Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player react to Tiger Woods | Golf News

Jack Nicklaus has called on Tiger Woods to get the help he requires, while Gary Player has advisable that the five-time Masters champion stop driving altogether.

Both Nicklaus and Player shared their ideas following their ceremonial tee photographs that opened the 2026 Masters, with Woods notably absent from this 12 months’s event. Woods shouldn’t be collaborating after his rollover vehicle accident on Jupiter Island, Florida, which occurred late last month. The 15-time major champion was arrested and charged in connection with the incident.

Woods, who was scheduled to be at Augusta National this week to help introduce The Patch, has departed the United States to obtain treatment and focus on his rehabilitation. It comes after Phil Mickelson’s conduct in the direction of the Masters locker room workers in the car parking zone was caught.

When questioned about whether or not he had any phrases for Woods, Nicklaus stored his response temporary. However, {the golfing} icon emphasised that the game desperately wants a healthy and aggressive Woods.

“Just whatever you need to help you and get back,” he said. “Because I think golf needs him, and we’d love to have him back.”

Player provided more intensive commentary. While he does not fault somebody in “pain” for utilizing medication, he strongly inspired Woods to give up driving.

“You know, it’s very easy, the human being is so critical of everything,” he said. “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.

“I personally suppose in my opinion — if I’m proper or unsuitable, I’m sorry — but he was making an attempt to be a Navy SEAL scout for a while. Funny enough, I had a pal who was a Navy SEAL scout. He said this long in the past.

“He said Tiger will really suffer in future with his back and with his legs. Look what’s happened? I think it’s 20 operations on either the back or the legs, but many, many operations on his leg and his back. So he’s in pain.

“Do I blame him for taking drugs? Hell, no. He has sleep deprivation. Do I blame him for taking one thing to help him sleep? No. But I do not suppose he ought to 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 the car. There’s 6,000 accidents a day in motor cars.

“So I feel all he is bought to do is just not drive a car and get a chauffeur. My reflexes, I feel, are as good as when I used to be 20, but I do not drive anymore. I get a chauffeur. I feel that’s the reply to it.

“But my heart goes out for him. 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.”

It comes after a Masters champion’s son was banned for life after a ‘cheesy’ stunt.