PONDE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – In a dramatic and surely emotional chain of events that unfolded on the eve of The Players Championship, Tiger Woods suddenly left Florida for California on his private jet to be by the side of his ailing father, Earl.
Earl Woods, who’s been involved in a protracted battle against cancer, apparently took a turn for the worse on Tuesday prompting Tiger to take leave.
It was uncertain for most of the day yesterday whether Tiger would return for his 12:33 p.m. tee time in today’s opening round.
Finally, after speculation ran rampant around the grounds, Woods’ IMG representative, Mark Steinberg, delivered this innocuous statement: “Tiger Woods was off site today for personal reasons, but intends to be back at the TPC Sawgrass in time for his first-round tee time Thursday at 12:33 p.m.”
When Woods was a no-show at the TPC’s Stadium Course for his usual early-morning practice round time, eyebrows were raised. A few hours later, his 10:15 a.m. scheduled press conference was quietly canceled without explanation by the PGA Tour. That’s when a source from Woods’ camp confirmed Woods, who had played a practice round on Tuesday, was in California tending to his dad.
The person, who requested anonymity, said Woods, who speaks to his father every day by phone, either heard something in his voice that didn’t sound right or Earl Woods’ caretaker made some indication that he should be by his dad’s side at his home in Cypress, Calif., where he raised his son.
Earl Woods first was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1998. The cancer returned in 2004 and spread to other parts of his body.
Once a regular at his son’s big events, Earl Woods personally last saw his son win at the Target World Challenge in December 2004 near Los Angeles.
Earl Woods was actually at Augusta last April for the Masters but wasn’t well enough to make it to the course. That prompted Woods’ emotional reaction after he won his fourth Green Jacket.
“Every year that I’ve been lucky enough to win this tournament, my dad’s been there to give me a big hug, and today he wasn’t there,” Woods said that day as his eyes filled with tears and voice cracked. “I can’t wait to get home and see him, and give him a big bear hug.”
All around the course, as news spread of Woods’ absence, fellow players wished him well and marveled that he would make it back.
“He loves his dad; they’ve always had a special bond,” Jim Furyk said. “I hope his father is doing well and hope he had a good visit. A trip like that makes the preparation tough, but there are more important things than that.”
Rich Beem, who emphasized that he wasn’t “judging Tiger,” said he couldn’t imagine returning to play after such a visit.
“I probably wouldn’t have come back,” Beem said. “There are so many more important things in life. Golf to me is not that important. This is a hard enough week as it is. I couldn’t imagine having to go the way out there and see his father and come back here and compete.
“But he is obviously the most mentally tough player in the world.”
