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Tiger Woods calls his game “vulnerable,” withdraws from Safeway Open

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Just three days after committing to play in this week’s Safeway Open, Tiger Woods has withdrawn from the tournament.

“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,” Woods said on his website. “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.”

Golf Channel’s Tim Rosaforte first reported that Woods would not play in the Safeway Open, which was later confirmed by Notah Begay III. Woods is physically healthy, Begay said, but problems with his short game were severe enough to cause him to delay his return to professional golf.

As Woods noted on his website, his preparation for the event was less than ideal. After serving as Ryder Cup vice captain two weeks ago, a hurricane threatened Florida’s East Coast last week, moving his tournament preparation to California.

Woods never made it to this week’s tournament site, Silverado Country Club in Napa, Calif., but planned to play in a Tiger Woods Foundation charity event at nearby Pebble Beach on Monday, according to Golf Digest.

The 14-time major champion last played a PGA Tour event in August 2015 at the Wyndham Championship, where he tied for 10th. Later in 2015, Woods underwent a pair of back surgeries, and has since been rehabbing his body and golf game for a return to professional golf.

On September 7, Woods announced his intention to play the Safeway Open, saying he also hoped to be able to compete at the European Tour’s Turkish Airlines Open during the first week of November in Turkey, as well as his foundation’s Hero World Challenge, which is held the first week of December.

The Safeway Open sold 28,000 tickets since Woods announced his return, according to ESPN’s Darren Rovell, and was heavily promoting Woods as a headliner on its website, which is currently promoting Phil Mickelson. Woods was expected to play a pro-am with two-time reigning NBA MVP Steph Curry, and was to be partnered with Phil Mickelson in Rounds 1 and 2.

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85 Comments

  1. Dave

    Oct 13, 2016 at 6:29 pm

    Tiger does not owe the tour oh the fans jack s… he made the tour what it is today. Remember tour sponsors paid him just to show up so get over it already . He’s a done dude just like all the other pros who go bye bye for one reason or another. I do not like what he’s done in his life while a married man but I do respect the ability he was as a golfer . He will be remembered as the best to play the tour . Tiger have a great life and chin up .

  2. stephenf

    Oct 12, 2016 at 11:42 am

    “Vulnerable”?

    Oh, you mean not perfect. Same for lots of other guys playing this week.

  3. Mad-Mex

    Oct 11, 2016 at 10:23 pm

    He is medium rare right now, couple of more WD and he’s done!

  4. ooffa

    Oct 11, 2016 at 8:31 am

    He was great because of steroids now he can’t even play because of steroids.

  5. Ian

    Oct 11, 2016 at 7:13 am

    What does this say about Parnevik’s comment?

  6. Shallowface

    Oct 11, 2016 at 7:03 am

    If anyone here can get up with Arron Oberholser have him send Tiger an XE1 wedge.

  7. Tal

    Oct 11, 2016 at 6:06 am

    I love how people keep bringing up his personal life when talking about how great he was as a golfer or how much he helped the game. What relevance does it have to his ability as a golfer? It’s a pathetic argument for people to fall back on when they have to face the fact thst there is no denying his calibre as an athlete.

    I also love how much people enjoy calling him a hack. He could never pick up a club again and would still have won/achieved more in 20 years than anyone else over their 40 year career all the way into the champions tour.

    • R

      Oct 11, 2016 at 12:04 pm

      Oh get over yourself. Why did he get married in the first place then, if his sole reason for being was to be the greatest golfer in the world? Marriage and the women were all totally wrong and threw him off his golf, is why those personal aspects must be considered as effective in bringing him down. Duh

    • RedX

      Oct 11, 2016 at 6:20 pm

      Tal, I get your view and his sporting achievements are outstanding but reverence is not reserved for athletic ability alone – the quality of the person is an intangible factor that cannot be ignored. That’s not pathetic. Amazing golfer in his prime but apparently a less than ideal human being – pure and simple. Anyway, you decide who you admire and why but views other than your own are not automatically pathetic.

  8. Paul Dunn

    Oct 11, 2016 at 4:26 am

    If I chose not to play a competition because my game was vulnerable, i’d never play again.

    Where’s the simple love of the game Tiger? Shank a few, so what, who cares. Smile and enjoy the fact you’re doing something most of us can only dream of doing.

  9. VC

    Oct 11, 2016 at 3:00 am

    I’m a 1 index and I have anxiety every time I play, but I always try to play in big tournaments every year, like the US Open Qualifiers and whatnot, whether I’m fit or not! I don’t have a billion dollars or even $100K, but I’ll always get out there and have fun playing. So I don’t get Eldrick’s excuses. It cannot be about his game. It has to be something else. But it’s convenient to say so, which is his downfall, he is letting his ego and his advisors speak for him, and he has no control over his life any more. But then again I guess he never did, because all he’s ever done is play golf and locked in that hell of not doing anything else but golf. He can’t win.

  10. NW

    Oct 11, 2016 at 12:42 am

    Hes got an all or nothing mentality. Nothing wrong with that, either u win or learn. Losing is not an option to the big cat!

  11. Uncle Buclk

    Oct 11, 2016 at 12:38 am

    Doz darn glutes!! 😮 Not firing!!!

  12. Uncle Buclk

    Oct 10, 2016 at 11:44 pm

    Yeah, uhhhh, no comment. Where ya at Miss. Mouth Carolyn. Looks like you can take my words and slam ’em back!

  13. Markallister

    Oct 10, 2016 at 10:25 pm

    typical for the former golfer woods. no wonder he will never play as well as i do.

  14. Dat

    Oct 10, 2016 at 10:16 pm

    So ur next, right?

  15. the dude

    Oct 10, 2016 at 10:14 pm

    Whaddaya say now Brandel Chamblee??

  16. J.R.

    Oct 10, 2016 at 10:01 pm

    Tiger is toast!!!

  17. Joshuaplaysgolf

    Oct 10, 2016 at 9:17 pm

    At what point will everyone wise up and move on from the Tiger soap opera?? If his game is this far off now, it was this far off a week ago when he committed. Does he plan to reimburse the 28,000 people who bought tickets and made travel arrangements to see him?? He gives people every reason not to like him, but people still hang on every word he says and think some magical return to relevancy is imminenet. It’s a joke. Well beyond time to stop placating him with all this attention and over-coverage.

  18. Not Scratch

    Oct 10, 2016 at 9:10 pm

    I have been working out hard for three weeks straight. My life has been focuses around Thursday when Tiger hits the tee. I dedicate my life to this day and now I feel lost. I had McDonalds tonight (Big Mac & Large Fry) and I’m not proud. He doesn’t understand how much he means to us.

  19. rymail00

    Oct 10, 2016 at 9:05 pm

    Damn this sucks. Was hoping to read some type of “Swanson psyche” or something.

    I’m sure Safeway is highly disappointed but they did sell an 30k tickets…….

  20. Matt

    Oct 10, 2016 at 7:26 pm

    Really disappointed he isn’t going to play and disappointed that this was a jerk move

  21. ooffa

    Oct 10, 2016 at 6:54 pm

    It’s Official. Nothing with Tiger is official except his whiny behavior

  22. Grizz01

    Oct 10, 2016 at 6:53 pm

    He pee’d in the cup and didn’t pass. Better to quit before competition. Don’t won’t to get got geering up.

  23. ooffa

    Oct 10, 2016 at 6:11 pm

    Just pack it in Tiger. Anything to make press for himself. Yes I’m playing. How many articles did that generate. Oh no I’m not, more press coverage. See I still move the needle better give me more sponsorship money. See I’m still relevant. Buncha crap. His competition days are over and the sport is better for it.

  24. Progolfer

    Oct 10, 2016 at 5:55 pm

    Dear Tiger,

    As a fellow professional golfer, I have some advice for you:

    Even though you don‘t feel ready, go play anyways.

    You’re never going to feel 100% ready for anything in life, let alone a golf tournament. I’ll never forget the first golf tournament I ever won. It was a one-day junior tournament, and going into the event I felt as confident as ever. The day of the event, as I was warming up on the range, I started shanking it. Literally. It came out of nowhere. I must’ve hit 10 of them. After trying to figure it out for 30 minutes, I still hadn’t succeeded. I had no time left to practice, so I went to the first tee feeling lost and with zero confidence. When they called my name on the tee, I remember thinking, “Well, this should be interesting…”

    I striped it down the middle.

    Extra-long story short, I ended up shooting 68 and winning by one. It was the lowest tournament round I had ever played up until that point, my first win ever, and it was also the last junior event I ever played in (yes, really). That taught me a major lesson about not only golf, but about life. If I would’ve withdrawn, I never would’ve learned that priceless lesson.

    The fact that you’ve withdrawn tells me that you care more about what other people think than you do about doing what you love more than anything else in this world.

    Go play. You may learn something you can carry with you for the rest of your life.

    • Johnnylongballz

      Oct 11, 2016 at 2:51 am

      I’m sure when Tiger reads these comments this will really help him. I know that he is looking for inspiration from your junior golf experiences.

    • Scott

      Oct 12, 2016 at 11:59 am

      I find your ideas intriguing and would like to subscribe to your newsletter

  25. Golfbuddy

    Oct 10, 2016 at 5:47 pm

    If he’s healthy, he could’ve shot the first round or two to check his game, his confidence, focus on fan interaction and just have a little fun. I wouldn’t think anyone would have expected him to contest for the win. Too bad.

    • Moi

      Oct 10, 2016 at 6:20 pm

      Arnold Palmer is shaking his head in disbelief. If Eldrick says he is fit and healthy, why wouldn’t he just show up, show his face, sign some autographs, hang with the fans and make the world a happier place than only think about himself – again!?

  26. RedX

    Oct 10, 2016 at 5:19 pm

    This could be promising. Its certainly a new approach from Tiger. A more team orientated Tiger as a Ryder Cup VC and now a Tiger admitting weakness without excess spin. Didn’t think I would se the day ….

    btw – the pairing with Mickelson was poor from the Tour’s perspective. Tiger’s return didn’t need a gimmick

  27. John Wunder

    Oct 10, 2016 at 4:28 pm

    I think it takes a lot of humility to do what he just did. He knows better than to let his ego get in the way which it has in the past. I hope people see this as a sign of a new and improved TW. He knows he’s vulnerable and won’t get back out there unless he honestly feels he can compete. Well done BIG CAT.

    • Eggo

      Oct 10, 2016 at 4:40 pm

      You idiot. It’s the EGO that got in the way, is why he decided not to play. He couldn’t accept the fact that he wasn’t going to be the man, so he left before he got his ego hurt. A pathetic runt that he is.

      • Rs

        Oct 10, 2016 at 4:43 pm

        So right. So true. Ego too big. Can’t let it get hurt

    • Snoopy

      Oct 10, 2016 at 7:42 pm

      John, you can certainly feel that way if you want but why I can’t share that opinion is that Tiger didn’t have to do any of this. Last time I thought about TW was about a month or two ago when I noticed I hadn’t heard anything from him in a while. I thought it was a good sign. Then Tiger went out of his way to decide that he wants to play this Safeway tourny. Ok great, we get to see Tiger again. Then he takes his time, presumably actually weighing the strength of his game and his desire to play, and he waits until the last minute to finally commit to the tournament. Ok great, we really get to see Tiger and he thinks he can actually play. Now today he pulls out because “his game is vulnerable”. If he said his back hurts or that the hurricane interrupted his practice, I would have given him the benefit of the doubt, but he didn’t. He went out of his way to say he is healthy but his game isn’t ready. All of this is in Tiger’s head and until he sorts himself out, we’re going to get more of the same.

  28. Nath

    Oct 10, 2016 at 4:00 pm

    And i extended my cable sports subscription for this!!!!
    Grrr Tiger

  29. Lob Wedge

    Oct 10, 2016 at 3:53 pm

    PGA: Pssst.. Tiger.. heads up.. We’re pairing you with Phil on day one in Napa.
    Phone rings..
    PM: Hey buddy.. Hear I’m going to kick you all over the course on day one at Safeway… you mad bro?
    Tiger: Hey Stiney.. Has Safeway sold enough tickets for me to pull out without them being too pissed?

  30. Hans

    Oct 10, 2016 at 3:33 pm

    Was hoping to see him, but I much prefer this strategy of waiting and being 100% over coming back too soon. Can’t afford another back injury. Plus the Masters is still 6mos away. Realistically, he likely doesnt care all that much about the smaller tournament between then now and only needs to be playing tournaments by February to get ready for the Majors. Even the first WGCs next year aren’t until March. So, no reason to take any risk right now if there’s any doubt.

  31. GimmeAMulligan

    Oct 10, 2016 at 3:21 pm

    Tiger won’t play till the election is over….He’s a part of the conversation between that Donald Trump and Howard Stern expose. Surprised none of us hacks saw that one coming. He knows it will be a major distraction and his best golf will be hampered.

  32. Clemson Sucks

    Oct 10, 2016 at 3:20 pm

    I thought he was hitting like the old Tiger, just a few days ago? lol

    • Pants

      Oct 10, 2016 at 3:57 pm

      Yeah. Wasn’t he “stripnig it” as his best friend Parnevic said?

      • Dr Troy

        Oct 10, 2016 at 4:31 pm

        Striping in a casual round or on the range is one thing…Bringing it to a tourney, nother thing.

        • Stryper

          Oct 10, 2016 at 10:49 pm

          I think he meant STRIPPING at a men’s bath club

  33. Tom

    Oct 10, 2016 at 3:15 pm

    Im holdin a fork in my right hand and a bible in the left. Whats it gonna be tiger?

    • Me Nunya-izzle

      Oct 10, 2016 at 4:44 pm

      Dude, wut?

      • Tom

        Oct 11, 2016 at 10:54 am

        Fork…”fork” as in put a fork in him he’s done. Bible….”bible” as swear on the bible. Which one is Tiger gonna do. Call it quits or commit to play?

  34. Snoopy

    Oct 10, 2016 at 3:13 pm

    Also, to clarify one point since I happened to watch this live on Golf Channel, Notah Begay said what he meant by “short game” was “the in-between shots” and specifically NOT chipping and pitching.

    • The Dude

      Oct 10, 2016 at 5:31 pm

      How can Notah talk at all when Tigers —- is constantly in his mouth….

  35. JThunder

    Oct 10, 2016 at 3:08 pm

    So, the “best golfer ever” withdraws from his commitment because he can’t chip? How he hasn’t lost all his fans by this point is beyond me. I would love to hear other examples of legends of the game who have behaved that way. His interview at the Ryder Cup after the win was nothing short of pretentious buffoonery; “I’m a part of this team”.

    • George

      Oct 10, 2016 at 3:14 pm

      cause you were at the team meetings and know exactly how the team felt about tiger’s presence. He has done more for the game of golf than anyone of the legends. Most people on this site probably wouldnt be on this site if not for Tiger

      • JThunder

        Oct 10, 2016 at 6:31 pm

        So, he’s “done more for the game” than any of the legends – even if that were true, that gives him the right to behave however he pleases? His ex-wife disagreed, lots of his one-time fans disagree (including myself – who watched and rooted for Tiger for years)… I’m sure Safeway disagrees. If his back was bothering him and he withdrew, I’d be totally fine with that. A WD because he knows he won’t win? Because of his short game? Come on, son.

        • JThunder

          Oct 10, 2016 at 6:34 pm

          And, yes, if you saw his interview after the Cup was won, he actually *corrected* the interviewer when he referred to the “Team” that won as if Tiger were not “on” that Team. And he wasn’t. I didn’t hear Bubba talking like that. I didn’t hear Davis talking like that.

          Maybe he WD because Napa, CA doesn’t have the square mileage to hold his f-ing EGO.

  36. Mark

    Oct 10, 2016 at 2:54 pm

    He’s lost it. Call it quits and bring up your kids.

    • BoomCannon

      Oct 10, 2016 at 3:46 pm

      This word of of wisdom brought to you from pro golfer Mark.

    • Pants

      Oct 10, 2016 at 3:58 pm

      The kids already aren’t listening to him, he’s not there half the time

      • joe

        Oct 10, 2016 at 5:10 pm

        How do you know this? If you work during the day chances are you arent there half the time either. The hatred for Tiger on this sight wild.

      • Dat

        Oct 10, 2016 at 8:45 pm

        Champion Parent of the year goes to Pants – who is with his kids 24 hours a day.

        • Stryper

          Oct 10, 2016 at 10:50 pm

          He said HALF the time – get the joke? Idiots

  37. Gollie

    Oct 10, 2016 at 2:47 pm

    Terrible news. I was definitely looking forward to watching the Safeway Open. Hope he is at least 100% healthy.

  38. NavyLDO

    Oct 10, 2016 at 2:47 pm

    Was looking forward to watching Tiger, again. If he is healthy, he should play. Bummer for the 28k who bought tickets. Hopefully it wasn’t to see Tiger.

    • larrybud

      Oct 10, 2016 at 3:30 pm

      Nah, only 27k of those bought it for Tiger.

    • Pants

      Oct 10, 2016 at 3:59 pm

      The tournament better give the ticket money back to those who ask for it

      • joe

        Oct 10, 2016 at 5:08 pm

        Thats not how it works. Let me guess, you are the guy asking for your money back when your favorite baseball player gets a day off arent you. lol

        • Stryper

          Oct 10, 2016 at 10:52 pm

          That’s completely different as I would be supporting the TEAM, not just one team member. But in this case, since Safeway advertized locally that the man was the headliner, as if he is the one headliner in the concert, they should give the money back to those who ask

  39. Snoopy

    Oct 10, 2016 at 2:46 pm

    I’m so disappointed because I actually let myself believe we were finally done with the charades. I am a HUGE Tiger fan and I honestly don’t give a bleep if he ever wins again, I just want him to be available to his fans and the public because of what he means to so many people, but on his end he has to be HONEST with us and for his own sake he needs to be honest with himself about who he really is and what he really wants. This has nothing to do with his back or the yips, this has everything to do with Tiger just being so lost in the world right now he can’t even figure out if he is a pro golfer or not.

    • Boobsy McKiss

      Oct 10, 2016 at 3:18 pm

      Tiger doesn’t owe the fans jack diddly squat, and that includes honesty. LOL. Funny how fans think pro athletes owe them something. It’s his life to live how he wants. I agree he does mean a lot to many people.

      • Bert

        Oct 10, 2016 at 3:41 pm

        Wrong, he owes the fans respect.

        • Boobsy McKiss

          Oct 11, 2016 at 1:42 am

          LOL do you employ him? Did he sign some contract somewhere that says ‘you owe the fans respect’ ? Sure, you (we) contributed to his fortune and fame by turning on the old tele every time he teed it up. But nowhere does that equate to him owing the fans anything. Is it the right thing to do from a moral standpoint? Perhaps…in the minds of the fans. But he doesn’t owe the fans anything. Fans should stop feeling entitled to anything from a professional athlete. (Amazing how hard of a concept that is for people to grasp.) If fans stopped feeling entitled, they wouldn’t be so disappointed when their favorite athlete can’t live up the ridiculous expectations set upon them by everyone on the planet, especially the media hounds.

          • Snoopy

            Oct 11, 2016 at 10:01 am

            If Tiger doesn’t want to earn the respect of the public at this point then I don’t understand why he is even bothering to try to come back and play. His legacy as far as tournament wins is already solidified. Another few major wins at this point would only marginally add to that as a nice footnote. He can do whatever he wants, I’m just not sure what he is trying to accomplish by winning more golf tournaments. I think the situation is actually the other way around, I think it’s Tiger that feels like he has to live up to ridiculous expectations and I’m trying to say, at least for myself, I just want Tiger to chill out and enjoy golf and life. If Tiger didn’t feel like he was expected to win this tournament, he wouldn’t have committed in the first place, and he wouldn’t have pulled out right after.

          • Bert

            Oct 11, 2016 at 5:45 pm

            I think you missed my point, maybe. Many golfers on this site stand tall for Tiger and will defend his every move. I would suggest that if he “commits” then he should show up and play unless he’s injured. Ops! maybe I shouldn’t have used the word “commit”.

            Anyway I don’t wish to slam him. I’m just saying if you commit and then within a couple of days, withdraw, you’re either injured or you have no “respect” for those who support you and wish to see you play again.

      • the dude

        Oct 10, 2016 at 10:07 pm

        DING….DING….DING!!!!……we have a winner……well put sir. For the fans…..fool me once..(well you know….).

  40. mka

    Oct 10, 2016 at 2:44 pm

    I wonder if his pride will keep him from competing regularly on the tour to reach the performance level he expects of himself???

    • ms

      Oct 10, 2016 at 3:46 pm

      His pride is what is keeping him out of this one. I’m sure he would still score better than a lot of the field.

  41. LabraeGolfer

    Oct 10, 2016 at 2:32 pm

    This freaking sucks put in 8 hours today, tomorrow and Wednesday, but don’t withdraw after you committed.

  42. Smitty

    Oct 10, 2016 at 2:26 pm

    Oh for crying out loud…it’s the Safeway Open bro, not the US Open.

  43. Scooter McGavin

    Oct 10, 2016 at 2:25 pm

    That didn’t take take long…

  44. Squirrel

    Oct 10, 2016 at 2:16 pm

    Yips… It’s the only reason for this.

    • Coctostan

      Oct 10, 2016 at 2:32 pm

      I’m not sure it is the only reason, but it doesn’t bode well given his chip yips last year. I’m not a Tiger fan, but I don’t wish that upon anyone. I was excited to see him come back and see what he was still capable of. He seems to have found some peace and seemed rather happy at the Ryder cup. This is sad.

    • Johnjohn

      Oct 10, 2016 at 2:44 pm

      Yep. Remember when he had those chipping woes a few years ago. This cat is done !

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