Day stumped by Woods’ decision to drive but sympathises with struggles
Priest of the House
His 24 consecutive cuts from 1997 to 2024 (he missed several due to injury) remain a Masters record. As Masters week officially kicks off with practice rounds at Augusta on Monday, Australia’s Jason Day was among many golf stars in the 93-player field who were asked about the 50-year-old Woods.
“As for Tiger, it just shows the human element and the human side of someone who is struggling with some form of addiction,” Day said Monday afternoon local time.
“He’s not immune to that because he can hit the golf ball so well. [an estimate of] When you’ve been through 25 to 30 surgeries and so many procedures, it’s painful to come off those procedures. I’ve had procedures done and I generally try to stay away from all that stuff because I know – painkillers, that could potentially be a breakdown.
“It’s unfortunate; the only thing I don’t understand is that it’s a bit selfish of him to drive and hurt other people as well. But when you’re a player like him and how strong a will you have, he thinks he can do pretty much anything and that’s probably why he’s driving and he’s a little bit under the influence.”
Day, the former world No.1, credits Woods’ stratospheric impact on golf in the 1990s and 2000s to his start in the game as a boy growing up in Beaudesert, Queensland. Day taught himself how to swing the club using Woods’ technique How Do I Play instruction book.
Day befriended Woods when he won the PGA Tour in 2008 and received regular advice on his way to winning his own major title, the 2015 PGA Championship, and 12 other PGA Tour victories.
Day, now 38, said it was difficult to watch the news and noted how Masters rivals missed the winner of the 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005 and 2019 editions.
“He was my hero growing up,” Day said. “This tournament and Tiger are the reason I play golf. It’s so hard to see what he’s going through, especially under the microscope – it must be hard to be who he is and have everything, to have everyone looking at him, looking down on him in a way.”
“Some people want him to fail. Some people want him to succeed. It’s really hard for me to go through this and watch him, and I know he’s getting help now, which is good. I just hope he comes out the other side and gets better because golf misses him. We missed him here this week.”
Other Masters champions said Woods, the 82-time PGA Tour winner, was on their minds at Augusta National. Two-time green jacket winner Bubba Watson organized other past Masters winners in 2019 to stand around the 18th green to congratulate Woods.
“I told him we started hanging out in the back from day one. [2006 or 2007]”Somewhere in there, I’m striving for him as a person,” Watson said Monday.
“I could care less about his golf; anyone struggling with anything I feel bad for him because I [gone] through many mental things. “So yeah, I’m always pushing for him… I do nothing but love him and I hope he can come back stronger.”
Phil Mickelson, who won the 2004, 2006 and 2010 Masters, will also not take part in the 90th tournament this week. The left-handed player, who plays for LIV Golf, announced last week that he would be away from the courses for a long time because his family was dealing with a “personal health issue”.
There hasn’t been a Masters since 1994 that didn’t feature both Mickelson and Woods.
“Let’s be honest, in golf without Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson at events, when they both step away, I feel like that hurts the game of golf, honestly,” 2018 Masters winner Patrick Reed said. “But we also want them to come back and be healthy and ready to go.”
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