Priest Evin
His 24 consecutive cuts from 1997 to 2024 — he missed several to injury — remains the Masters record. As Masters week officially kicked off Monday with practice rounds at Augusta, Australia’s Jason Day was among many golf stars in the 93-player field who have been asked about the 50-year-old Woods.
“In relation to Tiger, it just shows the human condition and the human side of someone who is struggling with some kind of addiction,” Day said Monday afternoon, local time.
“He’s not immune to it just because he can hit the golf ball well. He’s had (estimated) 25 to 30 surgeries, and when you go through that many procedures, it’s painful from those procedures. I’ve had procedures done, and I usually try to stay away from all of those things because I just know that it’s a pain reliever.
“It’s sad; the only thing I don’t understand is that it’s a bit selfish of him to drive and put other people in danger, too. But when you’re a player who’s as strong-willed as he is, he thinks he can do anything, and maybe that’s why he’s driving a bit under the influence.”
Day, a fellow former No. 1 player, credits Woods’ influential influence on golf in the 1990s and 2000s to him playing the game as a child growing up in Beaudesert, Queensland. The day he learned to play the club using Woods’ How I Play instruction book.
After Day won the PGA Tour in 2008, he befriended Woods and sought his constant advice en route to winning his biggest title — the 2015 PGA Championship — and 12 more PGA Tour wins.
Now 38, Day said it was difficult to watch the news unfold and noted how Masters contenders missed the winner of the 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005 and 2019 editions.
“He was my hero growing up,” Day said. “The reason I play golf is because of this tournament with Tiger. It’s hard to see him go through what he’s going through, and especially with a microscope – it must be hard to be the way he is and have everything, everybody’s looking at him, kind of looking down on him.
“There are people who want him to fail. Obviously there are people who want him to succeed. It’s hard for me to go through that and watch him, and I know he’s getting help now, which is great. I just hope he comes out the other side and it’s better because golf misses him. We missed him here this week.”
Other Masters champions said 82-time PGA Tour winner Woods was on their mind at Augusta National. Two-time green jacket winner Bubba Watson arranged for other former Masters winners to stand by the 18th green to congratulate Woods in 2019.
“I told him from the first day that we started hanging out way back (2006 or 2007), somewhere around there, that I’m attracted to him as a human being,” Watson said Monday.
“I could care less about his golf; anybody who struggles with anything, I feel for him because (I’ve been through) a lot mentally. So yeah, I’m always in awe of him… Nothing but love for him, and hopefully, he can come back stronger.”
Phil Mickelson, who won the 2004, 2006 and 2010 Masters, is also absent from the 90th edition this week. The left-hander, who plays at LIV Golf, announced last week that he would be sidelined for as long as his family dealt with a “personal health issue”.
There hasn’t been a Masters since 1994 that didn’t feature Mickelson and Woods.
“Let’s be honest, without Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in the event, in golf, when they both leave, I really feel it hurts the game of golf,” said 2018 Masters winner Patrick Reed. “But at the same time, we want them to come back healthy and ready to go.”
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