Tiger Woods has become the absent protagonist of the Masters Tournament. There is not a day that his name does not come up in conversations among players and fans. The echoes of the car accident and subsequent arrest of the five-time green jacket holder resonate in the clubhouse. Golfers are aware that they must save one more hole in their day, one that by teeing off in front of the media has a question about Woods.
Jason Day did not shy away from the issue. His admiration for Tiger did not stop him from critically judging his behaviour: “The only thing I don’t understand is that it’s a bit selfish of him to drive and endanger other people. But when you’re the player that he was and you have such a strong will, you think you can do almost anything, and that’s probably why he was driving a little bit under the influence of alcohol.”
Tiger was charged with driving under the influence, property damage and refusing to submit to a legal test, in this case a urine test. The police found two opioid pills among his belongings. He pleaded not guilty through his lawyers and a judge granted him permission to receive treatment abroad.
He’s just a human being like everyone else and we all have problems
“He was my hero, he still is. The reason I play golf is because of this tournament and because of Tiger. It must be hard to be who he is and have everyone watching him, judging him with disdain,” said Day, winner of the PGA Championship in 2015.
The 2011 Masters runner-up showed her empathy with Tiger and the ordeal he has gone through in recent years due to injuries: “He’s had between 25 and 30 surgeries, and when you go through so many treatments, it’s painful to come out of them. I’ve had treatment and I usually try to stay away from all that stuff because I know painkillers can have negative consequences.”
“I recognize that when I see him, I think: he’s just a human being like everyone else and we all have problems. It’s a shame,” Jason Day added.
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