When Rory McIlroy completed the career Grand Slam last April at The Masters, ending an 11-year wait for his elusive fifth major title, he opened his victory press conference with: “What are we all going to talk about next year?”

Fast forward 12 months, and build-up to his title defence has been dominated by the previous entrant into golf’s Grand Slam club and a player McIlroy looks to emulate by successfully defending the Green Jacket.

Even before Tiger Woods confirmed he would not be making a competitive comeback at Augusta National, the former world No 1 had taken much of the spotlight away from McIlroy – and the opening major of the year generally – with a car crash that created more unwanted headlines.

Woods was working towards another injury return when he was arrested after being involved in a car crash – near his Florida home – on March 27, with his Land Rover travelling ‘at high speeds’ when he clipped a truck and rolled onto its side.

The former world No 1 was charged with driving under the influence, property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test, then was kept in jail for eight hours – the minimum allowed under Florida state law – before being released on bail.

Woods entered a not guilty plea, taking the case to a jury trial, although his decision to be “stepping away” for a “period of time” ended his hopes of making an appearance – in any capacity – at The Masters and raised further questions over his future in the sport.

“I think a lot of people are running out of patience now [with Tiger],” former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley told a media call ahead of The Masters. “He [Woods] realises the seriousness of the situation, as he said [in his statement], and I think it’s a line in the sand.

“It’s quite clear he was just trying to accelerate things, trying to put in the reps, trying to put in the practice in order to get to Augusta National. Obviously, he’s flipped on the wrong side of it.

“I think he [Woods] has been more criticised in the last week than he has ever before in any kind of scandal that he’s been involved in. Everybody realises this is the end of the road and the last-chance saloon. He’s very fortunate that he’s not in bigger trouble.”

Criticism and concern directed at Woods

It was the fourth time Woods has been involved in a notable car crash, having being found asleep at the wheel during his arrest in 2017 and needing to be cut from the wreckage during a serious accident four years later.

Golf Channel’s Rich Lerner, speaking on the Sky Sports Golf podcast before Woods’ announcement, said: “We need to stop pretending. This is no longer about [Woods] winning. This is no longer about coming back to play The Masters.

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“This is no longer about chairing a meeting to discuss the future of the PGA Tour – this is about life and death. I think we know how lucky he was in this most recent incident and how lucky he was in California [2021 car crash]. At some point, the luck will run out.”

A sheriff’s officer report confirmed Woods admitted to looking at his phone and changing the radio station moments before the crash, with his eyes ‘bloodshot and glassy’, his pupils dilated and hydrocodone pills – used to treat severe pain – in his pocket at the scene.

The PGA Tour, its CEO Brian Rolapp and Masters chairman Fred Ridley all posted public messages of support to Woods, following his decision to focus on his health, with the former world No 1 still a key figure within the sport.

“When you have a superstar in any sport, they’re going to get a bit more leeway and going to be talked about,” McGinley added. “The thing that makes Tiger so relevant is the fact that his records are there and the bar is so high.

“So many of the players who are primed now at the very top of the game were teenagers and very impressionable when Tiger was at his best, so they reference him a lot. The guys are at the right age and very much influenced by him in terms of the golfers they became.

“You can look at Jack Nicklaus’ records, but modern players don’t really relate to that the way they do to Woods. That’s why his name comes up so often and that’s why the media talk so much about him, because he is the bar.”

The end of Tiger contending in tournaments?

Woods – even before his latest crash – had completed just four 72-hole tournaments in the last five seasons and only featured in 11 official events during that period, because of injury setbacks, dropping to world No 3,736.

“I don’t think it’s fair to write him off fully, but it’s highly improbable that he wins another tournament again, never mind a major,” McGinley conceded. “When he has played, he hasn’t been on the pace, so it’s quite clear that he’s not able to practise the way he used to.

“I think his future in terms of winning majors will probably be more focused on playing and maybe winning senior events, more so than on the main tour. You’re never going to say never with Woods, but it’s highly unlikely.”

Woods remained optimistic of challenging for another major victory during his most recent appearance at Augusta National in 2024, only to card a third-round 82 – the worst round of his major career as a professional – and finish last of those who made the weekend.

“I think a lot of people are hanging on thinking like that [him contending again],” former Ryder Cup player Andrew Coltart told Sky Sports News. “The man’s into his fifties now. He’s seen it all, he’s done it all.

“It’s like watching the old boxing champions, the legends of old, returning to the ring when really their body has just been through absolutely everything. I don’t think we’re ever going to see that [him challenge] again, but let’s be fair to him – everybody’s allowed to get old!”

Tiger remains ‘important ally’ for PGA Tour

Woods has had a key role off the course in recent seasons, initially joining the PGA Tour’s policy board before later being named the chairman of the Future Competitions Committee to try and reshape the sport.

“I think you’ve got to, as we say in Ireland, separate church and state,” McGinley explained. I think you’ve got to separate what he does personally with what he has achieved in the game.

“The values that he has are more off the course than on the course now. A little bit like Franz Beckenbauer would have done at Bayern Munich, when you go into the chairmanship of the club after being a great player and great captain.

“The reason why he has a key role [with the PGA Tour] is not because his input is going to be any better than anybody else’s – I think it’s because he’s got a lot of influence over the current players to get them on side.

“Golf is a very, very fractured sport, as the players – with independent trader status – have incredible leverage. They’ve got to be coerced to do things and there’s nobody better positioned to coerce players into a future for the tour than Woods.

“They are all so much in awe of him, because of what he achieved as a golfer. He’s a very, very important ally for Brian Rolapp and the PGA Tour in creating what the future may be for the PGA Tour because of his stature in the game.”

There’s an aged-old saying in golf that Woods ‘doesn’t move the needle, he is the needle’. The golfing world hopes his latest extended spell on the sidelines will bring positive news over his future – whether that’s on or off the course.

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