Tiger Withdraws From Farmers Due To Deactivated Glutes

The already delayed Farmers Insurance Open first round was deactivated due to fog just ten minutes before Tiger Woods was to tee off. For the next 30(!) minutes he stood in nearly the same location on Torrey's practice putting green, laughing with old coach Sean Foley, playing partner Billy Horschel and even Woody Austin. I stood watching for ten minutes before my tightening back suggested it was almost lunch hour in media dining, and I left.

As Woods explained following a WD on his 12th hole (Torrey's third), this is where his back locked up his glutes deactivated:

Q. When did the back start acting up?
TIGER WOODS: I guess between those two suspension. When we had that break. It just never loosened back up again. And when we went back out, it just got progressively tighter.

Q. Did you consider not playing?
TIGER WOODS: What's that?

Q. Did you consider not playing?
TIGER WOODS: No.

Q. How frustrating is this for you, considering everything that you've been through with your back?
TIGER WOODS: It's frustrating that it started shutting down like that. I was ready to go. I had a good warm-up session the first time around. Then we stood out here and I got cold, and everything started deactivating again. And it's frustrating that I just can't stay activated. That's just kind of the way it is.

Q. Is this new for you since your comeback?
TIGER WOODS: Yeah, very. This is -- usually don't have to wait like this. When I'm at home practicing I keep going, keep going, this is different.

Q. Same pain or a different pain?
TIGER WOODS: It's just my glutes are shutting off. Then they don't activate and then, hence, it goes into my lower back. So, I tried to activate my glutes as best I could, in between, but it just they never stayed activated.

Q. When did you first feel it?
TIGER WOODS: Whenever we were standing there on the putting green to see if we were going to go play or not. And I tried to activate it before we went back out, but it just never did.

Woods first started walking gimpily off the second tee, then carefully picked his chip-in for par at the second green, and first reached around to the deactivated glutes after the 3rd hole tee shot. (See photos below.)

Upon walking off the course on his 12th hole (Torrey North's 3rd green), Woods went quickly to the parking lot and his Porsche Panamera, spoke briefly to the press (full transcript above) and then left without stopping in the Visionworks Theraphy Center (fitness trailer) where physical therapists were available to work out any kinks. Or in this case, his deactivated glutes.