Woods To Have Season-Ending Surgery

ST. AUGUSTINE, Florida (Ticker) -- Tiger Woods, the world's top-ranked player, will undergo season-ending knee surgery, according to a report by the Golf Channel on Wednesday. Woods' decision to undergo a second surgery on his left knee this year comes two days after he won his 14th major championship by defeating Rocco Mediate in a dramatic playoff at the U.S. Open.

According to the report, Woods experienced a small stress fracture in his leg about two weeks before the U.S. Open, which was causing him pain. Doctors feel that Woods needs surgery to repair the ACL. At times during the U.S. Open, Woods was noticeably limping.

However, he still was able to force the playoff in thrilling fashion in Sunday's final round with a birdie putt at No. 18, then made another birdie at No. 18 in the playoff before ultimately winning on the 91st hole. While his schedule will be put on hold, Woods will continue to make numerous appearances and fulfill his sponsor and charitable commitments over the next five to six months

Tiger Plays Through Pain

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) - Tiger Woods seems prepared to risk long-term injury in order to beat Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major championship victories. The world No. 1 picked up his 14th major title Monday with his third U.S. Open victory, defeating Rocco Mediate on the first sudden-death hole following an 18-hole play-off at Torrey Pines in southern California. He did it playing his first tournament since arthroscopic knee surgery on April 15, which followed his second-place finish at The Masters.

"Well, only being four back (of Nicklaus), it's hard to believe I'm in this situation, you know," Woods said. "It's hard to believe I've had this nice a run in my career. And hopefully it will continue. I'm going to keep practicing, keep trying to grind and get better."

Woods was in obvious discomfort throughout the U.S. Open and on Friday, after a grueling second round, he appeared set to withdraw from the tournament before taking pain relief to get him through the weekend. The 32-year-old admitted he had ignored doctors' advice warning him of the risks of further injury to play at Torrey Pines and indicated he would continue to do so in his quest to surpass Nicklaus. "As far as future ramifications, I'm not really good at listening to doctor's orders too well," Woods said. "So I end up, hey, I won this week, so it is what it is."

Asked twice, specifically, if he was told he risked further injury by playing at Torrey Pines, Woods nodded his head in the affirmative both times. Asked if he had, then, injured his knee further, the reply was, "Maybe." Woods will now take more time out to rest his troublesome knee, leaving his participation at next month's Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in some doubt. "To be honest with you, I really don't know," said Woods, in response to a question about his chances of playing at the British Open. "I think I need to shut it down for a little bit here. It's a bit sore. I need to take a little bit of a break."

Woods insisted he had never contemplated quitting the tournament and would have had no excuses had he lost the playoff to Mediate, who teed off at No. 18 with a one-shot lead Monday. "I wasn't going to bag it," Woods said. "I think everyone knows me well enough that it's not in my nature, I don't know how to do that. "It helped to have that energy from all the fans, because there were times when it stung quite a bit. I had a couple of zingers out there. ... It's been sore every day. It's been sore for a while. I just deal with it."

U.S. Open Update: Tiger Wins In Sudden-Death

By Simon Lewis
Contributing Writer

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- It took 91 holes to separate them but Tiger Woods finally overcame Rocco Mediate to claim the 2008 U.S. Open title after a compelling 18-hole playoff went to sudden death at Torrey Pines on Monday. The victory completed Woods' quest for a 14th major title, leaving the world's top-ranked player only four short of Jack Nicklaus' record. It was Woods' third U.S. Open victory and a seventh at Torrey Pines, his second at the course this year.

Woods was playing his first tournament since finishing second at The Masters on April 13, having undergone surgery on his left knee two days later. Nine weeks on, he forced the playoff in dramatic fashion Sunday, sinking a 15-foot birdie putt at No. 18 to tie Mediate at 1-under. On Monday, he produced another birdie on the final hole to send the championship playoff into sudden death after the golfers posted level par 71s.

At 45 years and five months, Mediate was looking to take over from Hale Irwin as the oldest winner of the championship and the oldest first-time winner of any major. In 23 years as a professional, Mediate had won only five of 535 PGA Tour events and in 43 majors he had only three top-10 finishes, two of them, a fourth and a sixth, in the U.S. Open. Woods had led by three shots after 10 holes, only for Mediate to battle back over the back nine before the world No. 1 leveled once more at the 18th.

The drama reached epic proportions as they entered the closing four holes level at 1-over. Over 72 holes, Woods had a three-shot advantage over Mediate on those closing holes, scoring 3-under over four rounds to the veteran's 2-over. On the 15th, though, the tables were turned as fortunes swung to and from between tee and green.

First, Woods found sand on the right off the tee while Mediate landed on the fairway after kicking out of the rough. Woods saw his opponent loft his second shot to 18 feet from the flag and then promptly rolled his bunker shot inside Mediate's ball. The 45-year-old hit back again by holing out his birdie putt, only for Woods to miss the shorter effort, leaving Mediate with a one-shot lead at even.

There was more drama as the duel continued at the par-3 16th, with Mediate's tee shot falling just short of the green and Woods sending his to its back with the pin centrally located. Both facing monster putts, Mediate rolled his 50-footer to within two feet while Woods left his mere inches from the cup as both settled for pars. At 17, Woods found the fairway while Mediate caught the intermediate rough. The two-time champion appeared to be in a quandary over club selection for his second shot, before his caddie Steve Williams persuaded him to switch from a 7-iron to an eight. Woods' faith in Williams was justified as he sent the ball to within 20 feet. Mediate, meanwhile, left himself another long putt from the front of the green for his third shot and sent it to within eight feet before Woods two-putted for par. That left Mediate putting for par, which he duly completed to take a one-shot lead to the par-5 18th.

Mediate had held a similar lead approaching the 72nd hole on Sunday only for Woods to birdie and force the playoff. Driving first, Mediate pulled left into a bunker while Woods' tee shot left him grimacing in pain from his left knee but managing to keep his ball in the fairway. Both second shots cleared the lake guarding the green, Woods left with the longer eagle putt. He sent his 50-footer to three feet, leaving Mediate from 20 feet to putt for the championship. He missed left, and Woods holed to leave Mediate with a short putt to force this remarkable playoff into sudden death for only the third time since its introduction in 1954. Again he failed to convert and the golfers returned to the seventh hole for sudden death.

Mediate was immediately in trouble, following Woods' tee shot onto the fairway by finding the left fairway bunker on the dogleg right. His rescue shot went left again, into a mandatory drop zone just in front of a spectator stand. As Woods waited by the green to putt, Mediate's chip rolled past the flag, leaving Woods to go first from the front of the green, putting for the championship. Woods' effort was close to finishing the job and he dropped to his knees as his ball stayed above the hole, placing all the pressure on Mediate to rescue his title hopes from 18 feet. He missed and Woods claimed the title.

U.S. Open Update: Woods Moving Up

By John Nestor
PA SportsTicker Golf Editor

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) - Tiger Woods gave the field at the U.S. Open a two-stroke head start on Thursday, but he's taken it all back. Woods hit his first shot of the tournament into the rough at No. 1, leading to a double-bogey. He spent the next eight holes climbing back up the leaderboard and is in good position early in the first round at Torrey Pines. After a pair of pars, Woods carded his first birdie of the day at the par-4 fourth. He added another at the par-3 eighth and closed his front nine with a birdie at the 612-yard par-5 ninth, where he bounced his second shot off a spectator to the left of the green but chipped his third to about five feet and made that for his third birdie. At 1-under-par, Woods is three shots off the early pace being set by Sweden's Robert Karlsson. Karlsson started on No. 10 and charged to the lead with three consecutive birdies starting at No. 17. He made a 25-footer at No. 1 and has a one-stroke lead. Patrick Sheehan, Justin Hicks and Stuart Appleby are all at 3-under. Playing along wiwth Woods in the premiere grouping of the first two rounds, Phil Mickelson made the turn at 3-over and Adam Scott was at even-par. Woods, who has won the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines four consecutive times, is looking for his third U.S. Open title and first since 2002.

Tiger Gets A Round In At Torrey Pines

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) - Tiger Woods may enter next week's U.S. Open a bit rusty, but he won't enter it unprepared. Woods got his first look at how the course will be set up for the season's second major on Wednesday, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Coming off knee surgery performed two days after finishing second at The Masters, Woods had not played a round since Augusta. He got in 17 holes on Wednesday, picking up his ball about 100 yards from the 18th green after seeing that a group of people had begun to gather. According to the report, Woods began his round at 8 a.m. local time and played in 3 hours, 15 minutes under tight security. No media or spectators were allowed on the South Course at the time Woods was playing.

Woods won his sixth Buick Invitational here in January and no player has been as successful at Torrey Pines. Despite that success, Woods could not afford to wait to see what the USGA has cooked up on the course. Woods and everyone else knows that the layout will be significantly different than it was in January and time is running out to get a private look at the changes.

Woods has been down this road before, but just under different circumstances. He did not play between The Masters and U.S. Open in 2006 due to the death of his father Earl. Woods missed the cut at Winged Foot, marking the first time he had missed the cut in a major as a professional.

Woods will be paired with world No. 2 Phil Mickelson and third-ranked Adam Scott after the top groupings were announced. Mickelson and Woods played together once before at the U.S. Open, in the third round at Pinehurst in 1999. The late Payne Stewart won that year, with Mickelson second and Woods third. Ernie Els, Justin Rose and Geoff Ogilvy make up another trio.

Stewart Cink, Sergio Garcia and Vijay Singh will be together while KJ Choi, Jim Furyk and Steve Stricker make up the other big-name grouping. All told, the top 12 players in the world will be accounted for in the four groups. The rest of the groupings will be announced later Thursday. The first round of the U.S. Open is June 12.

Tiger on Schedule For U.S. Open

BETHESDA, Maryland (Ticker) -- Tiger Woods ended speculation regarding his status for this year's U.S. Open, announcing Tuesday that he is on schedule to participate in the season's second major. Woods, who is recovering from arthroscopic left knee surgery, admitted that he has grown bored of rehabbing the injury during a news conference promoting his own PGA event, the AT&T National. But the world No. 1 confirmed that he will be ready for the U.S. Open, which starts June 12 at Torrey Pines.

"The rehab is working," Woods said. "It gets really old riding that bike, man. But everything is on schedule. I'm just trying to get this thing organized for the Open. I'm right on schedule for that." Woods has not played since finishing second to Trevor Immelman at The Masters last month. The 13-time major winner had surgery on the knee on April 15, two days after leaving Augusta.

The 32-year-old Woods already has withdrawn from this week's Memorial and claims he will not participate in next week's Stanford St. Jude Championship. "I started my practice basically just recently," he said. "So going to Memorial that rusty, it wouldn't have made any sense. I wasn't sharp enough. I didn't hit all my shots I needed to hit yet at home and make sure everything is organized. I wasn't quite ready. "So no sense in going there not ready. The whole idea is to be ready for the U.S. Open."

Woods traditionally has been inconsistent at the U.S. Open, recording two victories and two second-place finishes but also placing outside of the top 15 six times in the last 11 years. He even missed the cut for the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot.

But Woods, who won the 2002 Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines after having surgery on the same knee, said that he will be prepared to rebound quickly from the injury. "It's not like I haven't been down this road before," he said. "I had a procedure done and came back at Torrey Pines. "So I know what it takes to win a tournament coming back off after having a procedure done, and it is just a matter of being prepared, getting all my practice time in, making sure my shots are how I want them, trying to understand what my misses might be."

Tiger One Stroke back

MIAMI (Ticker) -- Tiger Woods is one shot off the lead entering Saturday's third round at the $8 million CA Championship. Woods fired a 6-under-par 66 during Friday's second round at Doral Golf Resort, holing two eagles and three birdies against one bogey. The world No. 1 is one shot behind leader Geoff Ogilvy, who carded a 67 to improve his overall score to 12-under 132.

Aiming for his eighth straight tournament victory, Woods finished in style with birdies at his final two holes, sinking a sharply breaking 20-footer at the ninth to punctuate another excellent day. Woods has not lost in more than six months, winning five times on the PGA Tour, the European Tour's Dubai Desert Classic and his own unofficial Target Challenge.

This World Golf Championships event has become Woods' own personal property, as he has won it six times in eight attempts on six different courses. He started Friday two strokes behind overnight leaders Ogilvy and Miguel Jimenez, but it did not take long for that to change as he eagled his third hole, the par-5 12th, with a 40-foot bunker shot. Woods added a birdie at the par-4 16th, before picking up another eagle at the par-5 first, where he busted a 330-yard drive before hitting a well-judged 7-iron that nestled up little more than six feet from the pin. He was not perfect, though. Trying to avoid a water hazard on the par-4 third, Woods pulled his drive behind a tree and had little choice but to lay up with his second shot. But that was the first and only blemish on his card.

Ogilvy, meanwhile, played in relative peace and quiet, far from the maddening crowds tracking Woods. Seeking his first PGA Tour victory since the 2006 U.S. Open champion, Ogilvy gathered five birdies with no bogies on the day. Adam Scott's 68 brought him to 9-under for the tournament, placing him three shots back in third.

Tiger Goes For Six Consecutive

By Andrew Both
SportsTicker Golf Writer

MIAMI (Ticker) -- As Tiger Woods takes his six-month winning streak into this week's World Golf Championships event, his fellow professionals can only look on in awe at his accomplishments.

With six official victories - five in the United States and one on the European Tour - Woods' peers are starting to wonder if he'll ever be beaten again. They admire every facet of his game, but it's perhaps the simplest part of golf that draws the most envy. At least, that's what one player claims. "What people talk about in the locker room is how does he putt so well every week?" said Geoff Ogilvy, the 2006 U.S. Open champion. "Lots of guys can work out how to hit it well every week. "But week in and week out, he seems to make bombs all over the place, which is not easy to do. That's the bit people can't work out, how does he hole that many putts?" Of course, there's much more to Woods' repertoire than putting. But he does have an uncanny ability to coax the ball into the bottom of the cup when it really matters.

Take last Sunday for instance, when he holed a 24-footer at the final hole to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational by one stroke. Woods had not, contrary to Ogilvy's general observation, made a putt from outside 20 feet all week. But was anyone really surprised that he did so when he needed to?

Woods is making the phenomenal look merely routine. For example, he is one of just three players to have won at least five consecutive starts on the PGA Tour, and the only player to have done it more than once. He won seven starts in a row in 2006-07, won six times on the trot in 1999-2000 and has now won five consecutive appearances on tour. Jack Nicklaus, by contrast, never won more than three successive starts. In an average year, Woods posts as many victories as some very, very good players manage in their entire careers. "He has a good career every year," Ogilvy said. "Last year would have been a good career for anybody, a major and seven other tournaments. That's a career, and he does it every year. "It doesn't surprise me anymore. When he won the U.S. Open by 15 (strokes in 2000) and three weeks later won the British Open by eight, people were saying he can't get any better."

Woods has had two relatively quiet seasons, finishing fourth on the money list in both 1998 and 2004. Both times, however, he was in the midst of swing changes that ultimately would lead to total dominance again. "He has his ups and downs," Ogilvy said. "But his ups tend to last longer than most people's and his downs don't last very long, and are very good. "In the middle of last year, I wasn't really in love with (his swing), but by the Tour Championship (in September) it started looking really good."

Now Woods tries to extend his winning streak at a course he virtually owns, Doral's Blue Monster. He has won here the past three years, twice at the now defunct PGA Tour stop, while claiming the WGC CA Championship last year. The field has been set at 79 players, with reigning British Open champion Padraig Harrington the only one among the world's top 50 absent. Woods will be as motivated as ever this week to continue his winning streak in his last start before the Masters. Someone will end his latest golden run sooner or later, but don't bet too much on such a scenario unfolding this week.

Tiger Roars To Victory

ORLANDO, Florida (Ticker) -- Tiger Woods birdied the 18th hole to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Sunday at Bay Hill. Woods, who started the day in a five-way tie for the lead, carded his second consecutive 4-under-par 66 to finish at 10-under-par 270. Bart Bryant was the tough-luck runner-up, finishing at 9-under 271.

The world No. 1, Woods made a 24-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole for his fifth straight PGA Tour title. He is 4-for-4 this season with three PGA wins and a victory at the European Tour's Dubai Desert Classic. "It's just like when I beat Phil (Mickelson) here a few years ago, only this time it was a bit deeper in the green," Woods said of his winning putt. "I had to at least make par to get in a playoff and lo and behold I made (birdie). That's pretty good." The win is Woods' 63rd on the PGA Tour, tied for third on the all-time list with Ben Hogan, behind only Sam Snead and Jack Nicklaus.

Bryant, who started the day in a five-way tie for the lead with a group including Woods, carded 67 to finish alone in second place, with Vijay Singh, Cliff Kresge and Sean O'Hair tied for third at 7-under.

Woods Makes Charge in Florida

ORLANDO, Florida (Ticker) -- Tiger Woods charged up the leaderboard with a near-flawless third round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Saturday.

Woods, who started the day seven strokes off the pace, handled a testing breeze with ease to compile a 4-under-par 66 at Bay Hill. Woods is at 6-under 204 overall, tied for the clubhouse lead with Sean O'Hair, who shot a brilliant 63 earlier in the day.

The on-course leader was Nick Watney at 8-under after 14 holes, one stroke ahead of Bart Bryant, who had also completed 14 holes. "The greens were quicker today and I made a few putts," said Woods, who received some pre-round advice from tournament host Palmer. "He told me I need to get off my butt and play a good round today. Here I am, back in contention." Woods is seeking to extend his six-month winning streak, having won his past five official starts - four on the PGA Tour and one on the European Tour.

Vijay Singh, who led after the second round, fell apart on the front nine. After a steady start, he dropped five strokes in a horror four-hole stretch to complete the front nine in 40 strokes, plumetting four shots off the pace at the turn.

Woods Not Concerned About Comment

NEW YORK (Ticker) -- Tiger Woods' camp does not appear overly concerned about a questionable comment made by the Golf Channel's Kelly Tilghman last week. During the channel's coverage of the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Hawaii on Friday, Tilghman joked with analyst Nick Faldo that players hoping to challenge Woods may have to "lynch him in a back alley."

Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, issued a statement Tuesday indicating that the matter has been blown out of proportion. "This story is a non-issue," he noted. "Tiger and Kelly are friends and Tiger has a great deal of respect for Kelly. Regardless of the choice of words used we know unequivocally that there was no ill-intent in her comments. This story is a non-issue in our eyes. Case closed."

New York Newsday, which first publicized the story, reported Monday that Tilghman quickly regretted her choice of words and apologized on Sunday's telecast as well as directly to Woods' representatives. Tilghman issued an official statement Tuesday indicating she did not mean to offend the public or Woods, who is half African-American and half Asian. "On Friday during our golf broadcast, Nick Faldo and I were discussing Tiger's dominance in the golf world and I used some poorly chosen words," she noted. "I have known Tiger for 12 years and I have apologized directly to him. I also apologize to our viewers who may have been offended by my comments."

Woods Going Back to Dubai

By Mark Garrod
SportsTicker

Tiger Woods confirmed Tuesday he will be returning to the Middle East next year for the Dubai Desert Classic at the end of January. "I always enjoy visiting Dubai, it's an extremely hospitable place where the people and the tournament organizers treat the players so well," he said. "The level of competition is always extremely high so I know I'll have to play my best golf if I'm going to win the title again." The 2006 champion, third behind Henrik Stenson and Ernie Els earlier this year, will be making his fifth appearance in the United Arab Emirates, where he is developing a 7,800-yard course. "We are naturally delighted and proud that Tiger Woods has agreed to join us," said Mohamed Buamaim, vice chairman and chief executive office of promoters and organizers. "Having the world's greatest golfer play in your event is something many tournament organizers dream of, so for us to be able to welcome him for the fifth time in eight years is a major boost for golf in the Middle East, especially Dubai."

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