Tiger Woods checks out for the year
December 1, 2009
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP)—The Tiger Woods Foundation board met as it doesevery year at Sherwood Country Club. Merchandise was on sale just outside theclubhouse, with large photos of Woods hanging from brick walls.
Everything was in place at his year-end tournament—except for him.
Facing public scrutiny over a car crash that sent him to the hospital andraised questions, speculation and innuendo about how it happened, Woods withdrewfrom the Chevron World Challenge on Monday, citing injuries. His news conferencefor Tuesday afternoon was canceled.
The announcement was posted on his Web site as questions kept growing aboutWoods driving his SUV over a fire hydrant and into a tree at 2:25 a.m. Friday,questions that would have hounded him had he showed up at Sherwood.
Even as players in the 18-man field began to arrive—Graeme McDowell, aRyder Cup player from Northern Ireland replaced Woods—it was clear Sherwoodwould be more quiet than ever, just like its host.
Asked to sum up the mood for the week, Padraig Harrington said, “I don’tthink anyone knows.”
Harrington was on the golf course Monday morning when Woods announced hewould not play. Having flown over from Ireland, he has not been keeping up witheach development and wasn’t sure how much it would affect the tournament exceptfor the obvious.
That’s one less player to beat.
“The more we play and compete with Tiger, the better,” Harrington said,who did just that at two majors this year, and the final round of theBridgestone Invitational when Woods rallied to beat him.
“But it’s not going to take away from the winner enjoying his win,” hesaid. “I think come Sunday afternoon on the back nine, the focus will be on thetournament. Up until that point, Tiger will be talked about, and he will bemissed.”
John Daly encouraged Woods to end the speculation.
“The thing that Tiger needs to look at is, whatever happened, just tell thetruth,” Daly said from the Australian Open.
Woods said on his Web site that injuries—he did not give details—prevented him from playing.
“I am extremely disappointed that I will not be at my tournament thisweek,” Woods said. “I am certain it will be an outstanding event and I’m verysorry that I can’t be there.”
He didn’t play last year while recovering from knee surgery, although he wasat the course the entire week and handed the trophy to Vijay Singh, also missingthis year after his own knee surgery.
Tournament officials said fans who bought advance tickets with the hope ofseeing Woods could get refunds beginning next week. Those who keep their ticketswill get a 20 percent discount when they buy them next year.
Woods sustained cuts and bruises from the crash outside his home in anexclusive, gated community near Orlando, Fla. He was treated at a hospital andreleased. He has not been seen in public since then.
By skipping the tournament, Woods will escape the TV cameras and a horde ofmedia seeking more details about the smashup. The tournament was to be the lastof the year for Woods anyway, and he did not say when or where he would make hisreturn next year.
When healthy, he has made his season debut at Torrey Pines every year since2006. The San Diego Invitational this year is scheduled the week of Jan. 25.That could mean Woods avoids the media for 10 weeks.
Woods released a statement Sunday saying the accident was his fault andasked that it remain “a private matter.” But with the Florida Highway Patrolstill investigating and the media in full pursuit, he might not get his way.
The reference to “false, unfounded and malicious rumors” in Sunday’sstatement may have involved a story published last week in the National Enquireralleging that Woods had been seeing a New York nightclub hostess, and that theyrecently were together in Melbourne, where Woods competed in the AustralianMasters.
The woman, Rachel Uchitel, denied having an affair with Woods when contactedby The Associated Press.
Woods even faced questions from fans who left comments on his Web site. Mostvoiced support for him, but some said he should address the questions about hisown actions and those of his wife, Elin Nordegren, before and after theaccident.
Woods hasn’t answered questions from Florida troopers, either, turning themdown three days in a row when they came to his house, the last time Sundayafternoon, after Woods’ attorney told the patrol he would not be speaking.
Four cars were parked in Woods’ driveway Monday, but no lights appeared tobe on inside. A new fire hydrant had already replaced the one that Woods plowedinto. A dirt hole and an orange barricade remained in the old hydrant’s place.
Linda Adams, Woods’ neighbor, confirmed to the Orlando Sentinel that someonein her home other than her husband, Jerome, called authorities.
The neighbor, who called 911 after Woods ran over the hydrant and hit atree, said he was unconscious and laying outside his SUV. Woods’ wife toldWindermere police she used a golf club to smash the back windows to help himout.
The Associated Press called the Adams home Monday and asked to speak to theAdams’ son Jarius, who’s believed to have made the call. The woman who answeredthe telephone told a reporter to call back later in the day. When the AP calledback Monday evening, attorney Bill Sharpe answered and said he was representingthe family. He said there was no comment at this time, but said a statementmight be made Tuesday.
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