Honestly it seems every time Tiger Woods has seemed to have his life going in a great direction, he seems to step up and say, “hold my beer,” or in this case, “hold my pain pills.”
Early last week the talk was about whether Woods would be able to play at The Masters and there was talk about the USGA Senior Open where he could use a cart, taking away some of the concerns about his battered body.
Then came Friday when Woods rolled his car, yet again, this time in the middle of the day, speeding by a pressure washing truck, clipping it, then had his car come to rest on its side.
Once again, no one was injured, luckily. When police arrived on the scene with Woods looking disoriented, he agreed to take a breathalyzer and passed it.
But he refused a urine test which sent him to jail for eight hours, as well as an automatic arrest for Driving Under the Influence (DUI) with property damage, as well as refusal to submit to a lawful test.
It was another in a disturbing line of accidents involving Woods. There has been four, including wreck in Los Angeles in February of 2021 where he suffered multiple injuries.
Woods said he was changing the radio station and didn’t notice the truck slowing down. Since no one was in the car, we have no idea where the truth lies.
Where do we go next?
I wrote this after the most recent previous incident that I think the biggest problem Woods faces is he has no one, or at least very few people, that are willing to tell him to get his act together. Instead, he has people telling him what he wants to hear, not what he needs to hear.
It’s no secret I am a big fan of Woods and am thankful for everything he has done for the game. His playing career may be close to an end – how much can a body take – but he still has so much more he can give to the sport, but the main thing is, he needs to be alive.
He is the Chair of the Futures Competition Committee, a group which is reshaping the future of the game.
More importantly he needs to be around for his children
There seems to be some basic things done to get him pointed in the best direction.
Suspend his drivers license for at least a couple years, making it illegal for him to even think about getting behind the wheel. He also needs to be ordered through some rehab classes – I know he has done that before- but sometimes it takes multiple attempts.
His girlfriend – Vanessa Trump, the ex-wife of Donald Trump Jr. – has reportedly lectured Woods and explained that he needs to get things together if there is going to be a relationship.
Sure, there are some that have grown tired of Woods’ behavior and would like to wash their hands of him but I believe the vast majority of golf fans want the best for Woods and his family.
Woods has issued a statement that he is going to be stepping away for a while to get his life together and has said he realizes the seriousness of the situation.
Those words are encouraging but are also words I have heard before. Time will tell but he needs a strong team around him – people that are not afraid to speak the truth but more importantly, he needs to be to willing to list to what they have to say.
I think some of the golfers he has become close to like Justin Thomas needs to be in that group. Then there would be peers involved, not hangers-on people speaking the truth.
Godspeed Tiger – here is one journalist pulling for you.
By Dennis Miller