Woods skips Memorial
US Open likely his return after a two-month layoff
Tiger Woods decided yesterday not to play in the Memorial as he recovers from knee surgery, meaning he likely will go to the US Open at Torrey Pines without having played a tournament in two months.
Woods, who had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee April 15, was hopeful of playing before the US Open June 12-15. But his office notified the PGA Tour he will not enter the Memorial, a Tour official said.
This is the second time in three years Woods has had a two-month layoff before a major championship. He missed nine weeks in 2006 while coping with the death of his father, returning to the US Open at Winged Foot and missing the cut for the only time in a major.
"Tiger was looking forward to playing at the Memorial," said Mark Steinberg, his agent at IMG. "But, unfortunately, the timing of his recovery will not allow him to do so."
The only other tournament before the US Open is the Stanford St. Jude Classic in Memphis, although Woods has never played the week before a US Open and has never played in Memphis.
Memorial officials also learned that Adam Scott had changed his mind and will not play.
The tournament, which starts Thursday at Muirfield Village, still has eight of the top 10 in the world rankings.
PGA - Phil Mickelson had 11 one-putts and converted all six sand saves in a 2-under-par 68 in the second round to take the lead at 7-under 133 at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Fort Worth.
The world's No. 2-ranked player led Matt Kuchar (64), Brian Gay (65), and Johnson Wagner (71) by one stroke.
"It was probably the best putting round I've had all year," said Mickelson, who needed only 25 putts.
That's because Mickelson, who is carrying five wedges, kept setting himself up with the short clubs. From the fairways, the rough, and the bunkers.
Only four of his one-putts were 9 feet or longer (the longest was 18 feet).
Three of those came at Nos. 3-5, the trio of holes known as Colonial's "horrible horseshoe" because of the difficulty and layout of that stretch, where he hit his approach into greenside bunkers each time and saved par. That was part of his final nine holes.
Mickelson didn't lower his score after that, missing a 6-foot birdie on No. 7 before his short approach at No. 9 bounced over the hole and he slid an 8-footer just past. But the 2000 Colonial champion, here for the first time in three years, still stayed alone at the top of the leaderboard.
Champions - Closing with a 25-foot putt for birdie, Tom Purtzer put a dent in Oak Hill Country Club's stingy reputation to take the lead after the second round of the 69th Senior PGA Championship at Rochester, N.Y.
Purtzer shot a 3-under 67 to go to even-par 140 for the tournament. That put him one up on Jay Haas, the first-round leader, who shot a 2-over 72, and Massy Kuramoto, who finished the day with a round of 2 under.
Mark O'Meara scored the tournament's low round of 66 to jump into a tie for fourth with Bernhard Langer at 142 in the $2 million event.
LPGA - Dina Ammaccapane, who had six birdies and three bogeys, shot her second straight 69 to gain a one-stroke lead after the second-round of the
European - Paul McGinley finished birdie-eagle for a 6-under 66 and set a record 36-hole total (13-under 131) to lead by four strokes at the BMW PGA Championship at Virginia Water, England.
