Tiger Woods postpones return saying his “game is vulnerable”

Tiger Woods postpones return saying “game is vulnerable”

Tiger Woods has said his game is “vulnerable” after withdrawing from this week’s Safeway Open and the Turkish Airlines Open.

Rumours that the 14-time major champion would not take part in the events were confirmed in a statement on his official website where he said he had made the decision after “a lot of soul-searching”.

“After a lot of soul searching and honest reflection, I know that I am not yet ready to play,” he said.

“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 honour 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.”

The announcement comes after the former world number one missed the whole of the 2015-16 season through injury and played in just 11 tournaments the previous season.

Woods’ agent Mark Steinberg told American magazine Golf Digest that the 40-year-old simply needed more time before his competitive return.

“He played a lot of holes of golf and the game just wasn’t there,” Steinberg said.

“They were going through their prep for a tournament. Going through the weekend, it just wasn’t to the standard he wants it to be.”