Tiger Woods isn’t at Augusta for the Masters after his wreck in Florida. He’s still top of mind for much of the field

CNN

By Don Riddell, CNN

Augusta, Georgia (CNN) — As you’d expect, much of the conversation around this week’s Masters revolves around the golfers competing at Augusta National for the famed green jacket. But just beneath the surface lies a somber discussion about the most famous man in the sport, who is a long way from here.

“Watching him win around this place in ’97 is kind of the reason I got into golf,” said world No. 20 Harris English this week. “I know he’s going to get through this. He has a big fight ahead of him. He’s a fighter.”

Tiger Woods’ predicament has been highly publicized. Following a car crash in Florida last month, and the subsequent release of numerous police videos showing the aftermath, the world was presented with an unvarnished view of a broken hero.

No longer the dominant figure who won 15 major titles and transcended his sport, he was arrested for driving under the influence after rolling his car in a collision. According to the Martin County report, Deputy Tatiana Levenar observed Woods to be sweating profusely, lethargic and slow. He was also found with multiple hydrocodone pills in his pockets after the crash.

He’s now scheduled for a court appearance in May, and prosecutors are seeking access to his prescription records.

For so long the biggest gravitational pull on the narrative during Masters week, Woods is now conspicuous by his absence.

The golf community has become so conditioned to Woods’ apparently super-human qualities that many just expect him to recover, no matter the magnitude of the challenge,

“He is arguably the king of comebacks,” noted 2023 Masters champion Jon Rahm.

CNN has reached out to Woods’ team for comment on the rumors that he’s flown to Switzerland for treatment – Woods said he’d be seeking treatment in a statement days after the crash. His friend Fred Couples alluded to Woods being in Switzerland when he spoke with reporters on Monday, sending him well-wishes.

“What would I tell him? I tell him I love him and things can always get better,” said the 1992 Masters champion.

Couples expressed sympathy for Woods, sharing his own experience with back pain, but for some of Woods’ peers, that sympathy is qualified with a caveat.

“It just shows the human element,” said Jason Day, “Someone that is struggling with some sort of addiction. He’s not immune to it just because he can hit a golf ball really well. The only thing that I don’t understand is that it’s a little bit selfish of him to drive and put other people in harm’s way. But when you’re the player that he was, and how strong-willed he is, he thinks he can do almost anything.”

The three-time champion Gary Player went further.

“Do I blame him for taking medicine? Hell, no. He has sleep deprivation. But I don’t think he should drive a car,” Player said. “When you’re taking that medicine, it’s dangerous when you’re driving a car, same as it’s dangerous when you look at your cell phone in the car. There’s 6,000 accidents a day in motor cars.”

The 90-year-old Player urged Woods to put others before himself, regardless of his own perception of his capabilities: “All he’s got to do is just not drive a car and get a chauffeur. My reflexes, I think, are as good as when I was 20, but I don’t drive anymore. I get a chauffeur. I think that’s the answer to it.”

It’s worth noting that Woods has not described himself as an addict, though his statement last month alluded to seeking treatment and working “toward a lasting recovery.”

Even when the golfers weren’t being specifically asked about Woods, his name often came up in conversation. But such is the competitive nature of the game and the single-minded attitude required to succeed, the three-time Masters runner-up Justin Rose said he hadn’t even noticed that he wasn’t there.

“With great respect to those two players (Woods and Phil Mickelson, also absent this week), I hadn’t thought about it. We’re all kind of in our mindset. Obviously, you’re looking at your own sort of preparation cycle and having to play well,” Rose said.

But the sentiment at Augusta this week is generally compassionate.

“We fully support Tiger’s recent decision to focus on his health and well-being,” said the club chairman, Fred Ridley. “Our commitment to the TGR Foundation and to Tiger personally has not wavered. We wish him the very best.”

“You know, it’s very easy, the human being is so critical of everything,” lamented Player. “Think of the excruciating pain that this man has been going through for a long time. I just hope he can get it all sorted out because he’s such an asset to golf and has done so much for the game.

“When we were young people, there were no Blacks playing the tour. I remember going to Charlie Sifford in 1957, and I said, ‘How did you play today?’ He said, ‘I’m not allowed to play, I’m Black.’ So, I experienced apartheid in South Africa and in America. Tiger comes along, and you realize what he does for the Black man around the world. So, my heart goes out for him.”

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