Gary Player's Blunt Solution for Tiger Woods Turns Heads at The Masters
The 2026 Masters Tournament teed off at Augusta National Golf Club with its first round on Thursday.
Notably absent from Augusta this year is five-time Green Jacket champion Tiger Woods, who was involved in a roll-over car crash on March 27. The PGA Tour legend was arrested for DUI and is now reportedly seeking treatment at a comprehensive in-patient facility in Switzerland.
Woods planned to attend the Masters this year, and even considered attempting to play in the historic golf tournament.
The sheriff's report from the Jupiter, Florida crash noted that Woods was "sweating profusely" and acting "lethargic." Two loose pain pills were discovered in his pocket, police reported.
On Thursday, golf legend and three-time Masters champion Gary Player offered a blunt solution for Woods.
Player believes Woods should hire a driver to avoid future issues.
"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," Player said.
"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," he continued. "There's 6,000 accidents a day in motor cars.
"So I think all he's got to do is just not drive a car and get a chauffeur. 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."
Gary Player was asked what advice he would give to Tiger Woods:
— Cameron Jourdan (@Cam_Jourdan) April 9, 2026
"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… pic.twitter.com/Gs78S0Kj5O
This message drew a variety of responses from fans on social media.
"It’s bigger than that. He has a prescription drug problem," one wrote.
"All the [Tiger] jokes out there aside, this is the best response about [Tiger] I've seen so far. Couldn’t come from a classier person in the golf world," another said.
"Weird response, no?" another asked.
"It's very weird how he's talking so bluntly about this without Tiger sitting there," another added.
Player won his three Masters titles in 1961, 1974 and 1978. Woods claimed his five victories in 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005 and 2019.