O'Meara feels 'let down' by Woods

Even Tiger Woods' best golfing buddy has not yet spoken to him. Mark O'Meara admitted last night that not only have all his calls gone unreturned but also that he was disappointed with the world No 1.

O'Meara – who took Woods under his wing when he first joined the PGA Tour – has been keen to make contact with him in the months since the car crash outside his Florida home led to revelations of extra-marital affairs.

"To be honest with you, I haven't spoken to Tiger," said the two-time major winner. "I care very deeply about Tiger, and I think everybody knows our relationship has been very, very close... It's disappointing what has happened. As his friend, I'll tell him that personally. But that doesn't take away from the fact I would want to try to help my friend any way I could. I tried to contact him a few times and let him know I'm thinking about him and his family."

The 53-year-old expressed doubts about whether Woods has been right to shy away from the public eye. "I would have handled it differently," said O'Meara, who had before yesterday refused to talk about his friend's problems. "This is a difficult issue he is dealing with, with Elin and the kids. I know he wants it to be private, but it's difficult to be private when he's such a public figure. You know, that's part of what's happened to our lives today; the media is a big influence. But it also helped make Tiger a lot of what he is, besides his performance."

Woods has not played competitively since November and is on an "indefinite break" from golf as he tries to save his marriage. He is believed to have recently completed rehab at a sex addiction clinic.