Tiger Woods made a rare appearance since his DUI charge and arrest in March.
The 50-year-old was seen in a pre-recorded video sending a message to former pro golfer Notah Begay during the Payne Stewart Award ceremony Tuesday night.
“Hey, Notah. It’s been an unbelievable ride with you. You first came into my life when I was 11-years-old, playing in the junior world and you came to watch me play. Our friendship has started there and never ended,” Woods said in the video. “To see what you’ve done off the golf course — I know you’ve won four times on the tour, playing in the President’s Cup … but to see what you’ve done off the course and for your local Native American communities, you’ve helped over 80,000 youths and their families, which is absolutely incredible. What an amazing job at the sports complex in San Felipe.”
Woods was involved in another rollover crash while driving under the influence in South Florida.
He was reportedly found with two opioid tablets in his pocket following the crash, and his arrest video went viral.
The legendary golfer went to rehab in Switzerland April and returned in May.
Since returning to the U.S., he has remained out of the public eye.
“You’ve done an amazing job. 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.” Woods continued. “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.
“Again, thank you for coming to see me play. Thank you for getting our friendship started and I love you dude.”
The video came as a shock to fans, who quickly reacted to his appearance.
“Tiger looks a shell of his former self sadly,” one X user wrote.
“What’s going on with the big cat? Looks different for sure,” another said.
“Geez, Tiger doesn’t look so good,” a third added.
Yet, some countered that.
“He looks normal. Off the steroids and painkillers hopefully,” a fan wrote.
Woods is scheduled to make his first court appearance in connection with the crash on Sept. 8, which falls roughly five months after the incident.
The date has been postponed various times as prosecutors continued their investigation.
