Why Tiger Woods pulled out of US PGA Championship
Tiger Woods has withdrawn from next week’s US PGA Championship.
The 14-time major champion has not played a competitive golf tournament since last August’s Wyndham Championship.
Woods has undergone multiple operations on his back and, after hinting he could play in the final two majors of 2016, pulled out of last week’s Open Championship at Royal Troon.
He will again be absent at Baltusrol, with his place in the field being taken by Harold Varner III.
Tiger Woods has withdrawn from the #PGAChamp. He was replaced in the field by Harold Varner III.
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) July 19, 2016
A statement from the PGA of America read: “We have been in contact with Tiger’s agent, Mark Steinberg, and he informed us today that our four-time PGA Champion will be unable to join us at Baltusrol Golf Club next week for the 98th PGA Championship.”
Golf Channel quoted an email from Steinberg, which read: “Continuing to make progress, but simply not ready for PGA. Will not play in the ’15/’16 season and will continue to rehab and work hard to then assess when he starts play for the ’16/’17 season.”
Eight years have passed since former world number one Woods – the winner of the US PGA Championship in 1999, 2000, 2006 and 2007 – secured his last major triumph at the 2008 U.S. Open.
The 40-year-old’s last top-10 finish at a major came back in 2013 at The Open, with injuries and a dramatic loss of form preventing him from making an impact at the highest level since then.
Woods missed the cut at three successive majors in 2015, after tying for 17th at the Masters. This is the first time he will have missed all four majors in a calendar year.
