Paul McGinley thinks Tiger Woods is in ‘last-chance saloon’ with golf career

Ryder Cup-winning captain Paul McGinley believes people are running out of patience with Tiger Woods as he is in the “last-chance saloon” in terms of his golfing career.

The 15-time major winner said in a statement on Tuesday he was “seeking treatment and focusing on his health” after entering a plea of not guilty to charges related to last week’s car crash in Florida.

Woods, who admitted to taking prescription medication prior to the crash as he continues to manage the after-effects of numerous operations he has had over the years, spent eight hours in jail after a collision with a pick-up truck.

It is the latest in a string of off-course incidents which have tarnished the reputation of golf’s modern-day great, whose last competitive outdoor tournament was the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon.

McGinley, who is part of Sky Sports’ coverage of next week’s Masters, said it was unlikely the 50-year-old Woods would win a tournament on any of the main tours again and would be better suited to enhancing his current administrative role as chairman of the PGA Tour’s Future Competition Committee.

“A lot of people are running out of patience now, including himself and his family by all accounts from what he said yesterday,” said McGinley.

“He realises the seriousness of the situation and I think it’s a line in the sand.”

When it was suggested the former world number one was becoming a bigger problem than asset to golf McGinley added: “I don’t think Tiger Woods is the root of all evil in the game.

“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.

“I think his future, in terms of winning majors, would probably be more focused on playing and winning senior events more so than on the main tour.

“You’re never going to say never with Tiger Woods but it’s highly unlikely.”

McGinley believes Woods still has a significant part to play in the future of golf, even if that is in the boardroom rather than on the fairway, and questioned whether he would even become Ryder Cup captain.

Woods opted out of the role at Bethpage and was wavering over whether to take the job for Adare Manor next year.

“Ryder Cup captaincy is something that is unlikely now to come this year but it’s certainly something down the road that he may evolve towards but he hasn’t really shown a strong appetite towards that,” added the Irishman.

“It’s important for him to protect his legacy in terms of PGA Tour wins and all he achieved on the PGA Tour so he’s got skin in the game in that regard.

“He’s a very important ally for (chief executive) Brian Rolapp in terms of trying to herd everybody behind Rolapp and the PGA Tour’s future vision. That’s his position in there, more important than anything else.

“The reason why he has a key role is not because his input is going to be any better than anybody else’s, it’s because he’s got a lot of influence over the current players to get them onside.

“Golf is a very fractured sport as the players have incredible leverage so they’ve got to be coerced to do things.

“There’s nobody better positioned to coerce players into a future for the tour than Tiger Woods because they are all so much in awe of them because of what he achieved as a golfer.”