The star-studded field at next week’s U.S. Open will not include Tiger Woods.
Woods on Tuesday announced he’s skipping the U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., as he continues to rehab his injuries sustained in a car crash last year.
“I previously informed the USGA that I will not be competing in the (U.S. Open) as my body needs more time to get stronger for major championship golf,” Woods said in a statement tweeted Tuesday on his official Twitter account. “I do hope and plan to be ready to play in Ireland at (JP McManus Pro-Am) and at (The Open) next month. I’m excited to get back out there soon!”
The legendary golfer did return for both the Masters and PGA Championship — and made the cut in both — but it was clear he wasn’t anywhere close to 100% physically. He withdrew from the PGA after three rounds.
Skipping Brookline, where Woods would have been a massive long shot to win, makes sense when you consider it’s a decision made with an eye on the Open Championship in July on The Old Course at St. Andrews. The Old Course is, quite frankly, an easier course on which Woods has had success in the past. He won the Open at St. Andrews in both 2000 and 2005, by a combined 13 strokes, so he certainly feels comfortable on the property. More importantly, it’s extremely flat, which would be easier on Woods’ surgically repaired leg.
Woods, a 15-time major winner, certainly has nothing to prove at this point. That he was able to make the cut at both Augusta National and Southern Hills should go down as one of the more improbable accomplishments of his storied career given his physical condition. The Country Club, though, figures to be a brute of a test, especially considering what the USGA will do to grow up the rough and make sure the course plays as long as possible. Neither of those conditions bodes well for Woods to have success at this point in his career.
