Tiger Woods has perhaps had the worst start to a PGA season in his career. Two weeks ago he shot a career-worst 82 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and last week he withdrew after 11 holes at the Farmers Insurance Open. The former No. 1 golfer is now taking drastic measures.
On Wednesday, Woods announced on his website that he will not be entering professional tournaments until he feels his game is ready for the PGA Tour. He said that his play and scores are "not acceptable for tournament golf" and that it's "not fair to anyone" if he were to continue playing at the level he is now. He also cleared the air surrounding his withdrawal last week.
"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," he wrote. "This latest injury is not related to my previous surgery. I am having daily physical therapy and I am feeling better every day."
Woods said he'll be practicing at Medalist Golf Club in Florida next week and will work to get his game ready for the rest of the year. The next PGA Tour event is the Northern Trust Open from Feb. 19-22, followed by the Honda Classic, which is in Woods' hometown of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. However, he said he will not be there unless his game is back on track. The 39-year-old is in the midst of another swing change, this time with swing consultant Chris Como, so it's unknown how long it will take for him to be where he wants to be. He did mention he expects "to be playing again very soon" though.
After shooting an 82 in the second round two weeks ago and missing the 13th cut of his career, largely thanks to an inept short game, Woods said his plan was to play competitively in preparation for The Masters, which will take place from April 9-12. He is no stranger to altering his swing, but due to injuries over the years he hasn't been able to reach the astute level he was once playing at. In his last 11 tournaments, he withdrew from three and missed two cuts. He is now ranked 62nd in the world, which is his lowest such status since he turned professional in 1996.
"He needs to work on this away from a public setting. He needs to work on this on his own," Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, told Bob Harig of ESPN. "He's not pleased with where his game is right now. He's going to work on every single facet."
