Still recovering, Holmes forced to withdraw from Shark Shootout

The comeback of J.B. Holmes from brain surgery was put on hold Monday when the PGA Tour¹s longest driver called tournament host Greg Norman to withdraw from the Franklin Templeton Shootout.

Feeling that he wouldn't be competitively ready, Holmes pulled out saying he didn't want to disrespect the event. He had surgery for Chiari malformation of the brain on Sept. 1 at John's Hopkins University Medical Center. Doctors just cleared him to hit driver last Friday.

"I'm not a guy who likes to quit, but I physically I haven¹t been able to walk 18 holes and with five rounds of that, I don¹t know where I'd be," Holmes said. "I'm just not ready. It stinks to say that, but when you get right down to it that's as simple as it gets."

Holmes was scheduled to play with Kenny Perry. They finished second in 2009. The tournament will replace Holmes with Scott Stallings, rookie winner of The Greenbrier Classic.

"If I could have been cleared earlier it might have been different," Holmes said. "I understand people would have been understanding but it still would be on national TV. I don't want to hit some shots that are normally not possible, but with the situation we're in now are possible."

--* Tim Rosaforte