General / Bill Elliott / 18 June 2008 /

Was Tiger Woods really in much pain as he won the US Open so thrillingly? You bet he was. Today's news that he will not play again this year confirms just what a risk he took by playing at Torrey Pines, says Bill Elliott.

He now faces reconstructive surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament and, it was revealed, he has also suffered a double stress fracture to his left fibia. Ouch! Double ouch! And double embarrassment for Retief Goosen who apparently suggested that maybe there was no real injury at all. This, of course, was the first interesting thing Goosen has said in the past decade and it turns out he was spectacularly wrong.

What is now also true is the The Open, the USPGA Championship and the Ryder Cup are devalued. No Tiger, no pizzazz. No Tiger, lower - much lower - TV ratings. No Tiger, corporate interest goes down and so do the profits. It's a lose-lose situation. Someone will win of course but that someone will always be haunted by the thought that quite probably he wouldn't have if Woods had been in town.

This is a shame. Mostly, however, it is shame for Woods whose enthusiasm for the battle at Torrey Pines has cost him the rest of the year. This is time he won't get back. He says the doctors have reassured him that his knee will emerge as strong as ever and that there is a real future. Well, we'll see. Knees are the most complex joints in the body and no-one can hand out a guarantee. For now, sadly, all bets are off.

Meanwhile, supporters of Lee Westwood - I include myself in this gang - were delighted to see this nice bloke do so well in California. Despite 29 worldwide victories to date, Lee's major CV has been almost barren to this point with a few top 10 finishes but nothing much to suggest he was capable of being a genuine contender.

Well, now we know he can be just this. More importantly, so does he. Okay, he just missed out on a play-off spot but the manner in which he stood up to Woods during that final round and frequently outplayed him, will give our hero from Worksop much to build on as he moves into the second half of this golf year. Fitter and leaner, he is at least 20 per cent improved on the golfer he was and the original Westwood wasn't bad.

With a waist reduced from 40 inches to 34, flab replaced by muscle to the extent he is now heavier than he was when he began to take fitness seriously and at just 35 - a prime age for any pro golfer - the future beckons sweetly for him. Best of all his feet will stay on the ground as he contemplates the years to come.

Westie knows he is good but he knows also that he only plays a daft game and so though he takes it all seriously enough he doesn't actually take it, or himself, too seriously. I now believe he will win a major. He needs a bit of luck - and no-one ever has been better at creating a bit of luck than Mr Woods - but he knows also that he is now definitely good enough, strong enough and absolutely ready. A lot can happen in a month but I will just say this...Lee Westwood ([18.0] for the Open Championship) likes Birkdale. Got it?

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