| AP Sports Headlines |
Wednesday, July 3, 2002
By GLENN SHEELEY
Cox News Service
LEMONT, Ill. - The Tiger Slam hit Chicago on Tuesday.
Two days before the start of the Advil Western Open, a tournament Woods has won twice and greatly enhanced since turning pro in 1997, the world's No.1 player pulled out because of illness.
For Woods, who is on a march to the Grand Slam with a pair of 2002 major championships already pocketed, it means he will not play a competitive round between his June 16 victory at the U.S. Open and the July 18 start of the British Open at Muirfield in Scotland.
Four days of 100-degree heat in Cog Hill this week might only have drained the world's No. 1 player, who always has prioritized the majors. Woods will rest this week at his Windemere, Fla., home and then play casually in Ireland with buddy Mark O'Meara to prepare for the season's third major.
"I hate to say it, but I think he's got bigger things on his mind," said fellow pro Jeff Sluman. " He's got his gameplan. If he's not feeling well, he's not going to play, and he's going to make sure he's 120 percent when he gets over there. And I can't blame him."
For Western Open officials interested in selling tickets and avoiding no-shows, it's a different story. The same for TV executives familiar with Woods' ability to triple ratings. It's a headache that no amount of Advil will soothe.
Since Woods has been on the PGA Tour, losing him from the field typically has been more harmful than to never have had a commitment in the first place. Virtually all marketing efforts are geared to Woods, and when he withdraws late, there's no time to promote other players.
Tuesday's development was reminiscent of 1996 Buick Challenge at Callaway Gardens. Woods withdrew from both the tournament and its accompanying Fred Haskins Award dinner as college player of the year only 24 hours before the first round.
Agent Mark Steinberg relayed the bad news Tuesday morning to Western Open tournament director John Kaczkowski about the same time it appeared on tigerwoods.com.
"It was a surprise, the biggest surprise you can have" said Kaczkowski, who estimated that Woods boosted ticket sales by 25 percent a day. "He said that he (Tiger) is sick and that he was not going to play and he felt terrible that he wasn't going to be able to make it this year."
Although Woods' withdrawal came 48 hours before play begins Thursday, Kackzkowski said, "If someone's sick, they're sick."
Woods' exit touched the playful side of another player, Frank Lickliter.
"You do what you've got to to do, but us mortals would just puke, pop a bunch of Advil and show up," he said.
Said Sluman, who lives in Chicago, "What I care about is the fans who obviously wanted to come out and see him... I would think they're obviously disappointed."
"But," Sluman said, "in my opinion (Tiger) has made 100 percent the right decisions in what he's done with his golf game. It's hard to argue that he's making a mistake."
Suffice to say, it's not an illness that would have scratched him at Muirfield. Woods is concerned about being ready for Scotland in two weeks and following the same schedule - a relaxing week in Ireland - that he's used in recent years to prepare for the British Open.
Mark Soltau, who writes for Woods' Web site and talks to him regularly, said Woods was trying to shake off flu symptoms last week. After feeling no better Monday, Woods made the decision on Tuesday to skip the Western, Soltau said.
"He's going for the Grand Slam," Soltau said, "and he knows he's not going to get better going to Ireland."
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