Tiger Woods: Michael Jordan Gives Advice, Charles Barkley Rips Into Tiger After Caddie Firing

Since November 2009, Tiger Woods's life has been turned upside down.

After confessing to a string of affairs, Woods has tried to rebuild his private life following an expensive divorce. Woods has not won a major since the 2008 U.S. Open, and hasn't won any tournament since 2009. His world ranking has fallen to No. 20 as he has tried to rehab from knee and Achilles tendon injuries suffered during the U.S. Masters in April.

Woods returns to the Tour for the first time since he pulled out of the Players Championship in May after playing just nine holes. At Firestone Country Country Club, in Akron, Ohio, Woods will finally be back on the course.

An avid basketball fan, Woods has received advice from two NBA legends: Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley. While Barkley doesn't hold back with his opinions, Jordan tends to take a more diplomatic approach.

"He was very fragile over the last year, he was dealing with a lot of different things, mentally as well as physically," Jordan recently told the Sydney Herald Sun. "But I think he's come to the conclusion that he needs to heal himself before he can actually be aggressive again.

"And because the battle was a lot tougher than I thought even Tiger realized a while ago, he needs to heal before he gets back into these battles again."

Barkley, who has a brotherly relationship with Woods, and is considered one of the most known straight-shooters in broadcasting, had a different take when it came to Woods.

"It's been very frustrating to watch everything that has transpired, and getting rid of Steve Williams was probably the last straw for me," Barkley told Mike Lupica on Wednesday. "I'm sitting back like everyone else and saying, what the hell is going on? I just feel sad, to be honest with you.

"You're like, dude, who is around this guy, who has his back, who has his best interest, who doesn't want anything from him?

"I don't know why we haven't talked to him in a couple of years."

This is not the first time Barkley has weighed in on Woods this week.

"One of the keys to being successful is surrounding yourself with people who are always going to be honest," Barkley said to Brian Berger of Sports Insider, a radio program, earlier this week. "You've got to understand, most people who are around you [when you're famous] work for you or are just kiss asses... That's a major problem. You need to surround yourself with good people who are not going to kiss your ass and tell you what you want to hear. Who are always going to be honest.

"That's a really, really big problem especially when you're in the limelight. Because the people around you work for you, they want you to buy the dinners all the time, buy the drinks... you have to have a group around you that will tell you that what you're doing is wrong and help you make good decisions."