Tiger Woods To Miss US Open For 3rd Time In Last 6 Years
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Tiger Woods said Tuesday he is not playing at the U.S. Open this year as he recovers from back surgery.
This will be the third time in the last six years that injuries have kept him out of the U.S. Open, which he's won three times.
Woods said on his website that he is working hard to get ready but that he is not physically ready to play next week at Oakmont, or at his Quicken Loans National tournament the following week at Congressional.
"While I continue to work hard on getting healthy, I am not physically ready to play in this year's U.S. Open and the Quicken Loans National. I am making progress, but I'm not yet ready for tournament competition," Woods said in a statement.
He has not played since a tie for 10th in the Wyndham Championship in August. Woods, who first had back surgery a week before the 2014 Masters, had two more surgeries in September and October.
Woods also did not play in this year's Masters.
His absence fueled speculation about when he might return, even though Woods repeatedly has said he does not know. Woods played five holes when he opened his golf course in Houston, and also was seen swinging a club at a junior clinic in South Carolina and at his media day at Congressional -- three swings from 100 yards to the 10th green, all of them in the water.
Jack Nicklaus said last week at the Memorial he expects Woods to return.
"I think Tiger would have liked to have played this week," Nicklaus said. "He's just not ready."
Since Woods was exempt from having to qualify because he won the 2008 U.S. Open, his spot will be filled by an alternate from the 12 sectional qualify sites, though it was not clear which one. The USGA compiles an alternate list that is based on how many spots each qualifying site was allocated and the strength of each field in determining the list.
When qualifying ended on Tuesday, and with Woods saying he will not play, 149 of the 156-man field for Oakmont was set.
The USGA set aside six spots for any players who crack the top 60 in the world ranking after this week. One of them will be William McGirt, who now is No. 44 in the world after winning the Memorial. If fewer than five more players get into the top 60, the extra spots also go to the main alternate list.
But if a player who qualified has to withdraw, his spot is taken by the alternate from his qualifying site.
Meanwhile, speculation on when or if Woods returns this year will resume after two weeks. The Greenbrier Classic, which he has played twice in the last four years when not dealing with injuries, is July 7-10. That's one week before the British Open at Royal Troon.
The PGA Championship is two weeks after Troon, followed by the Travelers Championship, the John Deere Classic and the Wyndham Champion. Woods has never played the Travelers Championship and has not played at John Deere since he was a 20-year-old rookie.
After that, he would not be eligible for any PGA Tour event for the next six weeks during the FedEx Cup and Ryder Cup.
Woods has been stuck on 14 majors since 2008. He is four behind Nicklaus' record 18 majors.
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