Memorial can't bank on a Tiger Woods comeback
GOLF / THE SPIN
It's T (for Tiger) minus four days now, which means Tiger Woods knows his time is running out before Friday's deadline to officially announce whether he's going to play in next week's Memorial tournament.
You can be sure that there are more than a few people keeping close tabs on the subject, probably no one more so than Jack Nicklaus, the Memorial's host.
"Sure, I hope he's coming to play, but I don't know for sure," Nicklaus said in a telephone interview. "But one thing I do know: If he does play, he needs to play this as a tournament to win it, and he shouldn't use it as a warmup for the U.S. Open."
Nicklaus said he has spoken to Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, once since Woods had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee April 15 and that Steinberg told him that it was Woods' intention to play the Memorial.
Last week, Woods told reporters in a conference call he had been able only to chip and putt in his rehabilitation from surgery and that he wouldn't have been able to compete if forced to play.
Whether that indicates Woods is leaning one way or another is unknown, but it wouldn't be surprising if Woods decided to wait until the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines to come back. The Open begins June 12.
The Memorial is well known for its weather problems, and starting and stopping play isn't a recipe for an easy return from injury -- and neither is the chance that rounds won't finish on the day they begin.
Woods, who hasn't played since he finished second at the Masters, has won the last four PGA Tour events at Torrey Pines and has six victories on that course since 1999.
On the other hand, Woods is famous for making up his own mind and following his instincts, even if they run counter to conventional thinking.
Opening up
The U.S. Golf Assn. announced its qualifying sites for the U.S. Open, and the only sectional site in California is at Lake Merced Golf Club in Daly City on June 2. The only other site in the West is at Emerald Valley Golf Club in Creswell, Ore., also June 2.
Ratings game
Going up against Game 7 of the Boston Celtics-Cleveland Cavaliers' Eastern Conference semifinals, Sunday's overnight ratings for CBS' coverage of the AT&T Classic dropped 10% from 2007 (when Zach Johnson won in a playoff) -- from 2.0 to 1.8.
The overnight rating numbers for Saturday's CBS telecast were 1.2, the same as 2007.
Front desk
