This was not the plan

Golf Betting Lines

05/10/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The shelf life of a scandal really isn't that long.

That had to be the prevailing theme in Tiger Woods' mind.

Once he got back on the course, and was the Tiger of old, the questions of car accidents, affairs, rehab and divorce would eventually subside. It would be about his pursuit of Jack Nicklaus' 18 majors or just dominating the PGA Tour.

But it certainly hasn't gone like that.

There's no timetable for when this whole thing will blow over, but the golf was supposed to be what made everyone forget about that ugly chapter in his life.

With Sunday's withdrawal from the Players Championship due to a neck injury, the golf part is now in serious jeopardy.

Woods said on Monday, speaking at a media day at Aronimink Golf Club outside Philadelphia, that he will have an MRI.

Until he gets the "picture" (which Woods constantly called it on Monday), Woods doesn't know what will happen. A neck injury is much different than his knee problem.

Everyone remembers him hobbling around for 91 holes at the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. A leg injury is bad for a golfer, but as long as he could stand the pain, he was able to play through it.

A neck injury is completely different. Woods said on Monday that he withdrew because he couldn't turn at all. My limited golfing ability tells me that turning is a fairly important aspect of the golf swing.

It's premature to speculate on what his schedule will look like going forward. Woods said he needed to have the MRI before he could do anything else, but indicated he wanted to play the Memorial, U.S. Open and AT&T National, which is being played at Aronimink and explained why he was in Philly. Sorry, Pat's and Geno's, but it wasn't for the cheese steaks.

Again, while it's too early to speculate, if Woods has to miss significant time, it would be a huge blow. Fair questions were asked of Woods about the injury and how it related to the accident.

"Zero connection," Woods said when asked if the accident caused the neck injury. He did say he got a busted lip and some neck soreness from the accident, but emphatically put the kibosh on it being the root of his problems now.

The question illustrated the bigger point. No matter what happens with Woods' golf, inquiries can ultimately come back to the accident. With a badly missed cut at Quail Hollow and now this, Woods will be answering questions about bad play and how it relates to the accident.

Where Woods has erred a bit, and he did so some on Monday, is taking the approach of how difficult the year has been. Yes, he's had a rough paper route, but it's one he earned. His decisions ruined his image and parts of his life. Injuries happen to professional athletes. While Woods isn't whining about things, he shouldn't talk about how difficult they are. Sympathy is not something most are going to extend toward Woods.

So if Woods has to miss some time, he needs to keep a pretty low profile. Maybe it'll be the best thing. He can take some time, get healthy and practice a ton if he can handle it.

Now, Woods has to answer questions about his scandal, his neck injury and his poor play. His whole post-scandal survival was built around returning to the winner's circle and now it's just another odd turn in his saga.

Woods can treat these three tournaments of varying degrees of disappointment as a mulligan. He can sit out a good chunk of the summer, get well and come back to the type of golf that was supposed to make everyone forget about his past.

Sadly, it's more questions and more speculation.

This was not the plan.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

- Poor Tim Clark. He finally gets that first PGA Tour win, does it at a strong event in impressive fashion, and Woods withdraws.

- Now that Clark has won, the title of best player not to win on tour probably belongs to Martin Kaymer. He doesn't compete much over here in the U.S., but his world ranking makes it clear this is his title.

- Anthony Kim needed surgery and it was wise to opt to have it. His phone call to American Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin to say, yes I will miss some time, but I badly want to play for your team, was a nice touch. Reminds you of when Jay Haas passed on millions on the Champions Tour to make the 2004 team, or when Kenny Perry geared his whole schedule to making the 2008 team.

- If you don't include Lee Westwood in your U.S. Open pool, you are a fool.

- Movie moment - With "Robin Hood" set to debut this week, it brought on the conversation of worst accents in movie history. Kevin Costner gave up on his midway through the '90s version, so that's near the top of the list. But for me, the No. 1 spot belongs to Nicolas Cage in "Con Air." His southern accent is appalling. "Put down the bunny." Oh my Lord. Just terrible. If you're watching "30 Rock" right now, you'll see the television winner with Julianne Moore trying an over-the-top Boston accent that's just brutal.