While Tiger Woods has stepped away from the spotlight to focus on his health, his DUI arrest continues to stir up many conversations at the 2026 Masters. When Gary Player was asked about his advice to the 15x major champion, he delivered a stern message that carried more concern than criticism. The 90-year-old acknowledged the deeper struggles, yet made it clear that Woods’ one decision, in particular, cannot be ignored.

“You know, it’s very easy, the human being is so critical of everything. 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,” Gary Player said at the press conference after he teed off as the Honorary Starter at the 2026 Masters.

“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 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.”

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Tiger Woods was arrested on March 27, 2026, near his Jupiter Island, Florida. His Land Rover clipped a trailer and flipped on its side. When law enforcement officers arrived at the scene, they deemed Tiger Woods medically impaired and arrested him for DUI. In a statement released on March 30, 2026, Woods said he would step away to focus on his health and return healthier. The incident has since divided the internet world. Some support the 50-year-old, while others point to multiple DUI arrests and ask for accountability.

Gary Player took a middle approach, pointing at several surgeries Tiger Woods has had over the past couple of decades. The 5x Masters champion has endured seven back surgeries since 2014. The most recent one came in October 2025. Apart from that, he has undergone multiple leg injuries, including Achilles tendon surgery in March 2025.

Woods has himself said that he used to take an infinite number of ice baths to deal with pain and be able to walk on the course. Thus, Player doesn’t blame him for taking medication. However, he still acknowledged that driving after taking those pills is dangerous, for him and for others. Thus, Gary Player also gave a simple solution to the problem, drawing from his own life.

Even at 90, the 9x major champion follows an intense training routine. And every golf fan would know about his big leg kick celebration. He did the same after teeing off as the Honorary Starter ahead of the 2026 Masters, too. But despite that, he doesn’t drive and instead goes for a chauffeur, and advises Tiger Woods to do the same.

“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,” Player added.

Well, safety is the primary reason why many have criticized Tiger Woods. Stephen A. Smith, for instance, tore him apart after Woods’ statement seeking privacy became public.

“We don’t give a damn about his privacy. We don’t care right now. You’ve been behind the wheel of a vehicle inebriated three times. Ain’t nobody trying to know all your business. What we want to know is you ain’t gonna get behind the wheel of a damn car when you’re inebriated. You’re lucky you didn’t kill somebody,” Smith said.

Still, Gary Player admitted his heart goes out to Tiger Woods. For all the 15-time major champion has done for the game, the South African professional simply hopes Woods can put things back together and return.

Gary Player highlights a key contribution Tiger Woods made to golf

Tiger Woods revolutionized golf through unmatched dominance, cultural impact, and barrier-breaking achievements. He jointly holds the record for most PGA Tour wins (82) with Sam Snead. And he is second only to Jack Nicklaus when it comes to most major championship wins. He completed a career Grand Slam three times, and even had four major titles at the same time in what came to be known as the “Tiger Slam”.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg, though. It’s just not possible to encompass all of Tiger Woods’ contributions to the game of golf in mere words. However, Gary Player highlighted one key contribution that forever revolutionized golf.

What really changed the game was his impact on changing the view of black people. Gary Player highlighted an incident with Charlie Sifford. He said that Charlie Sifford couldn’t play during the 1950s because officials barred him due to his race, as the organization had a ”Caucasian Only” clause.

While Elder made history (and paved the way for Tiger) in 1975 when he became the first Black golfer to compete at the Masters tournament after the clause was lifted, it was Tiger Woods who became the first Black American Masters champion. This changed everything. He inspired minority participation worldwide.