Player says Woods’ pain medication understandable but shouldn’t be driving
Gary Player does not begrudge Tiger Woods for using medications to manage the pain from numerous surgeries over the years, but his fellow Masters champion does believe that the 15-time major winner should not be behind the wheel of a car.
Woods was arrested March 27 on suspicion of driving under the influence after his Land Rover struck a trailer and flipped onto its side along a residential street.
Florida authorities determined him to be impaired when they found two painkiller pills in his pocket. Woods also refused to submit to a urine test and was briefly jailed.
“You know,” Player said Thursday, “it’s very easy — the human being is so critical of everything.
If I or any of you in this room had the pain that Tiger Woods had — think of the excruciating pain that this man has been going through for a long time.
“Do I blame him for taking medicine? Hell, no. He has sleep deprivation,” Player continued.
“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, same as it’s dangerous when you look at your cell phone in a car.”
The 90-year-old Player spoke about Woods after helping to hit the honorary tee shots to start the first round of the Masters.
Known for his fastidious diet and fitness regimen, Player went so far as to admit he no longer drives himself these days.
“So, I think all he’s got to do is just not drive a car, and get a chauffeur,” Player said. “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.” Woods, a five-time Masters champion, said last week he would be missing the tournament at Augusta National for the second straight year so that he could seek treatment at an undisclosed facility outside of the US, and “prioritize my well-being and work toward lasting recovery.”
The announcement came hours after he pleaded not guilty to a DUI charge in connection with the crash.
Woods’ injury list over the last 14 years is a long one.
He had reconstructive knee surgery in 2008, four back surgeries from 2014-17, and he was previously arrested in 2017 for taking what he called a bad mix of painkillers that resulted in him falling asleep behind the wheel of a running car.
Four years ago, Woods’s right leg and ankle were crushed when his speeding SUV ran over a median and toppled down a hillside on a coastal road in Los Angeles. He also had surgery on his Achilles.
