Following his February 5th withdrawal from the Torrey Pines event in San Diego, Tiger Woods released the following statement on his website today:
“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.”
On the heels of missing the cut at the Phoenix Open after shooting a career-worst round of 82 and unable to even make it to the first tee at Torrey Pines, this announcement comes as no surprise. Since the Herculean effort in winning the 2008 US Open, Woods’ world ranking has dropped to #62, his lowest ranking since becoming a professional in 1996.
This sabbatical brings to a halt what once seemed like an inevitable march towards breaking Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 majors and Sam Snead’s record of 82 PGA Tour wins. However, the hope remains among golf faithful that after the injury problems which have plagued his knee, Achilles tendon, elbow, and back spasms, Woods will be able to regain the form that electrified the Tour during his years of dominance. It was not too long ago, after all, that Woods earned PGA Player of the Year honors after a 5-win season and topping the money list in 2013.
(PGA.com)
Any prolonged absence by Woods will be felt by the entire Tour and by event organizers. Even though his form has dipped of late, one thing has remained unchanged, that being the surge of interest his name continues to draw, translating to dollar signs across the board. In his absence, other shining lights of the game like Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, Henrik Stenson, among others, will be counted on to fill the void.
If they are unable to do so, several other less-heralded players have the opportunity to rise to prominence on the Tour. Jordan Spieth is widely-viewed as one of the hottest young players on the Tour, and backed up his 2013 PGA Rookie of the Year season with a strong 2nd-placed finish at the Masters last year. Australian Jason Day was a top 20 finisher at 3 of 4 majors in 2014, and has already notched up a win in this young 2015 season. Though already in his mid-30s, Jimmy Walker has been a late bloomer, with 4 wins since the start of the 2014 season and 3 top 10 major finishes last season. 24-year old Patrick Reed emerged atop a glittering field to raise the curtain on the new year with the win in Kapalua, and his 2 playoff wins, 2 matchplay tournament wins, and leading Team USA in points at last year’s Ryder Cup demonstrate a mental toughness that is so vital in the sport.
Wood’s influence on the sport has been immeasurable, leading to rising interest in the sport, higher ratings for televised events, and forcing the field to elevate their levels of play. While his absence from the Tour will be noticeable, the PGA should be in good hands with the established and rising stars who will be teeing off at tournaments.
(Feature image: AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)
