Tiger Woods Withdraws From Sunday’s World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational
Tiger Woods’s anticipated comeback was halted on Sunday when he was forced to withdraw halfway through the final round of the Bridgestone Invitational, the World Golf Championships event at Firestone Country Club.
Woods was on the cusp of a major comeback, making his third start since returning from a recent back injury. Tiger re-injured his back on the second hole of the tournament after awkwardly hitting his second shot. He was shooting in the grass near the bunker with the entirety of his weight on his right leg. After the swing, Woods’ left knee bent into the air, causing him to lose his balance and fall into the bunker and wrench his back.
“It’s been spasming ever since,” Woods said. “It’s just the whole lower back. I don’t know what happened.”
Woods’ back injury was the culmination of a rough start for the golfer. After a 75 minute delay for rain, Woods birdied the first hole. After playing holes three through five, Woods was noticeably grimacing after each shot.
“He hit some shots that we’re not used to seeing Tiger hit even when he’s coming back from an injury like this, so obviously something was bothering him,” said Bubba Watson, the reigning Masters champion.
After his shot on the ninth hole, Woods showed visible pain when trying to reach down to pick up his ball. He then requested a cart to transport him to his vehicle and withdrew from the tournament. Woods was seen grimacing on the ride to his car. He was slow to stand and struggled to change his shoes. His caddie, Joe LaCava, drove him away.
“We’ve seen this man win with a hurt leg,” Watson said. “So he’s going to try to be a champion; he’s going to try to tough it out. Obviously it just got too tough for him.”
“I shook his hand and said, ‘I’m praying for you.’ I hope everything turns out good, and he’s ready for next week,” Watson added.
Woods was slated to play this week at the PGA Championship in Louisville, KY, where he would be returning as the defending champion. He would need to win in the tournament to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs and improve his overall standing in order to gain a place in the US Ryder Cup.
When Woods was asked about his future in upcoming tournaments, his answer was short and swift.
“I don’t know. Just trying to get out of here.”
