Tiger Woods has withdrawn from next week’s U.S. Open Championship, a move that comes as a surprise to hoped he would pull a Lance Armstrong and fully recover from his injuries in time for the tournament.
Woods’ doctors cautioned that he was risking further injury to his knee and Achilles tendon by teeing off Thursday at Congressional Country Club outside Washington, D.C. “I am extremely disappointed that I won’t be playing in the U.S. Open, but it’s time for me to listen to my doctors and focus on the future,” Woods said in a statement posted on his website.
“I was hopeful that I could play, but if I did, I risk further damage to my left leg. My knee and Achilles tendon are not fully healed. I hope to be ready for AT&T National, the next two majors and the rest of the year.”
“Hope” is the operative word here. And the hope for any golf fan that wants to see Woods get back to his old self, or any competitive version of his old self, is that Woods shuts it down for the long haul until he can guarantee he’s 100 percent. This isn’t the time to rush back. It’s time to get right – or as right as he can get.