It’s been a while since golf fans got a chance to watch Tiger Woods swing his clubs, and it seems the wait will drag on a little longer. Woods will reportedly pull out of the Safeway Open.
Tim Rosaforte of Golf Channel reported the news Monday afternoon.
Per @TimRosaforte on @GolfChannel, Tiger Woods will withdraw from the Safeway Open. Woods has not played competitively in 414 days.
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) October 10, 2016
Woods took to Twitter and his website to address the decision, once again standing by his desire to make sure he returns in the best possible shape he can. It seems clear he still has doubts about his health. He is now setting his sight for a possible return to an event sponsored by his own foundation in Albany.
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.
As noted above, the countdown since Tiger’s last appearance on a golf course is up to 414 days and counting. According to Darren Rovell of ESPN, the Safeway Open sold 28,000 tickets since originally announcing Woods would be scheduled to compete. Today, those who wanted to watch Tiger may be feeling a little burned.
When you hear that Tiger Woods withdrew from the Safeway Open this week.. pic.twitter.com/tmkJjoByxs
— Kenton Waters (@kwaters15) October 10, 2016
Me: *gets unbelievably excited and cancels all plans to watch Tiger all weekend*
BREAKING: Tiger Woods will withdraw from Safeway Open
Me: pic.twitter.com/q0XhSU6771— Grant Engel (@Grengel_) October 10, 2016
Woods continues to suggest he is getting close to an actual return.
“I’m close, and I won’t stop until I get there.”
