Jack Nicklaus had it right: Tiger is out of the US Open due to lingering issues with his leg. He made his announcement on Twitter.
Not surprised.
It’s interesting to note that Tiger’s making all his big announcements these days via Twitter. He also tweeted his decision to stay with Steinberg Seems that his leg isn’t the only thing injured. He also suffers from some malady that makes him unable to deal with the media face to face. He’s moving into Howard Hughes territory here.
From a Doug Ferguson AP article, there’s an interesting Curtis Strange quote:
The future of Woods, meanwhile, is as muddied as ever.
“The hardest thing in the world as a golfer, or any athlete, is to stay out,” two-time U.S. Open champion Curtis Strange said. “It’s smart what he’s doing. Unfortunately, the U.S. Open falls in that time frame. But every time something happens, and the longer he’s away from the game, it’s going to make it tougher for him to come back.
“It’s going to be harder and harder the long this goes.”
And here’s Azinger’s take on the situation:
Still, I’m sure Tiger has made the right decision for his future. Playing injured is just asking for trouble, especially for a guy with a history of injuries. I actually wonder if he would have been better off not to have played on the injured leg at Torrey Pines.
Discover more from GolfBlogger Golf Blog
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
As I have said a number of times on here, I don’t think he is going to beat Jack’s record, and that was before Thanksgiving 2009 – it was something I have been confident in since his 2009 losses (I should say inexplicable major losses since that is what every sports writer in the country thought that anyone else was incapable of winning). I won’t go back into all that again except to say (Yang, Nicklaus, Crippled, Pre-mature aging, stress)
So I really think it is beyond the realm now when you add in (Elin, Porn Stars, Divorce, Sean Foley, Swing, Putt, Stress, Headcase, Knee, Losing, Not Winning, 35).
But if I can now say something positive about Tiger – This may be a sign that things are about to change. If Tiger is really going to recouperate his knee, Achilles, and/or head – and he is going to take the time needed, and again, clear his head – This is the key that he might win again, and he might even do it this year.
This move I do not think is the sign that his career is over – I think this move is (maybe, just maybe) a sign that he is really going to try and do what is necessary to turn this around.
I don’t think he will beat Jack, but my certainty factor in that just clicked down a few percentage points with his tweet. (But it is still over 70%).
It is just amazing to me, or maybe I am just weird, that so many now think this is definately the end now – when I think that of all the things he has done in the past year at least, this could be the best thing he has done.
Now watch me be wrong and have him go in all gimpy and suck at the AT&T.