Tiger Woods to skip U.S. Open

Tiger Woods' aching left knee and Achilles led him to the painful decision Tuesday to pull out of the U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club next week. The announcement, made on his website, could be interpreted as a strong statement on his health, given that the tournament and course are close to his heart.

Woods has not missed an Open for which he was eligible. The last time the championship was held without him was 1994, just before he won his first U.S. Amateur at 18. He appeared the next year at Shinnecock Hills, and every year since. He won the 2008 Open on a broken leg. Also, Congressional is one of his favorites, considering that he chose it as the site of the AT & T National, which he hosts and which he won in 2009.

The point is, he must really be hurting to miss this event. "He doesn't come to a tournament without being fully prepared," said his longtime friend Mark O'Meara, who was at Westchester Country Club Tuesday to promote the Senior Players Championship to be held there Aug. 18-21. O'Meara is the defending champion of that tournament. Because he plays on the 50-and-over circuit, and because he has moved away from the Isleworth community in Florida, he does not have much contact with Woods anymore.

He does know that Woods is working to put his game and life back together. "He seems to say he's doing good. I think he's doing better, but I think it has been a little longer road back than what everybody would have expected," O'Meara said. "Sometimes, you take a couple of steps forward and a step back."

Stepping anywhere has not been easy for Woods since he sprained a knee ligament and strained his Achilles during the Masters in April. His statement on tigerwoods.com Tuesday said, "I am extremely disappointed that I won't be playing in the U.S. Open, but it's time for me to listen to my doctors and focus on the future. I was hopeful that I could play, but if I did, I risk further damage to my left leg. My knee and Achilles tendon are not fully healed. I hope to be ready for AT & T National, the next two majors and the rest of the year."

But what it means for his long-term future remains to be seen. "Tiger Woods is courageously battling a chronic knee problem," said Dr. Ronald Grelsamer, an orthopedic surgeon and professor at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York. "Unfortunately, based on his physical history, there is a good chance that it is more than just a mild ligament strain. I hope that I am wrong."

O'Meara said, "I just hope for his own sake that he finds the peace that he's looking for in doing what he wants to do. He's such a competitor. He doesn't want to do anything half-snookered. He's either going to bring it or maybe he'll end up walking, I don't know. But every year that goes by, it only gets tougher, and he knows that."