Woods to skip The Open...

[Brent Hutto]

Yeah a friend of mine had relatively straightforward shoulder 'scope surgery then a few years later his teenage son had a much more serious shoulder injury repaired. In the same number of weeks it took my 30-something buddy to get able to chip and putt a little his 14-year-old kid was playing in tournaments. It's remarkable how different the 12-week prognosis is for joint injuries before age 20 and after age 30.

[Howard Riefs]

I was at Congressional last month for the U.S. Open. There was plenty of talk on the course Thursday about Tiger's absence. As Rory climbed the leaderboard Friday, Tiger was all but a distant memory.

[Jim Nugent]

It has been 13 weeks since the Masters. That is 3 months. If I broke my leg 3 months ago I would be playing now. I know I stopped healing when I hit 30, and I think Tiger may be hitting that range where you just really struggle to get back to 100%. And the injuries just keep coming. I can't imagine him playing before the PGA if he has only played 9 holes since the Masters and is not practicing now.

There is a world of difference between bones breaking and tendon damage, that probably has as much to do with it as age. And you are very right about healing over 30, that's something the younger posters will only understand when they've lived it. I agree with you about the PGA, don't really expect to see him there, either.

George, do you still think Tiger will come back, regain his form, and win a number of majors? 

[George Pazin]

George, do you still think Tiger will come back, regain his form, and win a number of majors? 

Yep.

Can't say my level of confidence is as high as it was a couple years ago, though.

I thought Tiger was crazy to leave Butch, and will always believe he'd have broken the record already had he stayed with him and kept in maintenance mode, as Butch puts it. Having said that, I will also say I think Tiger might possibly - just maybe - the teeny tiniest little bit - have a better read on his career than I...

[cary lichtenstein]

George, do you still think Tiger will come back, regain his form, and win a number of majors? 

Yep.

Can't say my level of confidence is as high as it was a couple years ago, though.

I thought Tiger was crazy to leave Butch, and will always believe he'd have broken the record already had he stayed with him and kept in maintenance mode, as Butch puts it. Having said that, I will also say I think Tiger might possibly - just maybe - the teeny tiniest little bit - have a better read on his career than I...

Me too, crazy to leave Butch

[PThomas]

twas a long time ago, so pls corrrect me if i'm wrong, but the "public" reason for him leaving Butch was that he felt Butch had taken him as far as he could go, right??

but werent there reports that he felt Butch was in the spotlight too much?

[Greg Holland]

    Post steroidal breakdown.

From GeoffShackelford.com, here is a quote from a story yesterday:


Brian Greenspan, a Canadian attorney for Galea, later confirmed that Woods received treatment from Galea but that it was plasma-rich platelet treatment and did not involve human growth hormone.

"He did not receive Nutropin [a form of HGH]," Greenspan said. "In fairness to Tiger Woods, he received only one of the four treatments."

[Jordan Caron]

It's pretty sad that the golf world feels the need to "break" this news every time he pulls out of an event.  Why can't he admit that he's not coming back in 2011 and end the whole charade of whether he's playing or not?  It's almost as if they need this "news" just to talk again and again about Tiger Woods to attract viewers. 

Sorry, but it is news when a 14-time major winner in his 30's doesn't play in a major.

I`m with Pat. Love Tiger or hate him it matters to the golf world if he plays or not. Do you know for sure Jordan that he`s not coming back? I didn`t think so.

You're both right.  I should totally be surprised when a guy who was on crutches a few weeks ago and hasn't practiced, isn't playing.

[Marty Bonnar]

What a pity we don't have a resident orthopaedic surgeon here who could have given us much more informed opinion. The world needs asphalt layers too, I guess.

[Sean_A]

It has been 13 weeks since the Masters. That is 3 months. If I broke my leg 3 months ago I would be playing now. I know I stopped healing when I hit 30, and I think Tiger may be hitting that range where you just really struggle to get back to 100%. And the injuries just keep coming. I can't imagine him playing before the PGA if he has only played 9 holes since the Masters and is not practicing now.

There is a world of difference between bones breaking and tendon damage, that probably has as much to do with it as age. And you are very right about healing over 30, that's something the younger posters will only understand when they've lived it. I agree with you about the PGA, don't really expect to see him there, either.

George, do you still think Tiger will come back, regain his form, and win a number of majors? 

By chance, what are the odds of Tiger never winning another major?  I always thought it was going to be a very hard road with the odds stacked against Tiger of breaking Jack's record.  Far too many people made proclamations based on past performance and totally neglected that Jack competed for a very long time, in good health and with a happy home life which was built from scratch as a damn near kid with his wife (its true, behing every good man is a better wife).  Those three things don't come together very often when we are talking about a talent like Jack.  That said, I might just take a decent bet on Tiger winning a another major or two - who knows, he could still catch Jack.  Tiger is the only guy on the planet playing golf right now who knows how to gut out a win in a major; he has done it a few times.  This sort of determination combined with his skill and experience is a difficult thing to bet against.  I would be very surprised if we have seen the last of Tiger's major wins, but I don't think he will catch Jack - never did believe that and my opinion was solidified when he got married.  I always thought Tiger wouldn't contemplate marriage until at least in his early 30s if not later.  Anyway, I have never, ever been a fan of Tiger, but I still hold out hope for the guy.  There is nothing better than being proven wrong for the better when someone's character is involved. 

Ciao