Tiger Woods will not be playing in the 90th Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club this week. Still, several players have spoken out, urging Woods to take responsibility. However, with that, there are also those in support of the 15-time major winner, who is said to have sought help after being arrested for DUI in Florida on March 27. And Bubba Watson is one of his supporters, who recently reminisced about the times gone by.

“So I’ve always been, I could care less about Tigers golf. I’ve always been in his ear. I’ve always been, I told him that I wanted to be here for his next major. I was here in 19, we were in the champions locker and I made a lot of the champions come down to congratulate him. That was very emotional. And I told him from day one that we started hanging out back in 06, 07, somewhere in there, that I would, I’m pulling for him as a human being, forget his golf, I could care less about his golf,” said Watson as he reflected on his own personal experiences and voiced support for Woods. 

Tiger Woods has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor DUI charges that include property damage. He also got a separate ticket for driving while distracted after telling police that he had been looking at his phone when his SUV hit a trailer being pulled by a truck near his home in Florida.

However, after he was arrested, police said they found two white ‘hydrocodone’ pills in his pocket. Woods went to Switzerland days later, and on Friday, his private jet was seen landing there. The trip came soon after a judge said he could leave the United States to go to an inpatient treatment program.

So, Watson then added, “And so anybody that’s struggling with anything, I feel for him because I’ve went through a lot of mental stuff. So yeah, I always pull for him. I don’t have his phone number anymore.”

Clearly, Watson still remembers Tiger Woods’s win at The Masters Tournament in 2019, which was one of the most surprising wins of his career. After Woods won his fifth green jacket, Watson even brought other players into the champions’ locker room at Augusta National to go outside and congratulate him in person. That is why Watson got very emotional on April 6. After a practice round at Augusta, he thought about how Woods wasn’t there this year.

Watson then went down memory lane and shared, “He [Tiger Woods] blocks me cause I make fun of him all the time, but yes, when we were on the Ryder Cup, captaincy together, he told me how much that meant that I was here in 19. I’m sorry, when I was here in 19, he was the next week after he won.”

On the other hand, Nick Faldo emphasized the need for responsibility from Woods’ end. 

“There are two sides to this right now. There’s one side, let’s care for Tiger, and then there’s got to be a responsibility and accountability side as well. This is a serious thing and issue he’s done. The PGA Tour statement was so predictably weak. And you know how they show that, the Tour will look after him as they always have done. There has to be some accountability, forget about golf and everything,” Faldo commented on the matter. 

Faldo also believes that all the pain in Woods’ painful life is rather “self-inflicted”.

Still and all, many other stars rallied behind Woods.

“It just shows the human element and the human side of someone that is struggling with some sort of an addiction. He’s not immune to it just because he can hit a golf ball really well… I look at it and go, he’s just a human being like everyone else and we have struggles,” Jason Day said.

While he questioned Woods’ decision to get behind the wheel, Day admitted it is ‘hard’ to watch his ‘hero’ struggle. “The only thing that I don’t understand is that it’s a little bit selfish of him to drive and put other people in harm’s way, as well.

So, while many believe it’s time for Woods to hang up his clubs, the likes of Day and Watson are waiting for him to come back stronger. 

Tiger Woods will be honored by Rory McIlroy at the Masters Dinner

The Champions Dinner is a long-standing tradition that takes place every Tuesday before The Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Past winners get together to celebrate the game over a meal chosen by the defending champion.

This year, Rory McIlroy has made a menu that shows off his own style. He has also planned a tribute to two famous people who won’t be there. Tiger Woods, who has won five times, is not there because of his DUI case in Florida. And Phil Mickelson, who has won three times, is also not there because of a family health issue.

“Unfortunately, there will be a couple of guys that won’t be in that room, which is a shame,” McIlroy said. “But I want to make sure that they’re acknowledged as well. They’ve been two of the greatest champions the Masters has ever seen.”

The 2026 Masters Tournament is the first one since the early 1990s that doesn’t have Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson in it. However, Rory McIlroy expressed how he is looking forward to the event since he wants to make it special while honoring the bond between past winners and keeping Augusta National’s traditions during a tough moment.