It appears Tiger was telling the truth about how long he’s been suffering with the neck strain that forced him to withdraw from Bay Hill. On Tuesday, Rory McIlroy admitted that Tiger Woods received treatment for his new injury two weeks ago.
McIlroy witnessed Tiger’s attempt to relieve the pain at the WGC-Mexico Championship in Mexico City, the last tournament Tiger played.
“I saw him in Mexico getting treatment before and after he played and he did have some tape on sort of his upper back, so he was dealing with it back then as well,” McIlroy told Golf Channel on Tuesday, “I hope he’s OK.”
On Monday, Woods withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational, a tournament he has won eight times. It was deflating news for Tiger and his many fans who had hope that another win was right around the corner.
In a tweet announcing his withdrawal, Woods said he had been dealing with the neck strain “for a few weeks.”
“I’ve been receiving treatment, but it hasn’t improved enough to play,” Tiger wrote, “My lower back is fine, and I have no long-term concerns, and I hope to be ready for The Players.
1) Unfortunately due to a neck strain that I’ve had for a few weeks, I'm forced to withdraw from the API. I’ve been receiving treatment, but it hasn't improved enough to play. My lower back is fine, and I have no long-term concerns, and I hope to be ready for The Players.
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) March 4, 2019
This is not the first time Tiger Woods received treatment for neck pain. At last year’s Open Championship, Tiger sported some KT tape on his neck similar to the tape McIlroy saw Woods wearing in Mexico.
If you’re in need of some good news, you need only look at how Tiger fared on the course then. Woods fought through the pain to finish T6 at the Open, and then followed it up with a near-win at the PGA Championship.
