Woods to Undergo Knee Surgery, Won't Play Golf Rest of '08 Season

"Any tournament that doesn't have him in the field will obviously be impacted," he said. "But we'll still have a great field and we're going to have a good time. His representatives are saying he'd like to be here Tuesday and Wednesday, but whatever he feels is appropriate, we'll fully respect any decision he makes."

Woods had indicated last week that he had gone against his doctors' advice in deciding to play in the national championship of golf. He underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on April 15, two days after he finished second in the Masters, to repair cartilage damage.

The surgery was performed in Park City, Utah, by Thomas Rosenberg, who also operated on Woods's left knee to remove fluid and a benign cyst in 2002. Rosenberg could not be reached to comment.

"Now it is clear that the right thing to do is listen to my doctors, follow through with this surgery and focus my attention on rehabilitating my knee," Woods said in his statement. "My doctors assure me with the proper rehabilitation and training, the knee will be strong and there will be no long-term effects. . . . I was determined to do everything and anything in my power to play in the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, a course that is close to where I grew up and holds very special memories for me. . . . Although I will miss the rest of the 2008 season, I'm thrilled with the fact that last week was such a special tournament."

Woods defeated Rocco Mediate in a playoff that went 19 holes on Monday to claim his third U.S. Open title and 14th major championship, four short of the record 18 set by Jack Nicklaus. He pulled off a series of spectacular shots in the tournament, shooting 5 under par on his back nine Friday to get into weekend contention and posting two spectacular eagles and a birdie in his final six holes Saturday to take the lead after three rounds.

Hank Haney, Woods's swing instructor, told ESPN.com yesterday that Woods's preparation for the tournament included hitting only about 50 golf balls a day, perhaps 30 full swings before he had to stop.

The week before the Memorial tournament last month, "I thought there was no chance he could play" at Torrey Pines, Haney said. "The doctors told him he needed to be on crutches for three weeks and then three more weeks of inactivity, and then you start rehabbing. But Tiger looked the guy in the eye and said, 'I'm playing in the U.S. Open and I'm going to win.' Then he started pulling on his shoes and told me, 'We're going to practice.' It's just incredible."

David Fay, executive director of the U.S. Golf Association, the governing body for the sport that puts on the U.S. Open, said that Woods never told any USGA officials about the severity of his injury.

"Every time he was asked by the media about his knee, he dismissed it and did not want to make it a part of the conversation," Fay said. "He didn't want to go down that path. . . . If he succeeded, give him credit. If he didn't, he didn't want to use it as a crutch. It just reflects on another aspect of his character."

Staff researcher Madonna Lebling contributed to this report.