Tiger Wood said on Tuesday he has decided to withdraw from next week’s US Open outside Boston, citing a need for more time to get his body ready for major championship golf.
Woods returned to competition at the Masters in April, 14 months after nearly losing his right leg in a car crash, then played in last month’s PGA Championship where he withdrew in pain after posting a nine-over-par 79 in the third round.
‘I previously informed the USGA that I will not be competing in the US Open as my body needs more time to get stronger for major championship golf,’ Woods wrote on Twitter. ‘I do hope and plan to be ready to play in Ireland at the JP Pro Am (in Ireland) and at The Open next month. I’m excited to get back out there soon!’
Tiger Wood said on Tuesday he has decided to withdraw from next week’s US Open outside Boston, citing a need for more time to get his body ready for major championship golf
Woods made his announcement on Twitter, stressing that he hopes to play at the Open Championship at St. Andrews in July
Uh oh. Tiger Woods walking with a bit of a limp today that we didn't see earlier in the week. đ pic.twitter.com/reGRw24P6l
— Cork Gaines, Ph.D. (@CorkGaines) April 6, 2022
The news isn’t a surprise, given Woods’s struggles since he returned from his long hiatus at this year’s Masters.
The 15-time Major Winner was visibly affected by pain in his right leg at last month’s event at Southern Hills in Oklahoma, where he shot a career-worst 79 after barely making the cut.
Woods still plans on playing at the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews next month.
‘I am looking forward to St Andrews,’ he said in April. ‘That is something that is near and dear to my heart.
‘I’ve won two Opens there, it’s the home of golf, it’s my favorite golf course in the world. I will be there for that one.’
#TigerWoods with a grimace and a limp on his last tee shot of the day
He finished his first round at +4 and was tied for 91st
âłď¸Full recap here: https://t.co/Hf5tsoBgX8 pic.twitter.com/hXIt5miP6N
— Sports Injury Central (@SICscore) May 19, 2022
This year’s Masters was Woods’s first official tournament since November 15, 2020, which was the final round of that year’s pandemic-delayed Masters.
He had his fifth back surgery two months later and was still recovering from that on February 23, 2021 when he crashed his SUV over a median on a suburban coastal road in Los Angeles and down the side of a hill.
Woods’ injuries from that crash were so severe that doctors considered right leg amputation, before reassembling the limb by placing a rod in the tibia and using screws and pins to stabilize additional injuries in the ankle and foot.
Since the accident, Woods has gone from crutches to slowly walking and then playing in the last few months. He started hitting balls on the back end of the range at Albany during his Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas last November.
In this February 23 file photo, a law enforcement officer looks over a damaged vehicle following a rollover accident involving golfer Tiger Woods in the Rancho Palos Verdes suburb of Los Angeles. A man who found Woods unconscious in a mangled SUV last week after the golf star who later told sheriff’s deputies he did not know how the collision occurred
In April of 2021 (left), Woods showed himself in his first photo since the accident. Although he was smiling, Woods was leaning on crutches and his right leg remained in a protective cast. In November of 2021 (right), Woods is walking without crutches or a cast on his right leg
Woods told sheriff’s deputies he did not know how the collision occurred and didn’t even remember driving