Coronavirus outbreak
Georgia not on his mind as Woods reminds all to be safe
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Tiger Woods with the Masters trophy he won last year, his 15th Major triumph. He will have to wait to defend his title after the April 9-12 tournament was postponed.
PHOTO: REUTERS
LOS ANGELES • Golf star Tiger Woods tweeted a simple message on Monday night in his first public comments since the coronavirus pandemic put his Masters title defence on indefinite hold.
"There are a lot more important things in life than a golf tournament right now," he said. "We need to be safe, smart and do what is best for ourselves, our loved ones and our community."
The American won his 15th Major title at the Masters last April at age 43, ending an 11-year drought after a marriage-ending scandal and career-threatening injuries.
But golf has been no exception as the sports world has ground to a virtual halt in the midst of the global coronavirus pandemic.
The Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia announced last week that the Masters would not take place from April 9-12 as scheduled, with the PGA Tour already axing a string of tournaments leading up to the first Major of the year.
Given the pessimistic forecast, 18-time Major champion Jack Nicklaus also does not believe the Masters will be held this year, despite suggestions it could be staged in October, when Augusta reopens.
He told ESPN: "In all practicality, they are postponing, but I can't see any way they would play it at a later date. How in the world could they work it into the schedule?
"It wouldn't be fair to other tournaments that are later. We are probably going to miss the Masters this year, that's just my opinion, but it makes logical sense."
According to multiple media reports, the second Major of the year, the May 14-17 PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park, is also likely to be postponed as per the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) recommendations.
As the cancellations unfolded last week, former world No. 1 Woods was sidelined through injury.
He opted to skip the Players Championship, which was canned after one round because of concerns over the spread of Covid-19, with a stiff back.
He had already given the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Honda Classic and WGC-Mexico events a miss, and last teed off at the Genesis Invitational, finishing 68th last month.
With the CDC on Sunday recommending cancelling or postponing large gatherings of 50 or more people for eight weeks, and with the United States having 4,667 Covid-19 cases with 87 deaths, the sports shutdown is likely to continue for some time.
This could deal a hammer blow to Woods' chances of playing at the Tokyo Olympics, as well as Park In-bee's hopes of defending her gold medal won at Rio de Janeiro 2016.
Based on the current rankings, former No. 1s Woods and South Korean Park will not qualify for their respective teams as they are both ranked 11th in the world.
A team can field a maximum of two players - four if inside the top 15 - in Tokyo and the International Golf Federation has said no changes will be made to the qualifying system, which ends on June 22, as it is "fair and equitable".
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
