Woods not planning to play in UK again until 2001

Tiger Woods will almost certainly not play in Britain again until his defence of the Open at Royal Lytham next year.

The world number one has mapped out his schedule for the rest of the season, and it is believed that neither the Cisco World Matchplay on October 5-8 nor the Alfred Dunhill Cup back at St Andrews the following week figure in his plans.

Both events are run by his management company, Mark McCormack’s International Management Group, but the all-conquering American is not expected to return to Europe until the American Express world championship at Valderrama in Spain in November, where he beat Miguel Angel Jimenez in a play-off last year.

Two years ago the newest member of golf’s elite group of grand slam winners played at both the World Matchplay and the Dunhill Cup. His next appearance is the Buick Open in Michigan in two weeks, which precedes his defence of his US PGA crown in Kentucky a week later.

Woods will also not participate in the Andersen Consulting world matchplay championship, the tournament where he lost to Darren Clarke in the final last February.

The tournament has switched to Australia for this year and the earlier date has brought a storm of protest from the players. Lee Westwood, Greg Norman, Jose Maria Olazabal and Jimenez have voiced their opposition and others are thought set to pull out.

Clarke probably would not have gone either but for the fact that he is the defending champion, while Colin Montgomerie will play, but has declined the World Cup instead because of the amount of flying and time away from home involved.

Email this page to a friend | Return to top of page