Meeeeow!
Tiger Woods, once the greatest name in golf, has bowed out of playing in the Safeway Open only three days after he committed to play!
And, the Jupiter Island resident has withdrawn from the Turkish Airlines Open.
Looks like since he’s ranked 786 in the world and is no longer king of the jungle, Woods appears to be channelling his inner ‘fraidy cat.
On Friday, when Woods announced he’d play in Napa’s Safeway Open, ticket sales shot up and a lot of buzz started buzzing about the return of Woods, who hasn’t played in a tournament since last August’s Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C.
However, last night, Woods announced he wouldn’t compete with this statement on his website:
After a lot of soul searching and honest reflection, I know that I am not yet ready to play on the PGA TOUR or compete in Turkey. My health is good, and I feel strong, but my game is vulnerable and not where it needs to be.
When I announced last week I was going to Safeway, I had every intention of playing, or I wouldn’t have committed. I spent a week with the U.S. Ryder Cup Team, an honor and experience that inspired me even more to play. I practiced the last several days in California, but after a lot of hours, I knew I wasn’t ready to compete against the best golfers in the world. I will continue to work hard, and plan to play at my foundation’s event, the Hero World Challenge, in Albany.
I would like to apologize and send my regrets to Safeway, the Turkish Airlines Open, the fans in California and Turkey and those that had hoped to watch me compete on TV. This isn’t what I wanted to happen, but I will continue to strive to be able to play tournament golf. I’m close, and I won’t stop until I get there.
He says he still hopes to compete in his own tournament, the Hero World Challenge in December, the only upcoming tournament on his schedule.
Some critics have said they think Woods’ decision was based on the tournament’s pairing him up with Phil Mickleson, who’s been having a great year and Tiger was afraid of getting licked!
