Today Tiger Woods withdrew from the Players Championship golf tournament in Florida, complaining of neck pain that he says has plagued him since before The Masters tourney last month.
Tiger Woods withdrew on the seventh hole of Sunday’s final round at the Players Championship with a neck injury. He was two-over par through his first six holes and two under for the tournament.
Woods, who has a tenuous hold on his world No. 1 ranking, yanked his drive several yards to the right on the hole, and then took a few practice swings. Woods, who was paired with Jason Bohn, grimaced after hitting his second shot and instructed his caddie, Steve Williams, to pick up his ball.
"I've been playing with a bad neck for quite a while," Woods said, adding, "I might have a bulging disk."
Media speculation over the cause of his pain ranges from whiplash caused by the infamous SUV crash to a case of quitter's syndrome, but whatever's to blame, it has the golf great worked up.
Dressed in his Sunday red shirt, Tiger Woods bowed his head and sat in silence in front of his locker.
He was supposed to be on the ninth hole at The Players Championship. In another stunning twist for someone whose life used to be so predictable, Woods withdrew suddenly with neck pain that he fears might be a bulging disk.
Woods was so frustrated that he slammed his golf shoe to the floor while taking questions from three reporters.
"I've been playing through it," Woods said of pain he first felt before the Masters. "I can't play through it anymore."
Woods said he did not know what caused the injury, only that "playing doesn't help it." He took 10 questions before going into a physical therapy trailer for 37 minutes and leaving the TPC Sawgrass.