Former Masters Champ Says Quiet Part Out Loud About Tiger Woods After DUI Arrest

Three-time Masters champion Sir Nick Faldo showed little pity for Tiger Woods following Woods’s latest DUI arrest. Woods has pleaded not guilty to charges including driving under the influence and refusing to provide a urine sample after being involved in a two-car crash near his Jupiter, Fla., home last month.

Woods had two hydrocodone pills in his pocket when he was arrested, per a police report, and was heard calling President Trump at the crash site. Recently released police bodycam footage showed Woods fighting off hiccups and drowsiness in the back of a police car after his arrest, which aligns with the police report that stated Woods exhibited “severe signs of impairment.”

Sir Nick Faldo, who will be at Augusta as an analyst for Sky Sports, said Thursday that Woods should not be “welcomed back to the sport with open arms” in light of his latest misstep. The Englishman also slammed the PGA Tour’s statement in response to Woods’s car crash in which the Tour pledged its “full support” to Woods and declined to admonish the 15-time major winner in any way.

“I feel sorry for Tiger that he is living 24-7 in pain… but it has all been self-inflicted,” Faldo said, via The Telegraph. “There are two sides to this right now. There’s one side that’s like… let’s care for Tiger. And then there has got to be a responsibility and an accountability side as well.

“This is a serious thing that he has done. I look at the PGA Tour statement, it was so predictably weak. The Tour will look after him, as they always have done. But then you’ve got Jack [Nicklaus] saying it has tarnished the entire sport. There has to be some accountability. Forget about golf. We are not meant to be on the streets with two pills in our pocket.

“The bottom line is that I really think that this is a serious issue and something should be done that is a little bit more serious than waving him off to a tropical island and saying ‘welcome back’ in three or four months or whatever it might be.”

Woods, 50, has since announced he was stepping away from golf to receive treatment and will not be participating in this year’s Masters at Augusta National. “I’ve committed to taking the time needed to return to a healthier, stronger and more focused place, both personally and professionally,” Woods wrote in a statement.

Even so, Faldo insisted that Woods should not be so easily let off the hook, and repeatedly called for Woods to have more “accountability” for his actions.

“You compare it to other sports or business. If you were done for DUI a couple of times in your business, what happens? I’ve got a feeling that if he disappears and comes back in a couple of months, everything will carry on as normal. I’m not sure if that is right. It’s not a good message to the kids of today,” continued Faldo.

“Our sport is based on discipline. You rule yourself, you police yourself. ... In the normal walk of life, there would be some accountability.”

Woods has been in his fourth high-profile car accident dating back 17 years. This was his second charge of driving under the influence. Prior to his car crash, Woods was trying to get ready to play in the Masters, which would have been his first tournament since the 2024 British Open.

More Golf from Sports Illustrated