 2019 to finish a most exceptional comeback in golf. Within the 14 years between successful inexperienced jackets, he had reconstructive knee surgical procedure (2008) and 4 again surgical procedures (2014-17), and one arrest for taking what he mentioned was a foul mixture of painkillers when he was discovered asleep behind the wheel of his working automobile (2017).

Since successful his final Masters, his proper leg and ankle had been crushed in 2021 when his SUV going about 85 mph ran over a median and tumbled down a hill on a coastal highway in Los Angeles. He additionally had surgical procedure on the Achilles tendon and a seventh again surgical procedure final yr.

Nick Faldo was notably crucial of Woods in an interview with Britain’s Day by day Telegraph final week when he mentioned, “There are two sides to this proper now. There’s one aspect that’s like … let’s look after Tiger. After which there has obtained to be a accountability and an accountability aspect as nicely.”

“Neglect about golf. We’re not meant to be on the streets with two tablets in our pocket,” Faldo mentioned. “The underside line is that I actually assume that it is a severe problem and one thing must be executed that may be a little bit extra severe than waving him off to a tropical island and saying, ‘Welcome again,’ in three or 4 months or no matter it could be.”

Phil Mickelson, a three-time Masters champion who was a runner-up in 2023 at age 52, is also skipping the Masters as he offers with a household well being matter at residence. It is the primary time since 1994 neither Woods nor Mickelson was at Augusta Nationwide for the primary main of the yr.

Mickelson is with LIV Golf and performs on a giant stage solely 4 occasions a yr on the majors. Jacob Bridgeman, one of many 22 newcomers to the Masters, did not know Mickelson wasn’t taking part in and is younger sufficient in golf to have solely performed two majors with him final yr.

Woods is a big a part of the Masters, not solely from the information he shattered in 1997 at age 21 however not too long ago together with his work on a brief course throughout the refurbishing of a municipal course on the town often known as “The Patch.” He is also opening a TGR Studying Lab in Augusta.

“He’s such a legend on this sport, any person I appeared as much as,” Harris English mentioned. “Watching him win round this place in ’97 is sort of the explanation I began stepping into golf. I do know he’s going to get via this. He has a giant battle forward of him. He’s a fighter. That’s what he does.”

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf