The mug shot of Tiger Woods tells it all. Tired eyes, puffy face, scruffy beard. The once upon a time king of the links now looks like a skid row bum.
Tiger spent a couple of hours in the clinker after he was stopped at the side of the road in Jupiter, Florida. Woods reportedly told police it was a reaction to his medication.
Woods has had a rough go over the last nine years or so. It all started to go down hill for Tiger when he got into a blow out fight with then wife Elin Nordegren. That night, Woods hit a tree while allegedly under the influence of Ambien.
Elin dumped Tiger after stories of numerous affairs with women when he was supposedly getting up early for practice swings on the driving range.
Then came the back problems. Suddenly Tiger had nothing left in the tank. The biggest star of the PGA Tour started missing the cut. He never was the same player once the marriage went up in smoke and his back blew out.
Woods has 72 career wins and ranks second on the PGA Tour’s career list. He has made over $100 million in career earnings, and his back is killing him. In April he had fusion surgery and was declared out of any play for the rest of the season.
Last week, Woods said on his website that the surgery provided instant relief from the pain and that he hasn’t “felt this good in years.” (Maybe the pain killers?)
After being released on his own recognizance from a Florida jail, Woods issued this statement.
“I understand the severity of what I did and I take full responsibility for my actions. I want the public to know that alcohol was not involved. What happened was an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications. I didn’t realize the mix of medications affected me so strongly.
I would like to apologize with all my heart to my family, friends, and the fans. I expect more from myself, too. I will do everything in my power to ensure this never happens again.
I fully cooperated with law enforcement, and I would like to personally thank the representatives of the Jupiter Police Dept. and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office for their professionalism.”
It’s hard to feel sorry for Tiger Woods. He has had the success, the money, the beautiful wife, the endorsements and the appreciation of millions of golf fans.
It’s still not clear if Woods was under the influence of drugs, alcohol or both.
TMZ reported that Wood’s girlfriend, Kristen Smith learned about Tiger’s arrest while she was shopping at a Neiman Marcus store in Dallas. According to several eye witnesses, Smith “went crazy”and said, “I knew it, I knew it.” Smith then began crying and went on to buy $5,000 worth of merchandise before she left.
