ST. LOUIS — In what has become an ongoing storyline over the years, updates on Tiger Woods’s body tend to mean a lot. It is why he was asked repeatedly about inflammation Tuesday at Bellerive Country Club.
Woods said that, on Monday, which he took off from heavy golf work, he took three ice baths “just trying to get some inflammation down and get ready for the rest of the week.” Inflammation where? “Everywhere,” Woods said.
Purposeful vagueness is a staple of the Woods’s press conferences, but inflammation is a term he hasn’t mentioned much, if ever. Woods said he felt he needed the day off Monday as he was coming off four days of competition at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. He shot 73-73 on the weekend to tie for 31st.
Woods also mentioned how important rest is to his pre-major preparation at age 42 compared to what it was during the prime of his career. He used to lift and run more during the run-up to a major tournament, “to stay fresh.” On Monday, it was just those ice baths and a light leg workout.
What that means for Woods’s body as he plays the final major of his season remains to be seen. It was just weeks ago that he showed up for the first round of the British Open with KT Tape on the back of his neck. It was a seemingly new look that Woods claimed was just a matter of his clothes not hiding it, and the result of waking up with a stiff neck.
When asked for more specifics on the inflammation he’s dealing with this week, he refused to offer any, saying, “No, that’s it.”
