JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Tiger Woods withdrew from The Northern Trust before his second-round tee time (12:33 p.m. ET) on Friday with “a mild oblique strain.”
According to a statement released by Woods, the strain led to “pain and stiffness” and he had treatment early Friday, “but unfortunately I’m still unable to compete.”
Woods shot a first-round, 4-over 75 and said on Thursday that he was “a little stiff.” He stopped hitting full shots about halfway through his pro-am on Wednesday because of stiffness and explained, “that’s just the way it’s going to be.”
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The Northern Trust was Woods’ first start since last month’s Open Championship, where he missed the cut, and is his first withdrawal from a PGA Tour event that he’d started since 2015. He also withdrew after the first round of the Dubai Desert Classic in 2017.
The more immediate concern for Woods is next week’s BMW Championship and his push to qualify for the Tour Championship. He will drop out of the top 30 this week (he’s currently projected to drop to 34th) and will need a solid finish at the BMW to advance to East Lake, where he would be the defending champion.
“I’d like to thank the New Jersey and New York fans for their support and remain hopeful I can compete next week at the BMW Championship,” the statement read.