Tiger expects he'll be ready for Masters
c/p from espn
Tiger Woods says his strained Achilles tendon is feeling better and he's ready to prepare for next week's Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, his final start before the Masters.
Woods withdrew Sunday from the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral because of tightness and pain in his left Achilles, raising questions that he might miss the Masters. He sat out nearly four months last summer because of Achilles and knee issues.
"The leg's good now," Woods said Thursday on "The Scott Van Pelt Show" on ESPN Radio.
"I took a couple of days off, got some treatment on it. I got the go-ahead to start hitting balls (Friday) and start ramping up and get ready for Bay Hill."
Woods said he started noticing some discomfort on Sunday when he was warming up on the driving range. He said the pain shot into his calf, and he had difficulty getting loose.
"I've been down this road before, it's not a fun road, but this time I decided to do the prudent thing and not hurt it like I did the last time,'' Woods told "The Scott Van Pelt Show."
The "last time" for Woods was last year's Players Championship, where he returned after initially injuring his Achilles and left knee at the Masters about a month earlier.
Woods made it through just nine holes, withdrawing after a 42 on the front nine. He went on to miss the U.S. Open and British Open and did not return to competitive golf until August.
"I have to be smart and look at the big picture," Woods said Thursday. "The Masters is coming up. Last year, I was not prudent about pulling out when I should have and I missed two major championship.
Woods was taking part in a previously planned promotional tour for EA Sports. Earlier in the day, he said on ABC's "Good Morning America" of the Masters: "I'll be there, don't worry about it."
