04/23/24
May 09, 2010
Tiger withdraws, may have bulging disk: Tiger Woods withdrew from The Players Championship on Sunday with an injury that he fears might be a bulging disk in his upper back.
I keep getting this image of Jack Nicklaus sitting home, feet up, relaxing, coming to the realization his records are safer by the day.
posted by dyams at 08:43 PM on May 09, 2010
I was on the course heading to see Tiger when he dropped out. I kept hearing fans suggest he was faking it to avoid finishing the round. It's the first time he's ever dropped out as a pro.
posted by rcade at 06:51 AM on May 10, 2010
Too many "bulging" jokes, don't know where to start.
Apparently the Golf Channel has already started the "bulging" jokes, even if it wasn't on purpose.
posted by Demophon at 08:21 AM on May 10, 2010
First time he's dropped out during a round (he has twice retired between rounds: 2006 Nissan open, 1998 AT&T). I've read a couple of articles taking the Tiger-is-a-lying-toad angle on this, using as a basis that when asked on Friday if he had any issues with his fitness he said: "No, zero. Absolutely 100 per cent."
In fairness, I would have told you the same thing a week ago (about myself), then slept funny on Sunday night and could hardly move my head on Monday morning (no way I could have played golf). By Tuesday evening, thanks to a lot of massage, a lot of ibuprofen and several pints of Guinness, I was able to play a match.
I've also had it happen on the course though, and there's no chance of playing through it. Even if you could put up with the pain, or take something strong enough to dull it sufficiently and yet still stay awake, your strength just disappears. You can't protect that injury, so he was wise to call it a day.
posted by JJ at 08:32 AM on May 10, 2010
From the sidebar of your link, Demophon: Golf fan gets tasered for taunting Tiger. Why is that not the story? Are there any events left in the US that a sportsfan can attend without running the risk of getting shot with a lightning gun?
posted by JJ at 08:36 AM on May 10, 2010
Are there any events left in the US that a sportsfan can attend without running the risk of getting shot with a lightning gun?
I thought that was the only good reason left for attending any sporting event, the chance to see some idiot get fried.
posted by mjkredliner at 08:52 AM on May 10, 2010
Why is that not the story?
Because it's not true. The incident happened two hours after Woods was done with his round, according to the Jacksonville paper.
posted by rcade at 09:36 AM on May 10, 2010
Interesting article in which the author tells off the New York Daily News for twisting some facts to make them sound negative for Woods having himself just twisted the facts to make it sound negative for Woods. Either that or he's not a golfer and doesn't understand that a neck injury does not equate to a having a sore leg. You can't "gut out" a neck injury. I suppose you could putt the ball round the course one handed, but I'm fairly sure no one wanted to watch him do that.
Shoddy journalism aside, and despite the clarification that it had nothing to do with Woods, I'm still a little startled by the fact that the press doesn't seem to be running with the news that a spectator at a golf tournament got tasered.
posted by JJ at 11:23 AM on May 10, 2010
Isn't this the same story we've already talked about?
posted by grum@work at 12:32 PM on May 10, 2010
I can't believe you bitches talk about stuff when I'm not around! (Sorry to bring it up again - hadn't seen the previous th...
***THIS USER HAS BEEN TASERED FOR REITERATING PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS***
posted by JJ at 12:44 PM on May 10, 2010
JJ: How did Smits twist any facts? Tiger said after withdrawing that he had the neck injury since the Masters. He told the media a few days earlier he was "100 percent." I don't see how the two answers are compatible. I can see an athlete hiding an injury before a tournament so it doesn't look like he's giving himself an excuse if he does poorly. But do golfers act that way?
posted by rcade at 12:54 PM on May 10, 2010
I can see an athlete hiding an injury before a tournament so it doesn't look like he's giving himself an excuse if he does poorly. But do golfers act that way?
Didn't Tiger do the same thing before the US Open a couple of years ago, when he won with the bum knee? I don't think he was injured DURING the tournament.
posted by grum@work at 02:14 PM on May 10, 2010
"I believe there are one of two things going on with Tiger Woods' withdrawal: his supposed neck injury is either a very handy excuse for his poor performance this week, and a handy excuse for withdrawing; or he has a lack of respect for this event and the PGA Tour."
Calling it a "supposed" injury is questionable and he completely ignores the third possibility: Tiger's neck was fine on Friday when he said he was 100 percent, but three days of slashing the ball all over the place later, something tweaked. I think the answers are compatible if his neck injury is a "some days it's fine, some days it's unbearable" kind of thing (from my own experience, that's possible). He wasn't playing so badly that he'd have faked an injury (if he was going to pull that stunt, he should have done it last week).
As for golfers behaving that way - in my experience, it's more frequent to hear them moaning about what's wrong with them the whole way round while they're beating you.
posted by JJ at 04:47 PM on May 10, 2010
Maybe he was going to lose to the judge and Dr. Beeper.
Kidding.
posted by tahoemoj at 05:07 PM on May 10, 2010
Hadn't heard of this injury before, but, the wheels are definitely off on Tiger's comeback train.
Too many "bulging" jokes, don't know where to start.