Tiger Woods pulled out of the 2022 PGA Championship after round three of the event on Saturday. Tiger Woods withdrew from the 2022 PGA Championship the evening before the tournaments final round, the PGA announced Saturday. Tiger Woods withdrew from the field for the 2022 PGA Championship on Saturday evening, deciding that his body had enough of the second major mens event of the year, which will be held at the Southern Hills course in Oklahoma.
Tiger Woods plays the second shot from a position behind trees at the fifth par-5 hole during round three of the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla., May 21, 2022. Woods finished the 2022 PGA Championship 21 strokes behind Chiles Mito Pereira, who held a nine-under lead after three rounds. Dec 19, 2021; Orlando, FL, USA; Tiger Woods looks at a ball from Tiger Woods at the 14th hole during the final round of the PNC Championship Golf Tournament at the Grande Lakes Orlando course.
The 15-time major champion and four-time Wanamaker Trophy winner withdrew from the 104th PGA Championship just after play ended on Saturday. Tiger Woods acknowledged prior to his withdrawal that he may not be able to play the final round on Sunday due to the soreness of his surgically repaired right foot. The 2007 PGA champion continues to battle injuries to his right leg, ankle and foot suffered during the car accident that occurred in 2021, which are expected to prevent him from playing golf until later this year. Not only does the 2007 PGA champion have the leg issues, he is also still dealing with back issues stemming from a spinal fusion procedure in 2017.
This is the first time Woods has pulled out of a tournament since doing so after round one of the Dubai Desert Classic in January 2017. The withdrawal is the 2007 PGA Championships first at a PGA Tour event since the Farmers Insurance Open of 2015, when he withdrew after the first round because of back problems.
He came back unexpectedly in 2019 Masters. The 2007 PGA champ came to the Southern Hills for a workout several weeks ago, looked great during early-week nine-hole sessions, and was optimistic about the tournament. Woods shot a nine-over-par 79 at the PGA Championship, then bowed out of a major for the first time in his professional career. Woods shot 80 at Chambers Bay at the 2015 U.S. Open, recovering from the first of what would become five back surgeries.
At Augusta National, Tiger bravely made all four rounds, and there was instant speculation that the tournament was his. After a round 74 in the first, Tiger fought his way back, showing heart and determination, with a second-round 69 meaning that he would go through to the weekend.
This was just the second time in his professional career Tiger Woods did not finish in the major; he also withdrew from the inaugural US Open, played as an amateur in 1995, after suffering a wrist injury. Woods has played through pain during his professional career, most notably the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, which he won with a double stress fracture in his left foot and torn ligaments in his left knee, which required season-ending surgery once he finished. His surgically repaired foot was able to retain enough strength to get Tiger Woods into a round — he even made a cut in the 2022 Masters — but clearly failed him over the last half of tournaments.
The 2007 PGA champ has not issued a statement, but his agent, Marc Steinberg, said in a brief telephone interview he is experiencing pain and discomfort in the affected leg. Especially with Tiger Woods on the back of it. It was his first PGA Tour event retirement since exiting after shooting 75 in the first round at the 2019 Northern Trust. When Woods made the cut at the Masters, the first time he has gone out on the links and played the best since the auto accident, he said that he was going to play at the British Open in July at St. Andrews.
Tiger Woods returned to Augusta only last month for a Masters tournament in Augusta. Tiger Woods is a five-time Memorial winner, but this week he reaffirmed his intention of playing primarily in the majors going forward. Tiger Woods has not committed to playing at the US Open in June, but has said that he will attend the 150th Anniversary of The Open in St. Andrews, Scotland, where he has won twice. Tiger Woods had a forgettable weekend, playing one of his worst rounds in a major tournament, then dropping out on Saturday of the PGA Championship.
CBS correspondent Amanda Renner said that after round three Saturday, she spoke with golfer Tiger Woods off camera and said that he was feeling extremely sore and that he was not committed to playing in Sundays final round.
