Augusta (United States) (AFP) – Golf legend Gary Player, speaking at the Masters on Thursday, called on Tiger Woods to “get a chauffeur” after his DUI arrest last month. Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and 90-year-old South African Player struck the ceremonial opening tee shots at Augusta National. Woods, a 15-time major winner, pleaded not guilty after being arrested following a car crash near his home in Florida. Police found him with two prescription painkiller pills.
“Just (wishing you) whatever you need to help you and get back, because I think golf needs him and we’d love to have him back,” said Nicklaus, winner of a record 18 majors, when asked if he had a message for Woods. Taking a break from golf, 50-year-old Woods has gone to Europe for treatment for his health and well-being, changing plans to at least appear this week in Augusta.
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Asked about his advice for Woods, Player said he needs to avoid getting behind a steering wheel due to his need for painkillers. “Think of the excruciating pain that this man has been going through for a long time,” Player said of Woods. “Many operations on his leg and his back, so he’s in pain. Do I blame him for taking medicine? Hell, no. He has sleep deprivation. Do I blame him for taking something to help him sleep? No. But I don’t think he should drive a car.”
“When you’re taking that medicine, it’s dangerous when you’re driving a car…I think all he’s got to do is just not drive a car and get a chauffeur.” Player, like the Masters and PGA Tour, supported Woods in his fight to recover. “My heart goes out for him,” said Player. “There’s nothing worse than living in pain every day of your life. You can’t think of anything worse. 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.”
Defending champion Rory McIlroy is going for a rare Masters repeat, a back-to-back feat managed only by Woods, Nicklaus and Nick Faldo. “Rory has got the monkey off his back and I think he has a very good chance to repeat,” Nicklaus said. Nicklaus, 86, won six of his record 18 major titles at the Masters while Player captured three of his nine majors at Augusta National and Watson, 76, took two Masters titles and five British Opens among his eight major wins. Nicklaus captured his last major title 40 years ago at Augusta at age 46. “It was a nice way to finish a career,” Nicklaus said. “I couldn’t have been more thrilled.”
– Life ban for LIV jump – Watson said he would issue life bans to former PGA Tour players who jumped to Saudi-backed LIV Golf rather than welcome back five-time major winner Brooks Koepka as the tour has or 2018 Masters winner Patrick Reed, who seeks a comeback. “I thought the LIV players, when they left, were supposed to be banned for life. If I was commissioner, that’s what I would do,” Watson said. “I’d say if you’re finished with your contract with LIV Golf, if you want to play the PGA Tour again, you come back, and you must play the (developmental) Korn Ferry Tour for a year to qualify for it.”
Watson said LIV defections hit PGA event sponsors deeply. “When the players left, they violated the number one rule that we really had out here, which is to protect the sponsors,” he said. “Sponsors need players. They need the names to be able to promote their tournaments. They chose to go for the money, which is fine, but to return to the tour, I thought, was a non-starter, but apparently it’s not.”
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