DORAL, Fla. ?Here we go again.
A limping Tiger Woods withdrew from the WGC-Cadillac Championship on Sunday after hitting his tee shot 321 yards on the 12th hole, was carted off to the parking lot, jumped into a black Mercedes with caddie Joe LaCava and drove quickly out of Doral Resort.
"Leg," Woods told a PGA Tour media official. "Left leg."
An hour later, Woods released a statement saying it was his left Achilles that bothered him.
밒 felt tightness in my left Achilles warming up this morning, and it continued to get progressively worse,?the statement said. 밃fter hitting my tee shot at 12, I decided it was necessary to withdraw. In the past, I may have tried to continue to play, but this time, I decided to do what Ithought was necessary.
밒 will get my Achilles evaluated sometime early next week.?/p>
Woods appeared out of sorts from the beginning of the final round and never got any momentum going. After five straight pars to begin the round, Woods bogeyed the next two holes to make the turn in 2-over 38.
He changed shoes at the turn ?from black to white ?then made bogey on the par-5 10th hole when he hit his second shot into water left. On that shot Woods began to limp noticeably. He made par on the par-4 11th hole, hit his tee shot on the 12th hole, then withdrew.
밐e didn뭪 say a whole lot,?playing partner Webb Simpson said. 밐is expression was enough. Hopefully he won뭪 be gone for long.?/p>
During Sunday's front nine Woods stretched his left knee on a couple occasions but it was nothing more than what has become his usual custom.
On Saturday, following a third-round 68, Woods was asked how his body was holding up, this being the third consecutive week he뭩 played.
밢h, it feels great,?Woods said. Aside from that, Woods has said repeatedly this year that his left knee has been as strong as it뭩 been in years.
Woods lost in the second round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship two weeks ago, then shot a final-round 62 last week at the Honda Classic to tie for second.
He last withdrew from a tournament last year at The Players Championship in May after shooting a front-nine 42, then missed three months ?including the U.S. Open and the British Open ?to heal the knee. It뭩 the third time in the last three years that Woods has withdrawn from a tournament.
He뭩 scheduled to play Bay Hill in two weeks, then the Masters two weeks later.
"It's probably just precautionary, but I really hope he's healthy for the Masters," Rory McIlroy said. "Obviously it would be a great week with him there."