Tiger Woods made a rare public appearance this week in a pre-recorded video message for his friend Notah Begay, who was receiving the Payne Stewart Award. Woods' appearance in the video, shared during the PGA Tour's ceremony, prompted reactions from some fans on social media, with several expressing concern over his health and appearance.
Woods, who has largely remained out of the public eye since his arrest on a driving under the influence charge in March, congratulated Begay on his achievements on and off the golf course. He highlighted Begay's philanthropic work with Native American communities, noting that Begay had helped over 80,000 youths and their families.
"You’ve done an amazing job," Woods said in the video. "I just think more people need to know what you’ve done and how you’ve served, and you’ve given back to the tribal lands and what you have done. There are so many people out there who are struggling in those communities and you’re trying to raise the bar to allow them to go on and achieve a lot more in life and have the successes that I think they deserve and you feel they deserve."
Following the video's release, some users on social media platform X commented on Woods' appearance. One user wrote, "Geez, Tiger doesn’t look so good," while another stated, "Tiger looks a shell of his former self sadly." Other users offered more supportive comments, with one suggesting, "He looks normal. Off the steroids and painkillers hopefully."
Woods was arrested in March after his car was involved in a rollover crash on Jupiter Island in Florida. He was subsequently charged with driving under the influence, and authorities reportedly found two opioid pills in his possession. Following the widely reported incident and a subsequent DUI charge, Woods entered a rehabilitation center in Switzerland in April and returned to the U.S. in May.
This appearance comes after Woods' brief introduction of PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp at a news conference last month, which marked his first public event since returning from treatment. Woods is also scheduled to make a court appearance for his DUI case on September 8.