Jon Rahm backs ‘king of comebacks’ Tiger Woods to make successful return to golf

Jon Rahm hopes “the king of comebacks”, Tiger Woods, will make a successful return to golf after his latest off-course incident.

The 15-time major winner has left the United States to seek treatment after being charged with driving under the influence following a car crash near his home in Florida last month.

Police found two prescription opioid hydrocodone pills in Woods’ pockets when he was arrested, which the former world number one had been using to manage the pain after a number of significant operations.

Woods has not played competitively since the 2024 Open at Troon and even before his car crash, his participation in the Masters, which he has won five times, appeared unlikely.

“There’s a lot of players in this field that were very close to him and I haven’t had the time to talk to them. Quite frankly, I don’t know if this will be the week to do so,” said Rahm.

“They have enough going on this week with the Masters and a friend needing some help that I don’t know if it’s the right time.

“All I can hope is that he gets the help that he can get and he can come back in a better position after that.

“He is arguably the king of comebacks. If there’s somebody that has the mental strength to come back from an issue like that, it will be him.

“(I’m) confident that he has enough people in Florida, enough golfers for sure, supporting him on that as well.”