Tiger Woods withdraws from Players Championship due to injury
Tiger Woods pulled out of the Players Championship after completing the first nine holes on Thursday 12 May, 2011, due to a knee injury.
This is the second time, the former world-number one, had to take a withdrawal from the fifth flagship event owing to fitness issues. Last year, he pulled out after playing 66 holes in the tournament after he injured his neck.
Overall, Woods has missed four events due to an injury, which includes, two Players Championships, 2006 Northern Trust Open, and, 1998 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
Woods addressed the press after the first round and narrated the story of his souring knee and tendon. He said, “I'm having a hard time walking. Yeah, the knee acted up and then the Achilles followed that and then the calf started cramping up. Everything
started getting tight, so it's just a whole chain reaction”.
The 2001 winner of Players Championship said that he had a normal warm-up in the morning and he followed it with a practice session that was where things got worse. Woods explained that the pain started from the time, he stepped onto the first tee. He said
that he twisted his knee, while drawing the ball onto the fairway. Then his leg started cramping, which eventually resulted in him re-injuring the left knee and Achilles tendon.
The 35-year old walked towards his playing partner, Martin Kaymer, wished him luck for the tournament and told him that he was going to take a withdrawal.
When asked from Kaymer regarding the condition he saw Woods in, he replied, “I was surprised because I was not expecting it, but ... nobody really knows how much pain he was in. Of course, we hope that he gets well soon, that he gets out here again... It
would have been nice to play another 27 with him".
Kaymer explained that Woods was walking slow and was depending on the club to walk. He was dragging his left leg and could not bend, while picking up the ball.
A similar statement was given by Woods' swing coach, Sean Foley, who said that Woods was trying hard not to miss the Players Championship, since it was the fifth flagship event, but the pain was unbearable for him and hence he could not carry on.
2006 Northern Trust Open and the 1998 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Woods also withdrew from the 1995 U.S. Open as an amateur.
Tags: