Tiger Woods withdraws from Farmers Insurance Open with back injury
Tiger Woods was fighting losing battles on two fronts on Thursday at the Farmers Insurance Open: erratic play and a tweaked lower back. The former left him 2-over through 11 holes; the latter forced him to withdraw midway through his 12th hole (the par-3 third).
Woods began with an opening bogey on the 10th hole of the North Course at Torrey Pines. He missed the green with his approach from just off the fairway, then bladed a chip well past his short-sided target.
On the 11th, Woods appeared to tweak his back. He did manage to chip in for a par save after missing the green with a short iron -- a shot typically right in Woods' wheelhouse.
From there, Woods walked gingerly, retrieving his ball from several cups in clear pain. On multiple occasions, playing partner Billy Horschel picked up Woods' tee for him after a drive.
Woods managed to turn in 1 over par, impressive considering he hit just one green in regulation. However, the combination of a two-way miss off the tee, poor short game and worsening pain proved too much after three holes on the back nine.
After pulling out of the event, Woods acknowledged that two fog delays, which pushed back tee times for the entire field, interrupted his preparation for the round and tightened muscles that support his lower back.
"[My back] just got progressively tighter," Woods said. "It's frustrating that [my glutes] just can't stay activated."
Woods was sidelined for much of 2014 with a back problem that required microdiscectomy surgery on March 31. The 14-time major winner returned in June at the Quicken Loans National, one of several PGA Tour events that benefit his foundation. Woods admitted before the tournament he would not have come back for the event were he not so initmately involved in its inception and success.
In his last five worldwide starts, Woods has withdrawn twice (WGC-Bridgestone Invitational the other event), missed cuts at the PGA Championship and Phoenix Open, as well finishing tied for last in the no-cut, limited-field Hero World Challenge.
Woods is scheduled to play next at the Honda Classic at the end of February.
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
