Tiger Woods’ recent car accident and subsequent rehabilitation have raised concerns for golf legend Jack Nicklaus, particularly regarding Woods’ use of painkillers, leading Nicklaus to worry that Woods might be in too deep.
At 50, Woods recently announced his decision to step away from golf to prioritize his health after a DUI arrest following an SUV rollover accident in Jupiter, Florida.
Nicklaus openly voiced his concerns about Woods’ situation but affirmed his unwavering support for the 15-time major champion. Woods is believed to have traveled to a discreet rehab center in Zurich, Switzerland for treatment.
“Sometimes you get too far down the line and need someone to help you,” Nicklaus told The Palm Beach Post.
“I think he probably needs some help. And we all want to help him. We’re all on his side,” he added.
Nicklaus, an 18-time major winner, clarified that his comments were not meant to criticize Woods, acknowledging that Woods has had to rely on pain medication due to past injuries.
Tiger Woods’ latest car crash and rehab stint has left Jack Nicklaus (pictured) concerned
Woods yawns in the back of the police car on his way to jail in Florida last Friday
Woods, 50, stands by his overturned vehicle in Jupiter Island shortly before his arrest
‘Obviously, I feel bad for Tiger. I like Tiger. I don’t just like him, I like him a lot,’ he added.
‘He’s been taking painkillers for a long time and I don’t know how much pain he’s in because I just don’t know. But I don’t think he’d be taking them if he didn’t need them.’
The 86-year-old Nicklaus is the only player with more major victories than Woods’ 15, with the pair forging a close relationship over the years.
The elder golf star lives in North Palm Beach, just around 15 miles from Woods’ home on Jupiter Island where he flipped his Range Rover in his latest car accident.
After cops found Woods ‘dazed and sweaty’ with two opioid pills in his pocket, he was arrested for DUI, property damage and failure to submit to a lawful test.
The police affidavit said Woods was ‘limping and stumbling’ during a field sobriety test. After completing a number of exercises, Woods was deemed unfit to be driving his car.
He had been traveling at ‘high speeds’ on a residential road and after the crash showed ‘signs of impairment,’ Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said, adding that investigators believe he had taken some kind of medication or drug.
He described Woods as lethargic and said he agreed to a breathalyzer test that showed no signs of alcohol, but he refused a urine test and was arrested.
Budensiek said Woods attempted to pass a pressure cleaner truck while driving on a two-lane road with a 30mph speed limit. He said authorities could not determine how fast Woods was going.
The 86-year-old Nicklaus is only player with more major victories than Woods’ 15
The golf legend’s mugshot from the police station showed him with glassy, bloodshot eyes
Woods is believed to have traveled to a facility in Zurich, Switzerland on Friday – one week on from the incident – after a judge granted him permission to leave the country in order to do so with more privacy than in the United States.
His private jet landed in the Swiss city shortly after Woods announced in a statement this week that he would be ‘seeking treatment and focusing on my health.’
It is as yet unclear whether Woods was on the plane as it headed to Europe, but Switzerland is believed to be home to some of the most expensive and luxurious private treatment facilities in the world.
TMZ reports that some facilities in Zurich even have ‘one-client admittance’, meaning that only Woods would be at the facility, granting him the privacy he desires.
In police bodycam footage released on Thursday, Woods was seen in the back seat of a cop car, yawning wildly, struggling to contain a bout of hiccups, and briefly falling asleep.
Earlier footage from the crash scene showed the remarkable moment he walked away from police officers and then claimed to have been on the phone to President Trump.
Woods’ potential arrival in Switzerland for treatment comes just hours after his girlfriend Vanessa Trump broke her silence on the arrest, posting a supportive message to Tiger on her Instagram account.
Alongside a photo of the pair sharing an embrace, she wrote – quite simply: ‘Love you’.
Vanessa Trump shared a public message of support for boyfriend Woods on Friday
Her message comes hours after extraordinary police footage emerged of Woods’ arrest
Vanessa and Woods’ relationship was exclusively revealed by Daily Mail in March 2025
The Daily Mail understands that behind the scenes Vanessa, 48, has been pushing Woods to get the best care possible and that she won’t stand for another repeat of the troubles that have blighted Woods’ life away from sport.
Last week’s car crash was the fourth occasion Woods has been involved in an accident since 2009.
The first came when Woods drove into a fire hydrant outside his home, fleeing after ex-wife Elin Nordegren had discovered he had been cheating.
In 2017, police found him asleep at the wheel on the side of the road with the engine running. He was arrested then, too, for DUI with Woods blaming an ‘unexpected reaction’ to prescription medication for his condition. He later checked into rehab.
In 2021, he rolled his car at high speed in California so badly that he broke his right leg in multiple places and there were fears that he could have faced amputation.
