Tiger Knee Talk

I was chatting with a fellow writer today about Tiger Woods' injury and the accusation made by Derek Lawrenson.  You may recall that Lawrenson suggested the press obediently reported his 4-6 week recovery time without skepticism about the severity of his knee condition.

Or maybe Tiger just doesn't really like to play that often anymore?

The rehab provides him a nice window to rest up and prepare for the U.S. Open while skipping Wachovia and The Players, two courses he's probably seen enough of (really, how many times can you say they're "all right in front of you"?).

Interestingly, Thomas Bonk speculates in the L.A. Times that Woods is not likely for the Memorial either and Bonk usually is spot on when it comes to guessing Tiger's schedule.

I find it hard to believe Tiger would not want one tune up event prior to Torrey Pines, but as Bonk points out, the weather at Memorial and the chance for a knee re-injury might scare him away.

Meanwhile Golf World's Tim Rosaforte files a lengthy piece on Tiger's knee. He points out the sensitive subject of whether Tiger tweaked the knee during his awkward PGA Championship fist pump, and also brings up something I've been wondering about: can Tiger really continue to keep running on the back streets of Isleworth?

Being in Las Vegas allowed him to check in with strength coach Keith Kleven, who is based there. According to sources, Kleven has been working with Woods for some time, rehabbing the knee and trying to get the game's best player to cut back on his running and heavy training -- not to mention high-impact activities such as parachuting and skiing ("the ballistic workouts," Bradley calls them), which Woods enjoys. The golfer has listened. He did not go on his annual Christmas-break trip to the slopes. In this period Woods' productivity has not suffered -- but his pain level has not subsided. Now begins the tediousness of rehab. As Woods said on his website, "The upside is I've been through this process before and I know how to handle it."