Woods' mind on father as he prepares for Nissan
Open
By KEN PETERS AP Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) - While Tiger Woods plays in the Nissan Open
this week, his mind won't be completely on driving, pitching and
putting.
He'll be thinking about his father, Earl, who is in UCLA Medical
Center, some 15 minutes away from Riviera Country Club.
"It's tough for me to play when dad is in the hospital,"
said Woods, who delayed entering the tournament until the final
possible moment, late last Friday, to see how his father was faring
after heart bypass surgery.
"I talked with him about it. I thought I shouldn't play.
But he said, 'What can you do for me?' There's nothing I can do;
I'm not a doctor. I am just going to play and try to have fun
- and get on TV so he can see me."
Earl Woods, 64, underwent the operation last Wednesday at UCLA
Medical Center. Tiger confirmed that his father had a setback
that required additional surgery "a few days ago," refusing
to go into detail.
But he did say, 'He's doing great, getting better every day
on the road to recovery. ... There's no concern."
Hospital spokeswoman Simi Singer said later Tuesday that the
elder Woods "underwent a minor procedure on Sunday for a
chest wound problem. He's expected to be moved out of the intensive
care unit shortly and he's doing well.
"He's expected to be discharged this weekend or early
next week."
Tiger, who returned last week from playing in Thailand and
Australia, skipped the PGA tournament at Phoenix so he could be
with his father for the surgery.
Asked Tuesday after a practice round at Riviera if he had visited
his dad every day, Woods looked rather incredulous and replied,
"Of course."
Physically, Woods said he was rested after his long trip overseas,
when he won the tournament in Thailand, sort of a return to his
roots since that's his mother's native land. He finished seventh
in Australia.
But Woods, who has won three of the 11 PGA events he's played
since turning pro last fall, also said that he's preoccupied now,
obviously by his father's health.
"I've had other concerns lately. Golf is not my number
one priority right now," he said.
Earl Woods had quadruple bypass surgery 10 years ago, and last
October was hospitalized with heart problems for four days in
Tulsa, Okla., while his son was playing in the Tour Championship.
Tiger shot a 78, his worst round as a pro, the day his father
was hospitalized and went on to finish 21st in that tournament.
Woods grew up in nearby Cypress, where he was a golfing sensation
as a youngster, and made his first appearance in a PGA event when
he played in the Nissan Open as a 16-year-old high school student
in 1992. He missed the cut that year and again the next, when
he played again as an amateur.
This time, he's one of the favorites in the tournament, which
begins Thursday.
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