Woods Won't Play The Memorial

The PGA Tour revealed on Friday that Tiger Woods' officials have notified the Tour he won't be playing The Memorial - Jack Nicklaus' tournament - next week, the Associated Press reported.

Woods' plans are always closely guarded, and nobody but Tiger really knows how his surgically repaired left knee is feeling right now. So this can't really be considered a surprise. But my expectation was that Woods would want to play somewhere - if he felt physically ready to get back into Tour golf full-swing - before the U.S. Open. We all remember what happened the last time Woods took a couple months off prior to the U.S. Open, right? He missed the cut.

Woods may simply be displaying caution - prudent caution - in remaining out of action a while longer. His absence from tournament play for the past six weeks, however, does cast doubt on his front-runner status at the U.S. Open.