Jack Nicklaus, PGA Tour players express concern for Tiger Woods

The most recent off-course troubles of Tiger Woods, as additional details of Monday’s early-morning DUI arrest emerged, were on the minds Tuesday of host Jack Nicklaus and several PGA Tour golfers set to tee it up in this week’s Memorial Tournament.

“I feel bad for Tiger,” Nicklaus said during his annual pre-tourney address to the media. “Tiger’s a friend, he’s been great for the game of golf. I think he needs all our help, and we wish him well.”

Woods, after undergoing a fourth back surgery last month, is obviously not in the field at Muirfield Village Golf Club where he has won the event a record five times. Instead, he and his team are dealing with the fallout of his latest misstep outside the ropes after Jupiter, Fla., police discovered the fallen superstar early Monday morning asleep behind the wheel of his battered black Mercedes Benz, which was still running.

Though his alcohol level was .000, Woods failed other sobriety tests, exhibited “extremely slow and slurred speech,” was confused about where he was, and was arrested for a DUI as well as improper parking in an illegal space (stopped in the right lane), according to a police report.

Woods was released on his own recognizance after spending some four hours in jail, after which he issued a statement in which he blamed his condition on “an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications” that include the opioid painkiller Vicodin.

Police are expected to release on Wednesday a video from a dashboard camera that, judging by the bedraggled, out-of-it look of Woods in his mug shot, will likely sound additional alarm and further worsen the optics for the 14-time major champion.

Already, we have learned that Woods’ 2015 Mercedes had “fresh damage to the vehicle.

“Both driver’s side tires were flat along with minor damage to both respective rims,” according to a police report about the situation. “There was also minor damage to the front driver’s side bumper and rear bumper, and the passenger rear tail light appeared to be out.”

Along with the overwhelming feeling of sadness surrounding the incident, some of Woods’ peers expressed apprehension about what they have witnessed so far.

“It was just tough to see that all over the news,” Bubba Watson told GolfDigest.com on Tuesday from the Memorial.

“We all have our dark places, and Tiger is human, which everyone seems to forget,” said Watson. “I think we all are concerned for him as a friend, and we would want to help him in any way we could. Whatever the cause of what happened to him, we just want him to get better.”

Woods’ Presidents Cup partner Matt Kuchar and Bill Haas noted that no one knows what’s going on with Tiger’s back, while a player who asked to remain anonymous wondered about the need for a cocktail of meds (Solarex, Torix, and Vioxx in addition to Vicodin) at this time.

“I think we all are worried about Tiger,” the player said, “but you have to ask, ‘What was he doing at that hour, and why is he taking Vicodin?’ I thought he said a few days ago that he never felt better. But he’s taking Vicodin? I just hope that isn’t an indication of something a lot more serious.”

The player was referring to Woods’ recent announcement that he had not “felt this good in years.” He certainly raised questions that many folks are asking.

As for Nicklaus, the owner of 18 major titles, a record he now believes is safe from Woods (“Tiger, I’ve always thought, was going to probably break my record … I think he probably won’t now”), was not anxious to answer queries about Tiger’s latest problems. He did, however, mention that four days before undergoing fusion surgery on his back, the former world No. 1 was in “excruciating” pain and was a unable to stand for 10 minutes, according to GolfChannel.com.

Nicklaus joined Brandel Chamblee and others who believe that Woods’ heavy-duty workout procedure contributed to his current injuries.

“When he won the ’97 Masters, he was a fairly skinny, supple young man that no matter how he swung it, nothing was going to get in the way,” Nicklaus said. “As he got bigger and stronger, I personally think those muscles cause a change in what you do. And you don’t have the forgiveness within your body for that … It’s very difficult to play golf and do the things he does without a drastic change of his golf swing after a fusion operation.”

Nicklaus allowed that Woods’ chase of his majors record was a bonus for him as well.

“Did I enjoy watching him play? Absolutely,” Nicklaus said. “Did I enjoy every time Tiger did something my name was mentioned right beside him? It kept me relevant. It was as good for me as it was for him.”

And while he admitted he hoped his record would remain intact, he was not pleased that injuries would keep Woods from setting a new mark.

“[Does] anybody want to see their records be broken? Of course not, but do I want to see somebody not have the ability because of physical problems not to be able to compete to have that chance?” Nicklaus asked rhetorically. “Yeah, I don’t like that at all.”

Nicklaus also noted that when he was playing he weathered his share of injuries, including a nagging stiff neck that caused him the most trouble throughout his career. Perhaps most surprising was his acknowledgement to ESPN.com that his back would act up as well but not seriously enough to require anything like what Woods has experienced.

“My back would spasm,” Nicklaus said. “I had a lot of back spasms [but] played through that.”