Is This the End for Tiger Woods?

Rory McIlroy has said golf without Tiger Woods “doesn’t bear thinking about” after the 14-time major victor admitted he does not know when he will play again.

Will Tiger Woods be back in shape to play golf in 2016? When asked about a possible return to action he said there was “no timetable” for a comeback.

A sprained Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) ligament in his left knee and strained left Achilles tendon saw Woods miss the next three months, including the middle two majors of the year, eventually coming back at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

“Wishing my idol and friend a speedy recovery”, he said.

“We think it changes the culture a little bit, an expectation that you move your schedule around a little bit, ” Finchem said at Albany Golf Club, where the Hero World Challenge begins on Thursday. To see what those guys sustain their level of excellence for that long a period of time in their respective sports is far harder than what I’m doing in golf. “And I walk some more”. He was by nature defiant, and it made even the most pessimistic observers remember his heyday, which somehow didn’t seem seven years ago, and think that he might one day will the ball into the hole again and again and again.

“I am really good at playing video games”. You want him back wining the Masters next April and resuming his chase of history, or you want him playing as best as he possibly can but getting beat by Spieth or McIlroy or Day down the stretch. “If that’s all it entails then I’ve had a pretty good run”. The one thing we’ve always been denied, with the exception of one occasion, was Woods in a tight fight against golf’s best at a major championship. There’s really nothing I can look forward to, nothing I can build towards. Joint-overnight leader Tiger Woods finishes third after par 72.

The media have responded in kind, pointing out that this is Woods saying that it’s been “tough to watch” Bryant.

This time, though, there really may be no light at the end of the tunnel, especially with Woods for the first time in his career essentially giving up on his quest to surpass Nicklaus’ mark. “I’ve passed Jack (Nicklaus) in the all-time win list, just shy of Sam (Snead)”. I’ve been written off by a lot of people over a number of different years and, you know, I’ll tell you when I’m done. Now, after winning three times this past season, including the Players Championship, Fowler now has to prove he can win a major after failing to post a top 10 last season. “And I get that part of it. But if I know I can prepare and if I can practice and train then you darn well bet I can win tournaments and win major championships”.

As reported on Golf.com, Earl Woods boldly stated, “I’m going to make a prediction”.