When Tiger Woods wasn’t limping, he was walking with the aid of his one of his golf club during the opening round of The Players Championship.
Finally after nine forgettable holes, Woods gave into the obvious pain from his left knee and Achilles injury and withdrew from the tournament. The sad showing has many wondering about the future of Woods’ dominant career.
“I’m having a hard time walking,” Woods explained.
That much was obvious was Woods seemed a shell of his former self Thursday, shooting a 42 on the front nine, which included a bogey and triple bogey on the fourth hole. That was three shots higher than his previous worst 9-hole score at The Players Championship Sawgrass.
The pain Woods was feeling was obvious.
“The knee acted up and then the Achilles followed after that, and then the calf started cramping up,” Woods said to reporters. “Everything started getting tight, so it’s just a whole chain reaction.”
Woods, who has had a few operations on his left knee, reinjured the knee and the Achilles during last month’s Master’s. He took a week off from competition to rest the leg before being cleared to play in the TPC.
It’s really seemed like one issue after the other for man who for years reigned as the game’s most dominant golfer. But here as of late, there have been far more lows than successes.
At one point it seemed a matter of when Woods would catch Jack Nicklaus’s record 18 majors and put the number well out of reach. But Woods, 35, hasn’t won a major since the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. He’s stuck at 14 majors and you have to wonder if he will ever get to 15.
Woods was in no mood to discuss the future after his early exit from The TPC.
“I just finished nine holes,” Woods said. “Give me a few days to see what the docs say, and we’ll take a look at it.”

(Photo: AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)