Tiger Woods withdrew on Monday from his own golf tournament, citing injuries from a car crash near his Florida home. He said he would not compete again until next year.
Woods said in a statement on his Web site that his injuries prevented him from playing in the Chevron World Challenge, which he hosts annually for a small, invited, field.
“I am extremely disappointed that I will not be at my tournament this week,” Woods said. “I am certain it will be an outstanding event and I’m very sorry that I can’t be there.”
PHOTO: EPA
His decision to withdraw comes after a car crash left him with cuts and bruises when his SUV hit a fire hydrant and a tree outside his home near Orlando. Woods was treated and released from a hospital after the accident, and has not been seen in public since.
By skipping the tournament, Woods will escape TV cameras and a horde of media seeking more details about the smashup.
Woods did not say when he would make his return next year.
The first tournament of next year’s PGA Tour is the SBS Championship in Hawaii beginning on Jan. 7.
Woods released a statement on Sunday saying the accident was his fault, but he did not address any of the questions still swirling around it. He asked that it remain “a private matter.”
Woods even faced questions from fans leaving comments on his Web site. Most voiced support for the world’s No. 1 golfer, but some said he should address the questions about his own actions and those of his wife, Elin Nordegren, before and after the accident.
Woods hasn’t answered questions from Florida troopers, either, turning them down three days in a row. Meanwhile, the tabloid-fueled rumors continue to swirl around him.
Four cars were parked in Woods’ driveway on Monday, but no lights appeared to be on inside. A new fire hydrant had already replaced the one that Woods plowed into. A dirt hole and an orange barricade remained in the old hydrant’s place.
Woods, who both hosts and plays in the Chevron World Challenge, was there last year even though he couldn’t play because he was recovering from knee surgery. His absence this year will be the first since the tournament began in 1999.
Only a few players were at Sherwood Country Club late on Monday afternoon. Padraig Harrington was on the golf course and didn’t get word until later that the host was not going to be there.
“It would be a nice opportunity this time of year to go head-to-head with him, but it’s not to be,” the Irishman said.
Though he cited injuries from the accident in withdrawing from the tournament, Woods didn’t specifically say what those injuries included.
US golfer John Daly yesterday urged Woods to tell the “truth” about the crash.
Daly, who has been involved in several scandals in his rollercoaster career, advised Woods to simply come clean on the incident.
“The thing that Tiger needs to look at is, whatever happened, just tell the truth,” Daly told reporters in the run-up to the Australian Open.
Daly said Woods should attend the tournament with his family, backing them to overcome the crash drama.
“Hopefully he’ll go out there with his wife and his kids and support ... the sponsor of his tournament,” Daly said.
“The most important thing right now is for them to be together. He’ll get over this. The family will get over it. They’ll move on. Golf needs him,” he said.
“I hate for something like that to happen to anybody. I just want him and his wife and kids to be happy and for him to keep pursuing the goals that he had,” Daly said.
Daly, a two-time Major winner, has endured well-publicized marital and alcohol problems.
Woods’ only public comment has been via two statements released on his Web site, one saying the accident was his fault alone and the second saying he was withdrawing from the tournament.
Woods’ statement failed to answer several basic questions about the accident:
• Where he was going at that time of the night?
• How did he lose control of his SUV when it wasn’t going fast enough to deploy airbags?
• Why were both rear windows of the Cadillac Escalade smashed?
• If it was a careless mistake, why not speak to state troopers trying to wrap the investigation?
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