Stricker's Assessment Of Woods Not Promising

By ESPN

Steve Stricker has not seen Tiger Woods lately, but he has been in touch with the injured golfer. And his assessment didn't sound promising.

"He's working hard at it," Stricker said Tuesday. "But I don't think he's doing that well physically."

Stricker said he has texted with Woods and received tidbits of information from Woods' friends and his agent, Mark Steinberg, who on Friday offered no update on Woods' status. And Stricker watched the Dubai Desert Classic, where Woods last played, and didn't like what he saw.

"Just the way he was walking didn't look quite right," Stricker said at the Innisbrook Resort, where he is playing in this week's Valspar Championship. "Walking very gingerly. Slow and methodical. It didn't really look physically like he was ready to play. You have that and then that goes into your game and it affects you mentally, too.

"It's the chicken and the egg thing. What does he have to get right first? Obviously he has to get his body right first before he can compete. Then it's going to take to take some time for him to come back believing in his swing and trusting his ability again."

Woods, who will be an assistant captain for Stricker later this year at the Presidents Cup (Stricker named 2018 U.S. Ryder Cup team captain Jim Furyk as one of his assistants on Tuesday), has not played since withdrawing prior to the second round of the Dubai tournament on Feb. 3 due to back spasms. Those back spasms lingered another two weeks, Steinberg said, but there have been no updates on his status or condition since.

His return to competitive golf after 16 months away due to multiple back surgeries in December at the Hero World Challenge was considered promising. Stricker noted a better, freer swing.

But since then, Woods played just three competitive rounds, missing the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open and then completing just one round in Dubai.

He has until Friday to commit to next week's Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he has won eight times but not since his 2013 victory.

"If he's not able to swing the way he wants to swing or has the power, the game can be pretty tough," Stricker said. "It's amazing, you need every fiber of your body. If your big toe is hurting you can have an issue. It's crazy. You need to be healthy. If not it's a tough game.''