Tiger Woods is not playing at Augusta this week. Phil Mickelson is not playing at Augusta this week. anthony kim has been referenced in wider commentary about the field’s altered star power as the tournament proceeds.
Tiger Woods March 27 Arrest
Tiger Woods stepped away from golf indefinitely after a rollover car accident and DUI charge on March 27 on Jupiter Island, Fla., where deputies said they found two hydrocodone pills in his pocket and noticed he was lethargic and sweating profusely (confirmed).
Phil Mickelson Pullout Last Week
Phil Mickelson announced last week that he was pulling out of the Masters because of a personal health matter in his family (confirmed), making this tournament the first Masters since 1994 without either Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson (confirmed).
Player Reactions at Augusta
Jason Day said in Augusta that “He’s not immune to it just because he can hit a golf ball really well,” speaking about Tiger Woods’ struggles and medical history; Day also noted Woods has had what he described as “25 to 30-something surgeries” (claimed).
Harris English said he took an interest in golf after watching Tiger Woods at Augusta in 1997 and offered this on the current situation: “I know he’s going to get through this.” English added, “He has a big fight ahead of him. He’s a fighter. That’s what he does. He’s going to get through it and come out a better man and a better person. We hope to see him soon.” Those comments framed much of the locker-room tone at Augusta (claimed).
Justin Rose, noting the simultaneous absences, said, “With great respect to those two players, I hadn’t thought about it” and added, “Yeah, they’ve both been obviously titans of the game for the last three decades.” Rose also said, “Yeah, it’s always a loss to not have either of them in a field anywhere.” Those remarks were offered as players weighed the field’s diminished star power (claimed).
Bubba Watson, referencing his personal relationship with Tiger Woods, said, “I [couldn’t] care less about Tiger’s golf,” and added, “I told him that I wanted to be here for his next major.” Watson also recalled their early friendship: “I told him from Day 1 that we started hanging out back in ‘06, ‘07, somewhere in there, that I’m pulling for him as a human being — forget his golf.” Watson’s remarks underscored teammates’ focus on Woods the person as much as Woods the competitor (claimed).
Woods is a five-time Masters winner and has recently undergone his seventh back surgery (confirmed); those medical details were central to players’ remarks and to the tournament’s narrative this week. The immediate consequence for fans and broadcast partners is a Masters without two of its most prominent recent draws — a shift that commentators and some players, including those quoted above, have said changes the tone and attention at Augusta.
Tiger Woods remains the named individual at the center of this week’s story: he was arrested on March 27 after a two-car rollover crash, deputies reported two hydrocodone pills in his pocket, and he has stepped away from golf indefinitely while he recovers from his seventh back surgery. That human fact sits at the heart of why the Masters is the first since 1994 without either Woods or Mickelson, and it leaves players, broadcasters and fans focused on Woods’ recovery and on how the tournament unfolds without those two names.
