AP Photo/Eric Gay, File
Tiger Woods reportedly declined an invitation from NBC Sports to serve as a broadcaster for the 2021 U.S. Open next week.
Dan Hicks of NBC Sports told reporters Thursday that Woods turned down an offer from the network to help break down the action from Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego:
“He didn’t want to do it, and I totally understand his situation. There is a lot going on in his world right now and there’s also a part of Tiger that doesn’t want to become this, I don’t want to, for lack of a better word, a sideshow at an event where we should be concentrating on what’s happening.”
Woods is still recovering from a car crash in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, on Feb. 23. He underwent surgery that same day to repair significant injuries to his right leg.
Dr. Anish Mahajan, who performed the surgery, said in a statement that “open fractures affecting both the upper and lower portions of the tibia and fibula bones were stabilized by inserting a rod into the tibia.” Woods also had pins and screws inserted into his foot and ankle.
Golf Digest posted a photo of Woods walking with crutches to Instagram on May 24.
“My physical therapy has been keeping me busy,” Woods told Daniel Rapaport of Golf Digest. “I do my routines every day and am focused on my No. 1 goal right now: walking on my own. Taking it one step at a time.”
This year’s U.S. Open is being held at Torrey Pines for the first time since 2008. Woods won that tournament, despite playing with a torn ACL that later required surgery.
The 2021 U.S. Open will begin on June 17. Bryson DeChambeau is the defending champion.