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Tiger shuts it down for remainder of 2008

Shortly after my latest post about Tiger Woods possibly skipping the British Open to get his left knee in better working order, his management team dropped this bombshell:

Woods, who won Monday's U.S. Open in a playoff, will be out of action for the remainer of the 2008 season.

Woods, 32, will undergo reconstructive surgery on his left knee at an undetermined date in the near future. He's already had three arthroscopic procedures on the same knee, including one in April, but this will be his first reconstructive procedure (similar to what running backs endure in football) to repair a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.

Typically, football players require a full year to return to full health from such a procedure. The release from Woods' management company, IMG, does not specify a date for the procedure or a projected rehab schedule.

It did, however, include two eye-opening revelations:

1. Woods suffered the ruptured ACL while jogging last summer, shortly after the 2007 British Open, and had been playing through the pain until he had arthroscopic surgery on April 15, 2008.

2. Woods suffered a double stress fracture of his left tibia while doing rehabilitation exercises following his April 15 arthroscopic knee surgery. So he played at the 2008 U.S. Open with pain from both his left knee and left tibia. The release from IMG says doctors have assured Woods that the stress fractures will heal in time.

The bottom line for fans: Woods will not play in another golf tournament until an undetermined time on the 2009 PGA Tour calendar.

At 32, Woods remains well ahead of Jack Nicklaus' career pace in terms of winning major championships and would return in the prime of his career, as long as he returns fully healthy from his upcoming knee surgery.

We've all seen countless football players recover and never miss a beat in their careers. We've also seen football players undergo major knee operations and never achieve the same level of greatness they enjoyed before their ACL surgeries. So, this is clearly a career crossroads for Woods.

In a statment issued by Woods, he said he chose not to disclose the severity of his injury before or during the U.S. Open because doing so would have taken focus away from the tournament. At this point, however, Woods said it is time to share all details.

"Now, it is clear that the right thing to do is to listen to my doctors, follow through with this surgery, and focus my attention on rehabilitating my knee," Woods said in his statement. "While I am obviously disappointed to have to miss the remainder of the season, I have to do the right thing for my long-term health and look forward to returning to competitive golf when my doctors agree that my knee is sufficiently healthy. My doctors assure me with the proper rehabilitation and training, the knee will be strong and there will be no long-term effects."

_ Jimmy Burch   

Tiger vs. Jack

From all indications, Tiger Woods plans to spend the next few weeks resting his left knee before he plays another round of tournament golf. If that causes the U.S. Open champ to miss the British Open (July 17-20), then we may not see Woods at another PGA Tour event until the PGA Championship in August.

Regardless of when we see him next, we'll see a player closing in on Jack Nicklaus' career mark of 18 major championships as a professional golfer. Woods, 32, has 14 after Monday's playoff victory at the U.S. Open. And, unless he does some serious damage to his left knee that would short-circuit his career timeline, he still has more than a decade of quality years to add to his total.

To put things into perspective, here is a look at Woods' age after 14 major titles, as well as Nicklaus' age after winning each of his last five majors (Nos. 14 through 18).

32: Woods' age when he won his 14th major (2008 U.S. Open)

35: Nicklaus' age when he won his 14th major (1975 PGA)

38: Nicklaus' age when he won his 15th major (1978 British Open)

40: Nicklaus' age when he won his 16th major (1980 U.S. Open)

40: Nicklaus' age when he won his 17th major (1980 PGA)

46: Nicklaus' age when he won his 18th major (1986 Masters)

_ Jimmy Burch

Tiger's finest hour

On his lengthy list of career achievements, Tiger Woods called Monday's playoff victory at the U.S. Open "probably the best ever."

One minor nitpick: Why does Woods bother to include the word "probably" in his self-assessment?

Considering that he won the event while walking 91 holes on a left knee that clearly is not fully recovered from arthroscopic surgery on April 15, it's no contest to me. I've seen Tiger do lots of amazing things as a professional golfer, starting with his record-setting, 12-stroke romp to victory at the 1997 Masters as a 21-year-old.

The victory in Augusta, Ga. was historic and stunning. It had ample "wow" factor because it underscored how talented Woods was in relation to his peers. But he was in full health at the time. And, with rare exception, Woods has consistently shown for the past 11 years that he's the best player on the planet when fully healthy.

But winning a title with only one good leg at the U.S. Open, where the course setup is annually the toughest of the year in professional golf? That's mind-boggling. And it's clearly Woods' greatest achievement as a professional golfer.

_ Jimmy Burch

Tiger Woods' playoff record

Why do you have to like Tiger Woods in Monday's playoff against Rocco Mediate at the U.S. Open?

Here's why: Woods is 10-1 in playoffs at PGA Tour events, with his lone loss coming against Billy Mayfair at the 1998 Nissan Open. Of Woods' 10 playoff victories, two have come in majors: at the 2000 PGA over Bob May and at the 2005 Masters over Chris DiMarco.

But this will be Woods' first 18-hole playoff as a professional, as well as his first playoff at the U.S. Open.

Mediate also has a strong playoff record on the PGA Tour. He's 2-0 in playoffs, with victories over Curtis Strange (1991 Doral-Ryder Open) and Steve Elkington (1993 Greater Greensboro Open). But he's never won a major in a playoff, like Woods has done. Twice.

This will be Mediate's first 18-hole playoff as a tour competitor, as well as his first playoff at the U.S. Open.

The last 18-hole playoff at the U.S. Open occurred in 2001, when Retief Goosen beat Fort Worth's Mark Brooks at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.

_ Jimmy Burch

Tarrant County golfers at the Open

A breakdown of how golfers with Tarrant County connections finished in today's final round at the U.S. Open:

Chad Campbell, T-18 ... 6-over par (70 in final round)

Brandt Jobe, T-18 ...  6-over par (73 in final round)

Todd Hamilton, T-36 ...  9-over par (72 in final round)

Ben Crane, T-53  ...  11-over par (71 in final round)

Rory Sabbatini, T-56 ...  12-over par (76 in final round)

Ian Leggatt, T-74  ...  17-over par (77 in final round)

_ Jimmy Burch

Tarrant County golfers at the Open

A breakdown of how golfers with Tarrant County connections finished in today's final round at the U.S. Open:

Chad Campbell, T-18 ... 6-over par (70 in final round)

Brandt Jobe, T-18 ...  6-over par (73 in final round)

Todd Hamilton, T-36 ...  9-over par (72 in final round)

Ben Crane, T-53  ...  11-over par (71 in final round)

Rory Sabbatini, T-56 ...  12-over par (76 in final round)

Ian Leggatt, T-74  ...  17-over par (77 in final round)

_ Jimmy Burch

Jobe posts best-ever Open finish

Westlake resident Brandt Jobe closed with a 73 in today's final round at the U.S. Open to finish at 6-over par for the tournament and in a tie for 18th place.

It marked Jobe's highest finish in 11 career trips to the Open. His best previous finish was a tie for 33rd in 2005. Jobe, 42, has been plagued by hand and wrist injuries the past two seasons.

His troubles began in November, 2006, when Jobe accidentally severed the tip of his left index finger and the base of his left thumb in a freak home accident. A broom that Jobe was using to sweep his garage broke in his hand and a piece of jagged metal poked through the plastic outside covering and caused the hand injuries. Jobe subsequently developed a wrist ailment while trying to tweak his swing to compensate for his diminished strength in his left hand.

Sunday's finish marked Jobe's best effort in a major since his accident in November, 2006.

_ Jimmy Burch

Monday playoff at Open favors Woods

Tiger Woods' dramatic birdie putt on the final hole of regulation at today's U.S. Open, in all likelihood, did more than put him into an 18-hole Monday playoff with Rocco Mediate to settle the title. It probably secured Woods' 14th major championship.

Unless Woods' surgically repaired knee becomes more troublesome Monday than it appeared down the stretch Sunday, you can pencil in Woods for a victory _ perhaps a lopsided one _ in Monday's playoff at Torrey Pines. Mediate is one of the most likable competitors on the PGA Tour. But it's hard to like his chances in a head-to-head showdown with Woods.

Mediate, 45, has only five career victories at tour events. He has not won a tour event in six years and his major-championship resume is spotty. His best finish in any major, until this week, was a fourth-place finish at the 2001 U.S. Open.

Logic says Woods wins in a walk Monday. I can't, and won't, argue with that logic.

But there is one historical footnote that golf fans should be aware of as they tune in Monday's telecast: The last time the U.S. Open offered such a lopsided matchup in Monday playoff occurred in 1955, when journeyman Jack Fleck stunned Ben Hogan, the golf legend from Fort Worth, and denied Hogan what would have been his fifth Open title.

_ Jimmy Burch

Open ratings soar, conclusion still pending

NBC Sports executives circulated a news release Sunday crowing about their overnight TV ratings from Saturday's third-round coverage of the U.S. Open. The network, which pushed back the timetable for weekend rounds to guarantee a prime-time finish in most U.S. markets, drew a 5.3 overnight rating (12 share) for Saturday's dramatic third round, which included two back-nine eagles from Tiger Woods.

It marked a 15 percent spike over third-round ratings from 2007 and was the largest third-round rating at the Open since 2002, when the event was played in suburban New York (Bethpage) and won by Woods. In 2002, the third-round numbers included a 6.4 rating and 16 share.

So this year's planned finish in prime-time did not produce the record ratings that NBC officials envisioned. Nor did Sunday's telecast produce a winner. Woods and Rocco Mediate both finished regulation play at 1-under par and must return Monday for an 18-hole playoff that most golf fans will not be able to watch because they will be at work.

Monday's playoff begins at 11 a.m. on ESPN. Coverage shifts to NBC at 1 p.m. and NBC will continue coverage until the playoff concludes.

_ Jimmy Burch

Jobe makes Saturday surge

Westlake resident Brandt Jobe has put himself in contention for his best-ever finish in one of golf's major championships with today's third-round 69 at the U.S. Open that moved him to 4-over par for the tournament.

Jobe, 42, stands in a tie for 18th place at 6:30 p.m. CDT. He's got an excellent chance to continue climbing the leader board as other golfers backslide during the late stages of rounds at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, Calif.

After battling hand and wrist ailments for most of the past two seasons, Jobe has begun playing well in recent weeks. If he can maintain his current position, he'll post his highest finish in 11 trips to the Open. His best finish, thus far, is a tie for 33rd in 2005.

Jobe's highest finish in any major came at the 1999 Masters, where he tied for 14th.

Jobe, who has more than $6.4 million in earnings as a PGA Tour competitor, still seeks his first tour victory. He has won 11 international events, primarily on the Japanese and Asian tours.

_ Jimmy Burch