Deadspin | Gary Player’s advice to Tiger Woods: ‘Get a chauffeur’ 
Apr 9, 2026; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Honorary starter Gary Player reacts after teeing off on the first hole during the first round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Katie Goodale-Imagn Images AUGUSTA, Ga. — Gary Player has a tremendous amount of empathy for the pain Tiger Woods suffers on a daily basis. He just has one piece of advice for the 15-time major champion.
Get a chauffeur.
Shortly after taking part in his role as an honorary starter at the Masters on Thursday morning, Player, 90, was asked about Woods, whose absence at Augusta National this week has been a regular topic of conversation. The 50-year-old has reportedly checked into a treatment program outside of the United States following a car accident that led to his DUI arrest in Florida on March 27.
Woods was charged with a moving violation of distracted driving. Officers found two pills in the pocket of his pants, which authorities later confirmed to be hydrocodone. Woods also missed the first major of the year in 2021, when he was recovering from serious injuries suffered in another car accident in California.
Woods told officers following his latest accident that he has undergone more than 20 surgeries on his right leg, in addition to seven back surgeries and a torn Achilles tendon.
“Do I blame him for taking medicine? Hell, no. He has sleep deprivation. Do I blame him for taking something to help him sleep? No. But I don’t think he should drive a car,” Player said. “When you’re taking that medicine, it’s dangerous when you’re driving a car, same as it’s dangerous when you look at your cell phone in the car. There’s 6,000 accidents a day in motor cars.
“So, I think all he’s got to do is just not drive a car and get a chauffeur. My reflexes, I think, are as good as when I was 20, but I don’t drive anymore. I get a chauffeur. I think that’s the answer to it.”
Numerous players this week have lent their vocal support and well wishes to Woods. Meanwhile, Jason Day made headlines by calling it “selfish” for Woods to be behind the wheel of a car.
Player said it’s easy for people to be critical, but no one can understand the excruciating pain Woods has lived with on a daily basis for many years.
“My heart goes out for him,” Player said. “There’s nothing worse than living in pain every day of your life. You can’t think of anything worse. I just hope he can get it all sorted out because he’s such an asset to golf and has done so much for the game.”
Jack Nicklaus, the only man in history to win more majors than Woods with 18, offered a similar sentiment when asked what message he would have for the five-time Masters champion.
“Just whatever you need to help you and get back, because I think golf needs him, and we’d love to have him back,” he said.
–Derek Harper, Field Level Media
#Deadspin #Gary #Players #advice #Tiger #Woods #chauffeur
Apr 9, 2026; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Honorary starter Gary Player reacts after teeing off on the first hole during the first round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Katie Goodale-Imagn Images AUGUSTA, Ga. — Gary Player has a tremendous amount of empathy for the pain Tiger Woods suffers on a daily basis. He just has one piece of advice for the 15-time major champion.
Get a chauffeur.
Shortly after taking part in his role as an honorary starter at the Masters on Thursday morning, Player, 90, was asked about Woods, whose absence at Augusta National this week has been a regular topic of conversation. The 50-year-old has reportedly checked into a treatment program outside of the United States following a car accident that led to his DUI arrest in Florida on March 27.
Woods was charged with a moving violation of distracted driving. Officers found two pills in the pocket of his pants, which authorities later confirmed to be hydrocodone. Woods also missed the first major of the year in 2021, when he was recovering from serious injuries suffered in another car accident in California.
Woods told officers following his latest accident that he has undergone more than 20 surgeries on his right leg, in addition to seven back surgeries and a torn Achilles tendon.
“Do I blame him for taking medicine? Hell, no. He has sleep deprivation. Do I blame him for taking something to help him sleep? No. But I don’t think he should drive a car,” Player said. “When you’re taking that medicine, it’s dangerous when you’re driving a car, same as it’s dangerous when you look at your cell phone in the car. There’s 6,000 accidents a day in motor cars.
“So, I think all he’s got to do is just not drive a car and get a chauffeur. My reflexes, I think, are as good as when I was 20, but I don’t drive anymore. I get a chauffeur. I think that’s the answer to it.”
Numerous players this week have lent their vocal support and well wishes to Woods. Meanwhile, Jason Day made headlines by calling it “selfish” for Woods to be behind the wheel of a car.
Player said it’s easy for people to be critical, but no one can understand the excruciating pain Woods has lived with on a daily basis for many years.
“My heart goes out for him,” Player said. “There’s nothing worse than living in pain every day of your life. You can’t think of anything worse. I just hope he can get it all sorted out because he’s such an asset to golf and has done so much for the game.”
Jack Nicklaus, the only man in history to win more majors than Woods with 18, offered a similar sentiment when asked what message he would have for the five-time Masters champion.
“Just whatever you need to help you and get back, because I think golf needs him, and we’d love to have him back,” he said.
–Derek Harper, Field Level Media
![George Russell ‘lost for words’ after Canadian Grand Prix This was supposed to be the summer of George.Despite arriving at the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix 20 points behind teammate Kimi Antonelli in the Drivers’ Championship race, George Russell was on track for a weekend in Montreal that would put him right back in the fight. Russell captured pole position for the F1 Sprint race on Friday, held off Lando Norris and Antonelli after a hard fight with his teammate to take the win in that race on Saturday, and then took pole position for Sunday’s main event with a strong performance in qualifying.And after yet another hard fight with Antonelli in the early stages of Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix, with several changes between the two Mercedes drivers, Russell was leading the race.Then, on Lap 30, his car stopped on the track. His race was over.His frustration seemed to boil over as he exited his challenger:And with Antonelli going on to take his fourth consecutive Grand Prix victory, Russell is left to wonder if his championship hopes have been brought to a halt as well.“Disbelief,” said Russell to the official F1 channel when asked how he felt following his retirement, which the team attributed to a power unit failure. “It feels like somebody doesn’t want me to fight or compete for this championship.“Three out of the last five races there’s just been something really going against us. [I’m] just a bit lost for words right now.”Russell managed to find a silver lining after the race, pointing at how he responded to the “doubters” and the “chat” following the Miami Grand Prix, where he missed out on a podium for the second consecutive Grand Prix.“Yeah, I loved the battle,” he said to the F1 channel. “I was happy with how I handled it, how I drove and I’m just pleased with the weekend in terms of my own personal performance.“There were a lot of doubters maybe after Miami and a lot of chat, but I know what I can do. Pole in the Sprint, win the Sprint, pole in Qualifying, leading the race.“Hard battles, I really loved the battle and I wanted to continue for 30 more laps. I would have loved to see how it would have panned out but here we are.”When Russell announced his new contract with Mercedes prior to last season’s United States Grand Prix, he outlined how staying with the Silver Arrows gives him the best chance to win a championship. “Well for me I’m really happy to be continuing [with Mercedes] because the truth is if every single seat was available for next year and I could choose any single team to race for, I believe Mercedes is my best chance of winning the championship next year, and for me winning is is more about winning than it is about money or sponsor days or anything,” said Russell to the media, including SB Nation, during the media day in Austin last October.“I want to win, and this is what I’m fighting for.”There is certainly a long way to go this season, but at the moment Russell trails Antonelli by 43 points in the standings, with his teammate set to bring a four-race winning streak to the Monaco Grand Prix in two weeks’ time.Perhaps the summer of George can begin then. #George #Russell #lost #words #Canadian #Grand #Prix](https://i2.wp.com/platform.sbnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-24-at-6.52.17PM.png?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0.31466470154754%2C0%2C99.370670596905%2C100&w=1200&ssl=1 "George Russell ‘lost for words’ after Canadian Grand Prix This was supposed to be the summer of George.Despite arriving at the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix 20 points behind teammate Kimi Antonelli in the Drivers’ Championship race, George Russell was on track for a weekend in Montreal that would put him right back in the fight. Russell captured pole position for the F1 Sprint race on Friday, held off Lando Norris and Antonelli after a hard fight with his teammate to take the win in that race on Saturday, and then took pole position for Sunday’s main event with a strong performance in qualifying.And after yet another hard fight with Antonelli in the early stages of Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix, with several changes between the two Mercedes drivers, Russell was leading the race.Then, on Lap 30, his car stopped on the track. His race was over.His frustration seemed to boil over as he exited his challenger:And with Antonelli going on to take his fourth consecutive Grand Prix victory, Russell is left to wonder if his championship hopes have been brought to a halt as well.“Disbelief,” said Russell to the official F1 channel when asked how he felt following his retirement, which the team attributed to a power unit failure. “It feels like somebody doesn’t want me to fight or compete for this championship.“Three out of the last five races there’s just been something really going against us. [I’m] just a bit lost for words right now.”Russell managed to find a silver lining after the race, pointing at how he responded to the “doubters” and the “chat” following the Miami Grand Prix, where he missed out on a podium for the second consecutive Grand Prix.“Yeah, I loved the battle,” he said to the F1 channel. “I was happy with how I handled it, how I drove and I’m just pleased with the weekend in terms of my own personal performance.“There were a lot of doubters maybe after Miami and a lot of chat, but I know what I can do. Pole in the Sprint, win the Sprint, pole in Qualifying, leading the race.“Hard battles, I really loved the battle and I wanted to continue for 30 more laps. I would have loved to see how it would have panned out but here we are.”When Russell announced his new contract with Mercedes prior to last season’s United States Grand Prix, he outlined how staying with the Silver Arrows gives him the best chance to win a championship. “Well for me I’m really happy to be continuing [with Mercedes] because the truth is if every single seat was available for next year and I could choose any single team to race for, I believe Mercedes is my best chance of winning the championship next year, and for me winning is is more about winning than it is about money or sponsor days or anything,” said Russell to the media, including SB Nation, during the media day in Austin last October.“I want to win, and this is what I’m fighting for.”There is certainly a long way to go this season, but at the moment Russell trails Antonelli by 43 points in the standings, with his teammate set to bring a four-race winning streak to the Monaco Grand Prix in two weeks’ time.Perhaps the summer of George can begin then. #George #Russell #lost #words #Canadian #Grand #Prix")
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