Tiger Woods to Skip PGA Tour Championship in Atlanta Next Week
By Aaron Kuriloff
Oct. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Top-ranked golfer Tiger Woods said he will skip this year's U.S. PGA Tour Championship for the first time in his career, citing mental and physical fatigue.
Woods, who has won six straight events on the Tour, said he needed more time to recover after playing seven of the previous nine events. The tournament starts Nov. 2 in Atlanta.
``I want to stress to everyone that missing the Tour Championship for the first time in my pro career is in no way a reflection of my feelings toward the event,'' Woods, 30, said in a statement posted on his Web site.
Woods, who won the British Open and PGA Championship this season, took a two-month break after the Masters Tournament as his father succumbed to cancer. He returned to competition at June's U.S. Open, where he missed the cut at a major for the first time as a professional.
``We are disappointed and recognize that our fans and sponsors will be disappointed as well,'' Ed Moorhouse, the Tour's co-chief operating officer, said of Wood's decision on the organization's Web site. ``While we will miss Tiger in Atlanta this year, we understand from Tiger that he is excited about competing in next year's FedEx Cup.''
The FedEx Cup begins next season as a new format for determining the Tour's season champion, and includes the Tour Championship.
Woods is the third player to skip the season-ending tournament at East Lake Country Club in Atlanta, which functions as an all-star match among the top 30 money winners on the tour. Phil Mickelson, the Masters champion, has said he is finished playing this season. Stephen Ames withdrew with a back injury.
Woods said he planned on playing in the HSBC Championship Tournament in Shanghai beginning Nov. 10, before heading to Hawaii to defend his title at the PGA Grand Slam of Golf. He plans to conclude the season at his own event, the Target World Challenge, in California this December.
``I'm confident that this extended break will help me recharge my batteries for the 2007 season,'' he said.
By Aaron Kuriloff
Oct. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Top-ranked golfer Tiger Woods said he will skip this year's U.S. PGA Tour Championship for the first time in his career, citing mental and physical fatigue.
Woods, who has won six straight events on the Tour, said he needed more time to recover after playing seven of the previous nine events. The tournament starts Nov. 2 in Atlanta.
``I want to stress to everyone that missing the Tour Championship for the first time in my pro career is in no way a reflection of my feelings toward the event,'' Woods, 30, said in a statement posted on his Web site.
Woods, who won the British Open and PGA Championship this season, took a two-month break after the Masters Tournament as his father succumbed to cancer. He returned to competition at June's U.S. Open, where he missed the cut at a major for the first time as a professional.
``We are disappointed and recognize that our fans and sponsors will be disappointed as well,'' Ed Moorhouse, the Tour's co-chief operating officer, said of Wood's decision on the organization's Web site. ``While we will miss Tiger in Atlanta this year, we understand from Tiger that he is excited about competing in next year's FedEx Cup.''
The FedEx Cup begins next season as a new format for determining the Tour's season champion, and includes the Tour Championship.
Woods is the third player to skip the season-ending tournament at East Lake Country Club in Atlanta, which functions as an all-star match among the top 30 money winners on the tour. Phil Mickelson, the Masters champion, has said he is finished playing this season. Stephen Ames withdrew with a back injury.
Woods said he planned on playing in the HSBC Championship Tournament in Shanghai beginning Nov. 10, before heading to Hawaii to defend his title at the PGA Grand Slam of Golf. He plans to conclude the season at his own event, the Target World Challenge, in California this December.
``I'm confident that this extended break will help me recharge my batteries for the 2007 season,'' he said.
