But Jim Bradley, clinical professor at the University of Pittsburgh and the lead orthopedist for the Pittsburgh Steelers, believes that while Woods will likely experience problems with his knee as long as he plays, his work ethic and level of conditioning will carry him through. "If there's anyone who's going to do well with this, it's Tiger," Bradley said. "He's at the top of the neuromuscular pyramid."
Bradley noted that Woods did miss a few drives to the right at Augusta National, which is a natural tendency when there's pain radiating from the lateral or outside portion of the knee. "You post up on that leg," Bradley said. "You load up and if you can't brace into it, if it hurts, that makes you come up and out of shots."
Woods was in Las Vegas last week, hosting Tiger Jam, but he hardly was dancing when one of his favorite groups, Van Halen, broke into some of their hits. While early reports had him walking out of surgery without crutches, already practicing his putting, the Woods who went up on stage to introduce Van Halen was walking gingerly and with the aid of crutches. "I can tell you he definitely hobbled," said Greg McLaughlin, president of the Tiger Woods Foundation. "He's taking the injury very seriously."
Hosting the concert and handling Tiger Jam's attendant meet-and-greet kept Woods on his feet more than he would have liked ideally, but there was one positive. Being in Las Vegas allowed him to check in with strength coach Keith Kleven, who is based there. According to sources, Kleven has been working with Woods for some time, rehabbing the knee and trying to get the game's best player to cut back on his running and heavy training -- not to mention high-impact activities such as parachuting and skiing ("the ballistic workouts," Bradley calls them), which Woods enjoys. The golfer has listened. He did not go on his annual Christmas-break trip to the slopes. In this period Woods' productivity has not suffered -- but his pain level has not subsided. Now begins the tediousness of rehab. As Woods said on his website, "The upside is I've been through this process before and I know how to handle it."
Finchem handled the news well, considering the absence of Woods for a month in the heart of the tour season, especially for the tour's showcase event, the Players, is less than ideal. As Cink noted, "If Tiger Woods isn't at the tournament, it changes it, no question."
But the commissioner painted a bigger picture. "Tiger is 32," Finchem said in Washington while attending a function on Capitol Hill to celebrate National Golf Day. "I want him healthy for the next 18 years, at least, and then another five or 10 years after that on the Champions Tour."
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