Capelle On Golf

Tiger Woods’ knee surgery hit the golf world like a mega-ton bomb today, coming as it did smack in the heart of the golf season. In retrospect, we should have seen this coming. His knee has been, and will likely continue to be, a problem. He first has surgery on it in 1994, then again in December, 2002.

Four and a half years later his left knee was up to its old tricks. At the 2007 Wachovia Championships last May he was seen walking gingerly down the last several fairways. A week later at The PLAYERS Championship the pain was even more evident. And yet, when questioned about it. Woods entered into the following rather curious exchange:

Q. How was your knee this week and what’s the prognosis?
Tiger: It’s sore. It’s definitely sore. That’s what happens I guess when you get in your 30s.
Q. What’s the prognosis going forward?
Tiger: Keep training.
Q. You don’t need surgery or anything?
Tiger: Oh, hell no.
Q. Is it a leftover like a lot of athletes?
Tiger: It’s just wear and tear. All you do is keep training through it, keep running, keep doing your sprints, keep lifting, keep busting your butt and it’ll get better and stronger, and if not, get it replaced and off you go again. Let’s train again (laughter).
Q. Was it hurting this morning while you were playing or just walking?
Tiger: All of the above.

Mark Steinberg, Woods’ long time agent, has confirmed that Woods has been in pain for nearly a year. “Tiger has played through the pain in the past, but knew it would be better for him to have the procedure done as early as possible,” said Steinberg.

So there you have it. Tiger has soldiered on, playing in pain and in denial while putting off the inevitable. His response to whether he needed surgery 11 months ago was “Oh, hell no.” And then he said he would continue with his running, which is absolutely the worst thing he could do with a bum knee.

Poor Timing
That brings us to the timing of his decision. He should have known that another surgery was inevitable no later than the fall of last season. The off season would have been the ideal time to have the surgery, as he did in 2002. Why wait with the Masters and a bid for the Grand Slam in the offing? Get it done during the slow season. The Presidents Cup ended on September 30. That would have been the perfect time since he didn’t play again till the Target World 10 weeks later.

Tiger was in pain no later than May of last year, and it must have obvious at some point that it wasn’t going away. Furthermore, Tiger has been through this before. “The upside is that I have been through this process before and know how to handle it. I look forward to working through the rehabilitation process and getting back to action as quickly as I can,” said Tiger following yesterday’s procedure. In short, knee surgery was not that big a deal, and he had full confidence in the procedure, having been through it before.

The Impact on the Game
By waiting till now he’s all but eliminated The PLAYERS from his season. Maybe this is was his way of skipping out of a tournament in which he’s finished no better than a tie for eleventh in his last six starts. I doubt that’s the real reason.

Still, the Masters showed that he’s got some issues with his game (driving, putting, sand saves). Now he’s seriously reduced his preparation time for the U.S. Open, and he’s reduced the margin for error should their be any complications during his recovery.

As far as the PGA Tour, the fans, and his sponsors go, his decision to wait could be construed as an act of sheer negligence. The golf world revolves around Tiger and he knows it. He makes a fortune from the game, so he owes it to those who are paying the tab to act in a more responsible manner. And that means taking the best care of himself so he can meet those precious 16 or so dates a year on the PGA Tour.