Woods does not enter Memorial tournament, absence continues

(Reuters) - Tiger Woods will not play next week's Memorial tournament in Ohio after failing to enter by the deadline Friday afternoon. His continuing absence suggests the odds of the 14-times major champion playing the U.S. Open in three weeks are getting longer by the day. Unless Woods enters the St. Jude Classic in Memphis in two weeks, an event he has never played, he would go into the year's second major championship without having played competitively in 10 months. While a return at the U.S. Open would certainly be dramatic, it would hardly seem to be an ideal scenario to come back at one of the most exacting tournaments on the calendar. Woods has not played since undergoing microdiscectomy back surgery last September, and has continually maintained he would not return to action until he was ready. The Memorial tournament at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio is one of Woods' favorite events. He has won the Jack Nicklaus-hosted tournament five times, though his memories from last year are not so grand as he shot a career-high 85 in the third round. Woods, 40, has proactively entered the U.S. Open, to be held at Oakmont in Pennsylvania from June 16-19. He finished runner-up there in 2007. He also has entered the British Open, to be contested at Royal Troon from July 14-17. (Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Larry Fine)