Driver, midrange irons, putter. You name it, he had success with it during his dominance.
Hip, knee, Achilles. You name it, he had problems with it during the front nine of The Players Championship on Thursday.
Those injuries forced Tiger Woods to withdraw for the second straight year at TPC Sawgrass after shooting a disastrous 6-over 42. The world’s former No. 1 clocked a triple-bogey 7 on the fourth hole and limped to the clubhouse before the turn. It ended yet another disappointing tournament and may force the world’s current No. 8 to sit out the entire summer.
“The knee acted up and then the Achilles followed after that and then the calf started cramping up,” Woods said. “Everything started getting tight, so it’s just a whole chain reaction.”
And a whole big mess. Even bigger than the one that clogged Tiger’s mental state all of last year. At least then, there was the hope that once he settled his personal life, his professional game would rise back up and Jack Nicklaus’ major championship record would slide right down. Now with a myriad of injuries, there’s an uncertainty Woods will ever regain his full dominance.
