Tiger Woods has to ‘suck up pressure’

• Tiger Woods ‘has to suck up the pressure’ – Johnny Miller
• The 40-year-old postponed his PGA Tour comeback yesterday
• Agent Mark Steinberg explains why he’s also missing Turkey

Johnny Miller has said Tiger Woods has got to ‘suck up the pressure’ in his battle to return to PGA Tour action.

The 14-time major winner withdrew from the Safeway Open yesterday, despite officially committing to the 2016/17 PGA Tour season opener on Friday, saying that his game was in a ‘vulnerable’ state and that he wasn’t ready to make a comeback.

And Miller, who owns the Silverado Resort where this week’s event will be held, said he wasn’t surprised by the Woods announcement.

“He’s got to suck up the pressure of it all” – Johnny Miller

“I just had a feeling,” said Miller. “Everybody in the world was texting me, offering me congratulations. I wrote back, ‘I’ll believe he’s coming when he tees off first thing Thursday morning on the first tee.’

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“My gut is that he wanted to come, but the hoopla, even on the Golf Channel the last couple days, he must be looking at that thinking, ‘Oh, my gosh. What am I getting into? I’d like to be home, taking my kids to school, running my restaurant, nothing like having to posting a score.’

“He’s got to suck up the pressure of it all, the tension, and go back in there and mix it up. It’s hard being Tiger Woods, it really is. Especially if you can’t back it up with a semblance of the old Tiger Woods.

“There’s so much pressure when you can’t deliver like you used to” – Johnny Miller

“Everyone expects him to come back and play like he did in the year 2000 but, you know, it’s just not going to happen.

“But he’s got to break the ice some time and I hope he picks the right spot. There’s so much pressure when you can’t deliver like you used to but you’ve got to go back to basics and try and make cuts and get the joy of the game back.”

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Meanwhile, Woods’ agent Mark Steinberg explained that loyalty to the PGA Tour was the main reason why the 40-year-old has also decided to skip the Turkish Airlines Open on the European Tour from November 3-6.

“It’s not appropriate to come back to a non-PGA Tour sanctioned event” – Mark Steinberg

“That would be an inappropriate thing to do,” Steinberg told Tim Rosaforte of Tiger Woods’ decision to miss the event. “It’s my opinion and Tiger and I talked about it and we agreed. He’s been out for 15 months. It’s not appropriate to come back to a non-PGA Tour sanctioned event.”

Barring no more setbacks, Woods will make his comeback at the Hero World Challenge – an unofficial money event on the PGA Tour hosted by the Tiger Woods Foundation – from December 1-4.

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When do you think we’ll see Tiger Woods?

After this latest setback, do you think we’ll see Tiger Woods at the Hero World Challenge? Or can you see his lay-off being extended further? Leave your thoughts in the ‘Comments’ section below.