By Leonard Shapiro
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Over five days and 91 holes of golf last weekend, Tiger Woods never specifically would reveal why he winced in pain almost every time he pulled out his driver and smacked a tee shot 320 yards down the fairway, why he limped away from Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego after winning the U.S. Open in what he described as the greatest victory of his storied career.
Woods finally told the world yesterday what was ailing him. This time there would be no cryptic answers, no nodding of his head or a "maybe" response when he was asked if his surgically repaired left knee had been further damaged during four rounds of regulation play and another 19 holes in his playoff victory on Monday.
Instead, the No. 1 player in the world announced on his Web site the full extent of the injuries to his left knee and left tibia and said he will not play golf again during the 2008 season: no British Open next month, no PGA Championship in August, no Ryder Cup in September and no AT&T National, his signature event that begins July 3 at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda.
Woods revealed that he had ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee while running near his home in Orlando last summer after the British Open, and had been hoping to "play through the pain" this year before surgery. He also said he played last week with two stress fractures in his left tibia, the large bone in the lower leg, suffered while he was rehabilitating the knee from surgery on April 15 to repair cartilage damage. He will need reconstructive surgery to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament -- and months of rest to recuperate from the surgery and to allow the damage to the bone to heal.
No date was announced for the surgery and there was no indication from Woods or anyone else in his camp how long his recovery will take after the third operation on the knee in the last five years.
Woods, 32, is considered one of the strongest golfers on the professional tour and generates enormous power with his carefully groomed swing. When he hits the ball, his left leg absorbs much of the force of his downward motion and twists slightly on impact -- a combination that some medical experts said yesterday may have played a role in his injury.
Sherman Ho, an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Chicago and team orthopedist for the Chicago Blackhawks hockey team, said the tremendous torque Woods puts on the knee likely has been a contributing factor. "His swing is almost violent," he said. "The amount of stress and torque he puts on his knee is not the same as most pro golfers."
Although Woods had said Monday that he would need to take some time off after the U.S. Open, his announcement yesterday stunned the golfing world as fans, tournament sponsors, television networks and Woods's competitors on the Professional Golfers' Association Tour weighed the effect his lengthy absence would have on the sport.
In recent years, Woods has played a reduced schedule, but his absence the rest of the season from some of the game's marquee events is certain to have an impact on ticket sales and television ratings. NBC Sports' prime-time Sunday night broadcast of the U.S. Open produced the highest national rating for the tournament in six years.
"When he's on TV, you almost have an obligation to pick up the phone and call a friend and tell them you better watch this," said Jon Miller, senior vice president for programming for NBC Sports. "What he did last week just shows you what an exceptional athlete he is. I didn't know the extent of his injuries. I don't think anyone did. To me, it's the most courageous performance I've seen in sports. Ever."
Bret Hart, the president of Congressional, said the AT&T National event would be minimally impacted financially by Woods's absence. He said advance ticket sales have been brisk and corporate hospitality and the pro-am tournament Wednesday -- both big moneymakers -- have been sold out for some time.
"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.
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