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Tiger Woods withdraws from Safeway Open for performance reasons
Tiger Woods’ return to the PGA Tour has been delayed yet again. Woods withdrew from the Safeway Open in Napa, Calif., on Monday.
Woods released a statement on his website on the decision, saying he feels his game is “vulnerable and not where it needs to be.”
In full, Woods’ statement reads:
“After a lot of soul searching and honest reflection, I know that I am not yet ready to play on the PGA TOUR or compete in Turkey. My health is good, and I feel strong, but my game is vulnerable and not where it needs to be.
“When I announced last week I was going to Safeway, I had every intention of playing, or I wouldn’t have committed. I spent a week with the U.S. Ryder Cup Team, an honor and experience that inspired me even more to play. I practiced the last several days in California, but after a lot of hours, I knew I wasn’t ready to compete against the best golfers in the world. I will continue to work hard, and plan to play at my foundation’s event, the Hero World Challenge, in Albany.
“I would like to apologize and send my regrets to Safeway, the Turkish Airlines Open, the fans in California and Turkey and those that had hoped to watch me compete on TV. This isn’t what I wanted to happen, but I will continue to strive to be able to play tournament golf. I’m close, and I won’t stop until I get there.”
“He just didn’t feel like his game is where he wanted it to be to be competitive,” said Woods’ friend and former Stanford teammate Notah Begay III, according to Golf Channel. “He’s going to defer for a couple more months.”
Begay noted that it’s not a physical issue; Woods, he said, is playing at Pebble Beach on Monday in a charity tournament.
Woods hasn’t competed on the PGA Tour since finishing tied for 10th place in the Wyndham Championship in August 2015, in a last-ditch effort to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Last month, Woods announced his intention to play in the Safeway Open in October, followed by the Turkish Airlines Open on the European Tour in November and his own Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas in December. However, Woods’ announcement was made in tepid language, suggesting he could still back out of any or all of the intended appearances.
“My rehabilitation is to the point where I’m comfortable making plans, but I still have work to do,” Woods said on his website in a Sept. 7 post announcing his intended comeback. “Whether I can play depends on my continued progress and recovery. My hope is to have my game ready to go.”
Now we know Woods will not compete this week or in Turkey in November, meaning the earliest we will see Woods compete again is at the Hero World Challenge in December.
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.