Tiger Playing in US Open - Right or Wrong?

Despite a torn anterior cruciate ligament and a double stress fracture, Woods managed to win a major that required five days of flinching, limping and a long list of spectacular shots that continue to defined his career. Tiger was determined to play in the U.S. Open, and to win it. The desire and mental discipline had to have been incredible to work through the pain and balance issues. This will be one of the most talked about and remembered U.S. Opens in history.

Tiger Woods had been playing for at least 10 months with a torn ligament in his left knee, and then suffered a double stress fracture in his left leg two weeks before the U.S. Open. Then he had the season-ending surgery, knocking him out of the final two majors and the Ryder Cup.

The right thing to do was to listen to the doctors, follow through with this surgery and focus attention on rehabilitating the knee and let the stress fracture heal. Woods definitely wasn't listening to doctors by playing the U.S. Open, a victory that now looks even more impressive. Out of competition for two months because of April 15 surgery to clean out cartilage in his left knee, he suffered a double stress fracture in his left tibia two weeks before the U.S. Open. In Florida, doctors told Woods the preferred treatment was three weeks on crutches, followed by three weeks of rest. Tiger, by making the decision to play, may experience long term effects on his game and life in the form of arthritis or chronic swelling due to the reduced cartilage in the knee.