Finally, there is the emotional aftershock. Ernie Els' former coach David Leadbetter says Els is still not mentally recovered from the ACL injury he suffered in a 2005 innertubing accident, not only to his surgically repaired knee but to his "donor leg" as well. (Els chose to have his injured ACL reconstructed using a graft from a tendon from his healthy leg rather than from a replacement ligament harvested from a cadaver. Woods will have to make the same decision.)
So while many hope Woods returns for next year's Buick Invitational, or even the 2009 Masters, he may not be back until daughter Sam is close to her second birthday -- or just in time to defend his U.S. Open title at Bethpage Black. What will it be like for him to miss that much time? "Anybody who's a warrior is going to have trouble taking a [sustained] break from competition," says sport psychologist Bob Rotella. "It is not only the winning they miss, it's the way they feel starting out Thursday, or being in contention on Sunday."
Woods already is restless. After filming a Buick commercial last week, he called Haney requesting a list of areas that he could improve upon during his time away from competition. The instructor tried to tell Woods that he hadn't even had surgery yet, but Tiger pressed. "I want to think about it," he said.
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