<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=yspsctnhdln>Woods withdraws from Nissan Open</TD></TR><TR><TD height=7><SPACER height="1" type="block" width="1"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>By DOUG FERGUSON, AP Golf Writer
February 18, 2006
LOS ANGELES (AP) --
Tiger Woods withdrew from the Nissan Open on Saturday because of the flu, the first time in his pro career he has failed to finish a tournament for health reasons.
Woods, one of several players who has been sick all week, narrowly made the cut Friday despite bogeys on his final two holes for a 74. He was 11 shots out of the lead, and was to play with big-hitting rookie
J.B. Holmes in the third round.
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</NOSCRIPT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>"Everyone saw how Tiger felt this week struggling with the flu and he just can't shake it," agent Mark Steinberg said in a statement. "He feels awful. This is an event he loves to play in and strives to win."
The Nissan Open is the hometown tournament for Woods, who grew up about 40 miles away in Cypress and made his PGA Tour debut as a 16-year-old amateur. It also is the only PGA Tour event he has played more than three times without winning. This was his ninth start as a pro.
Woods gets $8,874 that will not count toward the money list, plus credit toward his pension plan for making the cut.
The only other time he withdrew from a tournament was the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in 1998, when he elected not to return six months later to complete the rain-delayed tournament.
Woods was an amateur when he withdrew from the 1995 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills after injuring his wrist hitting out of the rough. His absence Saturday was obvious. About 1,000 people gathered around the 10th tee to watch Holmes and
Geoff Ogilvy tee off. Once the fans realized Woods wasn't there, they scattered across Riviera to find someone else to watch.
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