Tiger Woods Taking a Break Until His Golf Game is ‘Acceptable’ Again
Tiger Woods isn’t happy with his play, and the golf legend is stepping away from the PGA Tour to get it fixed.
In a statement posted on his official website, the 14-time major champion announced Wednesday that he is taking a leave of absence from tournament play to work on his game.
“The last two weeks have been very disappointing to me, especially Torrey [Pines], because I never want to withdraw,’’ the statement read. “Unfortunately, lately injuries have made that happen too often. This latest injury is not related to my previous surgery. I am having daily physical therapy and I am feeling better every day.
“Right now, I need a lot of work on my game, and to still spend time with the people that are important to me. My play, and scores, are not acceptable for tournament golf. Like I’ve said, I enter a tournament to compete at the highest level, and when I think I’m ready, I’ll be back. Next week I will practice at Medalist and at home getting ready for the rest of the year. I am committed to getting back to the pinnacle of my game. I’d like to play The Honda Classic [on Feb. 26] — it’s a tournament in my hometown and it’s important to me — but I won’t be there unless my game is tournament-ready. That’s not fair to anyone. I do, however, expect to be playing again very soon.’’
Woods’ announcement came less than a week after he withdrew from the Farmers Insurance Open. In his only other 2015 PGA Tour appearance, Woods missed the cut at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. His last PGA Tour win came in August 2013, when he won the Bridgestone Invitational, his fifth win of that season.
Since beating Rocco Mediate in a playoff to capture the 2008 U.S. Open championship, Woods has failed to win another major, sitting four behind Jack Nicklaus for the most all time. At that time, it seemed like it was just a matter of when Woods would stand alone atop the majors mountain. Now, it’s a very real possibility the 39-year-old may never catch Nicklaus.
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