Tiger's treatment battle in thoughts of stars at Masters
Australia's Jason Day was among the many golfers at the first practice round of the 90th Masters thinking of Tiger Woods, who is absent while getting treatment after being arrested on DUI charges from a car crash last month (Maddie Meyer) Tiger Woods was missing from the Masters on Monday, but the 15-time major winner was in the hearts and minds of several stars at Augusta National. Woods stepped away from golf last week to begin treatment after pleading not guilty following a DUI arrest near his Florida home after a car crash, telling police he was looking at his phone just before the accident, in which there were no injuries. Police later revealed Woods was found with two hydrocodone pills, an opioid painkiller, and appeared unable to safely drive a vehicle when he was apprehended.
"He's just a human being like everyone else and we have struggles," said Jason Day, the 2015 PGA Championship winner from Australia. "It's unfortunate. 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 as well.
"But when you're the player that he was and how strong-willed he is, he thinks he can do almost anything, and that's probably why he's probably driving and a little bit under the influence. " Fred Couples, a pal of Woods and the 1992 Masters champion, was happy to hear Woods had flown to Switzerland. "If he's in Switzerland he must be at a spot that's going help him and that's the key thing," Couples said.
"Probably won't see him for a few months, and when he comes back, hopefully we can keep in touch. " Day's thoughts were on the struggle ahead of Woods at age 50 with numerous back and leg surgeries. "In regards to Tiger, it just shows the human element and the human side of someone that is struggling with some sort of an addiction," Day said.
"He's not immune to it just because he can hit a golf ball really well. He's had 25- to 30- something surgeries and when you're going through that many procedures, it's painful coming out of those procedures. "I've had procedures done and I typically try and stay away from all that stuff because I just know that painkillers, there can potentially be a downfall to it.