/ 22 November 2005

Stomach virus brings down Tiger

Tiger Woods had a stomach virus and withdrew from the pro-am on Monday at the PGA Grand Slam of Golf.

PGA of America spokesperson Julius Mason said tournament officials still expect Woods to play in the 36-hole event for winners of this year’s majors.

The $1-million event was scheduled to begin on Tuesday with Woods attempting to win his sixth grand-slam title.

Woods, fresh from a successful defence of his title at the Dunlop Phoenix in Japan, told officials early on Monday that he was up all night and wouldn’t be able to attend the pro-am or clinic.

That left Vijay Singh and United States Open champion Michael Campbell as the only participants in Monday’s pro-am. Defending champion and US PGA Championship winner Phil Mickelson wasn’t scheduled to arrive on Kauai until Tuesday.

Mason said Woods’s ankle, which he twisted on his tee shot during a play-off hole in Japan, wasn’t the problem.

Woods has said his ankle has been bothering him for about a month and that the cold weather in Japan made it worse.

He won six times on the US PGA Tour this year, including major victories in the US Masters and British Open. — Sapa-AP