6:00AM
Newsday: Woods won't show up at own benefit tournament
6:00 AM
By Art Spander
Special to Newsday
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- It's his tournament, but Tiger Woods isn't playing. Isn't even planning to show up. That's hardly a surprise considering his physical condition -- the bruises -- and maybe the mental one.
On his Web site, Woods announced Mondaythat he would be "unable'' to compete in the Chevron World Challenge, which because the event benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation and normally is hosted by the man, has come to be known as the "Tiger Woods Invitational."
The statement gave the reason as "injuries sustained in a one-car accident'' early Friday morning in front of his home at Isleworth, outside Orlando, Fla.
"I am extremely disappointed that I will not be at my tournament this week,'' Tiger is quoted. "I am certain it will be an outstanding event, and I'm very sorry I can't be there.''
The other players, such as Lucas Glover, who won the U.S Open at Bethpage and Steve Stricker, No. 3 in the world who partnered Tiger at the Presidents Cup in October, are no less sorry.
They'll be pestered with questions about what they think happened to Tiger and caused the crash, a subject which as the days pass has grown dramatically.
The accident at 2:25 a.m. Friday sent Woods to a hospital in an ambulance and has sent gossip columnists into a frenzy.
Why was Woods leaving his home in the wee hours? What about a report in the National Enquirer that Woods had an affair with New York hostess Rachel Uchitel in Australia? Did Woods' wife break the window of his Cadillac Escalade with a golf club to pull him from the accident or because she was enraged over the rumors?
Perhaps Woods didn't want to face the questions. Perhaps, because of scratches and cuts on his lips and cheeks, he didn't want to face the public or the scrutiny.
"This is a private matter, and I want to keep it that way,'' Woods said. "Although I understand there is curiosity, the many false, unfounded and malicious rumors that are currently circulating about me and my family are irresponsible . . . ''
The 18-man Chevron tournament is held at Sherwood Country Club, an elite gated project with a Jack Nicklaus-designed course and around the perimeter off $4-million and $5-million mansions, one of which is owned by former hockey star Wayne Gretzky.
The club is located about 40 miles west of downtown Los Angeles, in the Santa Monica Mountains, where Los Angeles County ends and Ventura County begins. The original M*A*S*H TV series was filmed nearby.
Woods has been involved with the event, under different sponsorships, since the 1999 start in Arizona. It was shifted in 2000 to Southern California, where Woods grew up.
Although not on the official PGA Tour schedule, the Chevron attracts some of the world's top players and annually serves as Woods' opportunity to review his year in a State-of-the-Tiger address.
That normally would be held Tuesday, but it was canceled along with his entry in the event. Woods almost certainly will not play in any tournament until the end of January.
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Copyright © 2009 Newsday. All rights reserved.
Special to Newsday
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- It's his tournament, but Tiger Woods isn't playing. Isn't even planning to show up. That's hardly a surprise considering his physical condition -- the bruises -- and maybe the mental one.
On his Web site, Woods announced Mondaythat he would be "unable'' to compete in the Chevron World Challenge, which because the event benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation and normally is hosted by the man, has come to be known as the "Tiger Woods Invitational."
The statement gave the reason as "injuries sustained in a one-car accident'' early Friday morning in front of his home at Isleworth, outside Orlando, Fla.
"I am extremely disappointed that I will not be at my tournament this week,'' Tiger is quoted. "I am certain it will be an outstanding event, and I'm very sorry I can't be there.''
The other players, such as Lucas Glover, who won the U.S Open at Bethpage and Steve Stricker, No. 3 in the world who partnered Tiger at the Presidents Cup in October, are no less sorry.
They'll be pestered with questions about what they think happened to Tiger and caused the crash, a subject which as the days pass has grown dramatically.
The accident at 2:25 a.m. Friday sent Woods to a hospital in an ambulance and has sent gossip columnists into a frenzy.
Why was Woods leaving his home in the wee hours? What about a report in the National Enquirer that Woods had an affair with New York hostess Rachel Uchitel in Australia? Did Woods' wife break the window of his Cadillac Escalade with a golf club to pull him from the accident or because she was enraged over the rumors?
Perhaps Woods didn't want to face the questions. Perhaps, because of scratches and cuts on his lips and cheeks, he didn't want to face the public or the scrutiny.
"This is a private matter, and I want to keep it that way,'' Woods said. "Although I understand there is curiosity, the many false, unfounded and malicious rumors that are currently circulating about me and my family are irresponsible . . . ''
The 18-man Chevron tournament is held at Sherwood Country Club, an elite gated project with a Jack Nicklaus-designed course and around the perimeter off $4-million and $5-million mansions, one of which is owned by former hockey star Wayne Gretzky.
The club is located about 40 miles west of downtown Los Angeles, in the Santa Monica Mountains, where Los Angeles County ends and Ventura County begins. The original M*A*S*H TV series was filmed nearby.
Woods has been involved with the event, under different sponsorships, since the 1999 start in Arizona. It was shifted in 2000 to Southern California, where Woods grew up.
Although not on the official PGA Tour schedule, the Chevron attracts some of the world's top players and annually serves as Woods' opportunity to review his year in a State-of-the-Tiger address.
That normally would be held Tuesday, but it was canceled along with his entry in the event. Woods almost certainly will not play in any tournament until the end of January.
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Copyright © 2009 Newsday. All rights reserved.
