Tiger Pal Doesn't Expect Woods to Play in U.S. Open

Notah Begay, who was Tiger Woods’ teammate at Stanford and a longtime friend and confidante, said he does not expect Woods to play in the U.S. Open this year. 

“It’s all going to matter on the rehab. And I think he needs to give it a minimum of 90 days, in my opinion,” he told CBS Sports. “To make sure that scar tissue heals up appropriately and he doesn’t re-injure it.”

The U.S. Open this year will be at Pinehurst from June 12-15 and the British Open takes place in 94 days at Royal Liverpool. Both courses suit Woods well and ratings plummeted at the Masters without Woods, with Sunday’s final round coverage on CBS reportedly receiving an all-time non-Easter Sunday rating. 

“I’ve dealt with back injury and nerve damage,” Begay said. “It’s like having a constant toothache 24 hours a day. He’s just at the point where something needed to be done.