Jason Day said Tiger Woods' decision to drive and put other people in harm’s way was “a little bit selfish,” a blunt criticism that landed Monday before the Masters as Woods stayed out of the field after a rollover crash and arrest in Florida late last month.
Day, who won 13 times on the PGA Tour and last captured a title at the 2023 AT&T Byron Nelson, said he understands Woods is getting help and hopes he emerges better on the other side. “When I look at [Woods], I look at it and go, he’s just a human being like everyone else and we have struggles,” Day said. “It’s unfortunate. 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.”
Woods collided with a pickup truck and rolled his Range Rover late last month, then was arrested and charged with DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test. Officials said he had two hydrocodone pills in his pocket at the time. He later pleaded not guilty and stepped away from golf for an undetermined period while seeking treatment.
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The arrest came as Woods was already working through a severe physical recovery. He was recovering from a ruptured Achilles he suffered in March 2025 and underwent surgery for a lumbar disc replacement in October, the seventh back surgery of his career. Woods had also nearly lost his leg in a separate car accident in Southern California in 2021, deepening the sense that his life off the course has long been shaped by injury and pain as much as by trophies.
Day said Woods' stature never insulated him from those struggles. “But when you’re the player that he was and how strong-willed he is, he thinks he can do almost anything, and that’s probably why he’s probably driving and a little bit under the influence,” Day said. “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.”
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Woods, a 15-time major champion, is not in the Masters field this week and faces intense scrutiny while away from the game for an undetermined stretch. Day, who reached No. 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings earlier in his career, said the situation is difficult to watch because Woods was his hero growing up. “He was my hero growing up. The reason why I play golf is because of this tournament and Tiger,” Day said. “It's hard to see him go through what he's going through, and especially under the microscope that — it must be hard to be who he is and have everything, everyone look on, kind of down on him.”
Day will enter the Masters at No. 41 in the world rankings after finishing T6 two weeks ago at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, his best result since a runner-up finish at The American Express in January. He finished T8 at Augusta last year. For Woods, the next step is not another tee time but treatment, and the hardest part now is whether he can come back to golf having first dealt with the damage done far from the course.
