AUGUSTA, Georgia — Tiger Woods was a big part of the conversation Monday at the Masters without even being at Augusta National. His absence, stemming from his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence, brought a degree of criticism from Jason Day.

Florida authorities on March 27 determined Woods was impaired when his Land Rover struck a trailer and flipped on its side on a residential street. They found two painkiller pills in his pocket. Woods was arrested and briefly jailed for refusing to submit to a urine test.

"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.

"But when you're the player that he was and how strong-willed he is, he thinks he can do almost anything," Day said. "And that's probably why he's driving and a little bit under the influence."

This is the second straight year Woods has missed the Masters, under entirely different circumstances. He had ruptured his Achilles tendon in March last year and didn't even make it to the Masters Club dinner for champions.

Woods entered a plea of not guilty last week, and then sought — and was granted — a motion to seek treatment outside the country.

"He was my hero — he is my hero," said Day, the Australian who reached No 1 in the world a decade ago. "The reason why I play golf is because of this tournament and Tiger. It's hard to see him go through what he's going through, and especially under the microscope. It must be hard to be who he is and have everything, everyone look on, kind of down on him.

"Some people want him to fail. Some people obviously want him to succeed," Day said. "It's really difficult for me to go through that and watch him, and I know that he's getting the help now, which is good. I'm just hoping he comes out on the other side and is better."

Woods is a five-time champion at the Masters, the last one in 2019 to complete a most remarkable comeback in golf. In the 14 years between winning Green Jackets, he had reconstructive knee surgery (2008) and four back surgeries (2014-17), and one arrest for taking what he said was a bad mix of painkillers when he was found asleep behind the wheel of his running car (2017).

Since winning his last Masters, his right leg and ankle were crushed, when, in 2021, his SUV going about 137km/h ran over a median and tumbled down a hill on a coastal road in Los Angeles. He also had surgery on the Achilles tendon and a seventh back surgery last year.

Nick Faldo was particularly critical of Woods in an interview with Britain's Daily Telegraph last week when he said: "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."

"Forget about golf. We are not meant to be on the streets with two pills in our pocket," Faldo said. "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."

Phil Mickelson, a three-time Masters champion who was a runner-up in 2023 at age 52, also is skipping the Masters as he deals with a family health matter at home. It's the first time since 1994 neither Woods nor Mickelson was at Augusta National for the first major of the year.

Mickelson is with LIV Golf and plays on a big stage only four times a year at the majors. Jacob Bridgeman, one of the 22 newcomers to the Masters, didn't know Mickelson wasn't playing and is young enough in golf to have only played two majors with him last year.

Agencies Via Xinhua