Tiger Woods Won’t Return Till He’s ‘Tournament-Ready’
It’s a phrase that is becoming all too familiar these days. Tiger Woods is taking an indefinite leave from the game of golf. Since 2008 we’ve said that over and over again, as injuries have hampered him. Except this exit from the game may be the most alarming.
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There’s no scandal or an injured back, so he says. His body is feeling good, but his game is not. The former number one player the world won’t be back out there till his game is healed. Tiger released this statement on his website.
"“The last two weeks have been very disappointing to me, especially Torrey, because I never want to withdraw. Unfortunately, lately injuries have made that happen too often.This latest injury is not related to my previous surgery. I am having daily physical therapy and I am feeling better every day.Right now, I need a lot of work on my game, and to still spend time with the people that are important to me. My play, and scores, are not acceptable for tournament golf. Like I’ve said, I enter a tournament to compete at the highest level, and when I think I’m ready, I’ll be back. Next week I will practice at Medalist and at home getting ready for the rest of the year. I am committed to getting back to the pinnacle of my game. I’d like to play The Honda Classic — it’s a tournament in my hometown and it’s important to me — but I won’t be there unless my game is tournament-ready. That’s not fair to anyone. I do, however, expect to be playing again very soon.I want to thank the fans in Phoenix and San Diego. They were amazing. I greatly appreciate everyone’s support.”"
Some could say this announcement was expected or predictable but it’s still shocking. The game’s number one player is leaving us because he physically can’t play tournament golf right now. This is the same guy who has won fourteen majors. He was the symbol of the game and now he has all but lost his.
This is another sad day for one of the game’s greatest players. Golf can be fickle. One day you’re at the pinnacle of it and the next day it can be gone. There are plenty of stories about guys who have lost it and never been able to get it back. It can happen to anyone, a Saturday morning hacker or a professional. Sometimes the game just catches up to you. We just thought it never would happen to him.
At this point who knows when we will see him on a golf course again, and who exactly that golfer will be. He says he’ll work on his game and not return till he’s ready, but we’ve heard this before. Two weeks ago he was coming off a four-month hiatus and proclaimed he was ready to go. Now we’re back at step one.
Before today it was believed that the 62nd ranked player in the world would try to return at the Honda Classic in two weeks. That now seems all but impossible. He won’t qualify for Doral so that leaves Bay Hill as his only regular event prior to Augusta. How could he find his game again? Maybe instead of trying to develop a new/old swing with Chris Como he should just recapture his old swing with Butch Harmon.
Who knows what’s going on at “Camp Tiger” right now. The unknown is what dominates everything around him. In a saga that has more twist and turns then a Stephen King novel, the only certainty right now is that whether we like it or not, Woods may just never be the same.
Next: Tiger Woods Needs Butch Harmon