Golf Legend Gary Player Speaks Out at the Masters on Tiger Woods’ ‘Excruciating Pain’
Fans hoping to see Tiger Woods play at the Masters will be disappointed. The five-time Masters winner has found himself in hot water following a car crash on March 27, 2026, on Jupiter Island, Florida. Woods was arrested and has officially been charged with DUI. Now, golf legends are speaking out about Woods’ situation. Here’s what Gary Player said about Woods living with “excruciating pain.”
Golfer Gary Player shared a supportive message to Tiger Woods at the Masters
While Tiger Woods won’t be playing in the Masters in 2026, he has numerous golfers showing their support. Former Masters champion Gary Player spoke about Woods during his Honorary Starters press conference, according to Sky Sports. He touched on the “excruciating pain” that Woods lived with and how others shouldn’t be so critical of the living legend.
“The human being is so critical of everything,” Player 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.”
Player noted that he doesn’t “blame” Woods for taking medication for pain or sleep. However, he doesn’t think Woods should be driving.
“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 cellphone in the car,” he said, adding that Woods should get a chauffeur like he did.
“My heart goes out for him,” Player continued. “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.”
Golf icon Rory McIlroy discussed Tiger Woods’ bad sleeping habits in his book
Gary Player isn’t the only golfer to speak about Tiger Woods’ difficulty sleeping. Golf icon Rory McIlroy also documented this in the biography, Rory: The Heartache and Triumph of Golf’s Most Human Superstar.
“He struggles to sleep, which I think is an effect of over-training, so I tell him to calm down sometimes,” McIlroy noted of Woods, according to GiveMeSport.
Ultimately, the texts would bother McIlroy’s wife, Erica.
“He’d be texting me at four o’clock in the morning: ‘Up lifting. What are you doing?’ Erica actually got p***** off with it,” he wrote. “He was texting me in the middle of the night, and I was like, ‘Tigers in the gym.'”
McIlroy has touched on his admiration for Woods before, noting that he’s found himself “drawn” to the golfing great.
“He’s thoughtful. He’s smart. He can’t sleep, so that’s all he does — he reads stuff and educates himself on everything,” he continued.
His ex-caddie said he’s giving the legend space
Tiger Woods’ ex-caddie, Joe LaCava, thinks there’s hope that Woods will return to golfing at the level he was at before his crash.
“He’s got anything in him, and he’s proven that,” LaCava told The Athletic. “But yeah, that’s the hope for me. He’s done everything, right? He’s going to be 50-plus, I get it. But I wouldn’t put anything past the guy. So I’d never write him off.”
LaCava verified that he hadn’t reached out to Woods after the DUI arrest. He said he’s “leaving him alone and letting him figure it out for himself.”
“He’s got to help himself, which is what I’m hoping he’ll do,” LaCava continued. “But I have not made any contact with him. … He’s got enough people probably texting him and hounding him, right? I don’t need to bother him. I care greatly about him. I’m not p***** at him. He knows that. He knows that I care deeply about him. He’s got enough stuff going on, so I’m sure we’ll communicate once he’s back home. I’m assuming he doesn’t have access to his phone anyway.”
