Injury may jeopardize return to Congressional
With Tiger Woods’ troublesome left knee acting up again, is it possible the 14-time major champion could miss the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club?
On Thursday morning, Woods withdrew from the Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., after limping around TPC Sawgrass and struggling to a 6-over-par 42 for nine holes.
“The knee acted up, and then the Achilles followed after that. And then the calf started cramping up,” Woods told reporters. “Everything started getting tight, so it’s a whole chain reaction.”
| The Tiger factor |
| If Tiger Woods is unable to play in the U.S. Open at Congressional on June 16-19, TV ratings are expected to take a hit. Over a three-year span from 2007 to 2010, Woods was involved in every tournament that drew a 4.0 TV rating or better. The 2008 PGA Championship — which Woods missed because of an injury — drew a 2.78 rating on the Sunday broadcast — meaning about 3.6 million people watched. The 2009 PGA Championship, with Woods squaring off against Y.E. Yang in a playoff, drew a 6.64 — about 8.7 million viewers. According to former Turner executive Jeff Grimshaw, Woods brings an additional 3 to 6 million viewers. |
| – Jim Williams |
Woods said he felt fine warming up but then injured his knee on his opening tee shot, and the pain got progressively worse.
“I’m having a hard time walking,” Woods said.
Another injury to Woods’ left knee is ominous news for the sport. In the short term, it could force Woods out of the U.S. Open, which will be played June 16-19 in Bethesda.
“I don’t know. I just finished nine holes,” Woods said when asked about his future. “Give me a few days to see what the docs say, and we’ll take a look at it.”
The next tournament on Woods’ usual schedule is the Memorial in three weeks. The U.S. Open is two weeks after that.
In the last 17 years, Woods has undergone at least four surgeries to his left knee, including major reconstruction of the ACL eight days after he won the 2008 U.S. Open.
Two weeks ago, when he pulled out of the Wells Fargo Championship, Woods revealed he had sustained an injury at the Masters on the 17th hole of the final round, when he hit a shot from pine straw. Woods, who typically minimizes the severity of his injuries, said he has a minor sprain of the medial collateral ligament of his left knee and a minor strain of his left Achilles tendon.
This week, when he practiced for the Players, he said it was the first time he had swung a club since playing in the Masters five weeks ago.
How would Woods’ absence affect the Open? According to the U.S. Golf Association, that kind of speculation is premature.
“Tiger Woods has entered the 2011 U.S. Open, and the USGA has not received communication from him since that time,” USGA spokesman Pete Kowalski wrote in an email.
If Woods were unable to play, it would remove a major drawing card from the event. The U.S. Open sells out every year. On Thursday, the USGA said that tickets for Friday’s second round had sold out. Tickets for the third and fourth rounds were sold out two weeks ago.
It was the second straight year Woods walked off TPC Sawgrass with an injury. Last May, Woods withdrew with pain in his neck in the final round. He returned a month later at the Memorial, then competed at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.
This latest setback has resulted in speculation that the career of the world’s greatest player could be in jeopardy.
