Tiger Woods canceled a trip to Paris next week for the Lancome Trophy, saying
on his Web site today that it was inappropriate to play competitive golf and he
was concerned about travel safety.
"I feel strongly that this is a time to pause, reflect and remember the
victims of Tuesday's horrific attack," the statement on tigerwoods.com read.
"I have always felt that I must be fully committed to each and every golf
competition I enter, but due to this week's events, I am not," Woods said.
"I also fear that the security risks of traveling overseas at the present
time are too great."
Earlier this week at the American Express Championship in St. Louis, Woods
had goosebumps on his arm as he talked about the terrorist attacks, calling it
a "sad, sad day in America."
At the time, he expressed doubt he would play in the Lancome Trophy, a European
tour event for which he was to receive a reported $2.25 million appearance fee.
Woods originally planned to play in part because it was the week before the Ryder
Cup in England.
Woods wondered whether the matches would be played, but said Tuesday it was
too early to figure out what would happen.
"I don't think the Ryder Cup is even on his mind right now," said
Mark Steinberg, Woods' agent at IMG. "He's really shook up about this."
Organizers of the Ryder Cup said it could be a couple of days before they decide
whether the matches will be played.
"It is our desire for the Ryder Cup matches to go forward," said
Jim Awtrey, chief executive officer of the PGA of America. "Having said that,
the magnitude of the matches requires many logistics which are impacted by the
events of this week."
Meanwhile, the European tour has agreed to allow its Ryder Cup players to file
late entries into the Lancome Trophy because the World Golf Championship event
was canceled in St. Louis. Several of them are still in the United States because
of air travel restrictions.
