Trump's Wishful Thinking: Tiger Woods Won't Be at Augusta to Address Crash Claims

SO DONALD TRUMP thinks Tiger Woods will be in Augusta next week — but won’t be teeing it up in the Masters.

Not a !

Tiger Woods was arrested after being involved in a crash on Friday eveningCredit: Reuters Donald Trump said Woods would be at Augusta even if he was not playingCredit: Getty

That is the verdict of a fellow golfer, who knows well, but refused to be named.

That is because there are repercussions for talking about Tiger’s private life, even if you happen to be a Major champion as well.

That pro predicted Woods “would not be within 500 miles of Augusta”, after he was .

He had to crawl out of the side door of his overturned Land Rover, and even though he had no traces of alcohol in his bloodstream, police suspected another substance had left him “impaired”.

That happened close to Woods’ luxury home in Jupiter Island, Florida, around 523 miles from Augusta National, where he has claimed five of his 15 Major titles.

His fellow professional commented: “Do you really think Tiger is going to go to Augusta, and face questions about the crash? There is not a chance in hell of that happening.

“Tiger loves the spotlight when he’s winning Majors, but he hates having to talk about his private life.

“He’s had to do that after , and you could see he was talking through gritted teeth.

“You’re talking about a guy who named his yacht ‘Privacy’. I think that tells you all you need to know.”

Having followed Woods’ career closely ever since he won his first Major title at Augusta in 1997, I can vouch for his reluctance to pull aside the curtains and allow anyone a glimpse into his private life.

Woods’ mugshot was released by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office after the arrestCredit: Reuters It is not the first time Woods (pictured being driven from jail on Friday) has been involved in a serious crashCredit: Getty

But he could not avoid the gory details becoming public when he was chased out of their home by his now ex-wife Elin — apparently wielding a nine-iron — and crashed his car into a tree and a fire hydrant in his desperation to escape her wrath.

That prompted lurid revelations that Woods was a serial adulterer, who had been involved in a string of extra-marital affairs with various porn stars and cocktail waitresses.

That was in November 2009, and Woods held a press conference, attended by his mum Kultida, vowing to “seek treatment” and amend his ways.

But the suspicion that he still believed he should not be judged by ‘ordinary’ standards re-surfaced when he was found behind the wheel of his car in 2017, high on a cocktail of painkillers and prescription drugs.

The bleary-eyed mugshot released by police after that arrest shocked the golfing world.

And so did news that his toxicology report showed the active ingredient in cannabis was also detected in the sample he provided.

Bizarrely, he was not tested when his car overturned in Los Angeles in 2021, as he took a bend in the road at almost 90 miles an hour.

Woods is a five-time champions at Augusta, and was rumoured to be making a return before the crashCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Woods admitted he was . And for weeks afterward, there were .

He was spared that fate with surgeons inserting a metal rod and a collection of screws and bolts. But walking hilly courses such as Augusta is clearly sheer agony.

Despite that, along with surgery on a ruptured Achilles last year and two more operations on his back — taking the total to seven in all — there were still hopes 50-year-old Woods would play in .

He played competitively for the first time in over a year on Tuesday, albeit only in the TGL indoor golf league, and insisted he was still trying to be fit enough for Augusta.

This latest crash means that is a total non-starter.

And you have to wonder why a man who has raked in around £1.2BILLION over his career — mostly from off-the-course earnings — and who admits he often finds it difficult to get out of bed, has not hired a chauffeur.

Woods’ often wayward tee shots prompted the joke that the safest place to be when Tiger was driving was in the fairway.

You would certainly not want to be on the freeway when he is driving a car.