Tiger Woods has yet to decide if he will tee it up at the PGA Championship, but his caddie Joe LaCava is optimistic he will compete in the 96th PGA Championship and final major of the season.
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“I’m optimistic,” Joe LaCava said. “I’m hoping he plays. So I’m just doing whatever work I would normally do.”
Woods has all the way up to his 8:35 a.m. ET tee time on Thursday to pull out of the tournament and presumably will receive continuous treatment on his ailing back up until that time.
“He’s tough,” LaCava said. “Tough and stubborn would be two good words.”
Tough and stubborn would be two words to describe Woods, but hurt would be a third adjective that would apply to Woods after he had to withdraw from the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational on Sunday after an awkward looking shot did further damage to his ailing back.
The PGA of America tweeted on Monday that Woods’ scheduled press conference for Tuesday morning would no longer take place, so we could be facing a Wednesday or even Thursday morning decision from Woods and his camp to see if he will be healthy enough to get back on the links so soon after being forced to withdraw as a result of his back injury.
Woods has appeared in three tournaments since returning from his back injury with little success, he barely made the cut at the British Open after he missed the cut at the Quicken Loans National in addition to his withdrawal over the weekend.
If Woods can give it a go, he is scheduled to play the first two rounds with Phil Mickelson and Padraig Harrington.