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FLORIDA. — Former world number one golfer Tiger Woods has confirmed he will not play at next week’s US Open, but still plans to compete at the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews next month.
It follows the 15-time major winner’s withdrawal from the US PGA Championship in May after three rounds.
“I will not be competing in the US Open as my body needs more time to get stronger for major championship golf,” Woods (46) said on Twitter.
However, the event will include players from the LIV Golf Invitational Series.
The US Open begins on June 16 in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Woods added: “I do hope and plan to be ready to play in Ireland at the JP McManus Pro-Am and at The Open next month. I’m excited to get back out there soon.”
The veteran American returned to competition at the Masters in April, 14 months after a serious car crash, from which he had to be “extricated from the wreck” by firefighters and paramedics.
The severity of Woods’ injuries saw him embark on a long road to recovery and initially raised questions over whether he would even be able to compete again at the highest level.
He played his third worst round in a major at the US PGA Championship last month, with a nine-over 79, that left him joint last on 12 over.
He also made five consecutive bogeys for the first time in a major since turning professional in 1996.
On Monday, Woods’ great rival Phil Mickelson was added to the field for the first event in the Greg Norman-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series, which takes place in Hertfordshire and starts today.
In an interview with the Washington Post, Norman said Woods had been offered a “mind-blowingly enormous” deal to take part in the series.
Players taking part in the LIV Golf Invitational will be allowed to take part in the US Open, the United States Golf Association (USGA) has ruled.
There had been questions over the issue, as the PGA Tour has threatened sanctions and bans against players signing up for the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series.
However, the majors are not run by the PGA Tour, with the US Open being staged by the USGA.
The USGA said its qualification criteria was set prior to entries opening earlier this year and that it would not be appropriate or fair for those who have earned a spot to change those rules.
It said: “Regarding players who may choose to play in London [at the LIV event] this week, we simply asked ourselves this question – should a player who had earned his way into the 2022 US Open, via our published field criteria, be pulled out of the field as a result of his decision to play in another event?
“And we ultimately decided that they should not.”
Meanwhile, players taking part in the opening event of a controversial Saudi-backed golf series teeing off outside London today will be free to play in the US Open, the United States Golf Association said on Tuesday.
A statement from the USGA said barring players who have signed up to the lucrative LIV Golf Invitational Series would be “inappropriate and unfair”.
“We pride ourselves in being the most open championship in the world and the players who have earned the right to compete in this year’s championship, both via exemption and qualifying, will have the opportunity to do so,” the USGA statement said.
This year’s US Open takes place at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, from June 16-19, and comes as the world of golf is in uproar over the launch of the money-spinning LIV Golf series.
Former world number one Dustin Johnson and six-time major champion Phil Mickelson are among several household names who have signed up to LIV, despite threatened of disciplinary action by the PGA Tour.
Whether players who split with established tours to join LIV Golf would still be allowed to play in golf’s four majors has been one of the biggest uncertainties.
The USGA said in its statement on Tuesday its decision to allow LIV players into next week’s Open was not evidence of support for the new series.
“Our decision regarding our field for the 2022 US Open should not be construed as the USGA supporting an alternative organizing entity, nor supportive of any individual player actions or comments,” the USGA said.
“Rather, it is simply a response to whether or not the USGA views playing in an alternative event, without the consent of their home tour, an offense that should disqualify them for the US Open.
“We simply asked ourselves this question — should a player who had earned his way into the 2022 US Open, via our published field criteria, be pulled out of the field as a result of his decision to play in another event? And we ultimately decided that they should not.” — BBC Sport.
Online Reporter