Tiger Woods says breaking up with Lindsey Vonn adds to ‘brutal’ week
Tiger Woods is helped into his winner’s jacket by golfing great Arnold Palmer after taking a victory at the 2001 Bay Hill Invitational in Orlando, Fla.
(Scott Audette / Associated Press)Tiger Woods reacts after injuring his right wrist while hitting out of the rough on the ninth hole during the final round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on April 12, 2015.
(David Cannon / Getty Images)Tiger Woods tees off on the second hole during the third round of the Masters at Augusta National on April 11, 2015.
(Andrew Redington / Getty Images)Tiger Woods leaves the North County Courthouse in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., on Oct. 27, 2017, after pleading guilty to a reckless driving charge stemming from an arrest on suspicion of drunk driving.
(Carline Jean / Associated Press)Tiger Woods attends Game 2 of the 2017 World Series between the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on October 25, 2017.
(Christian Petersen / Getty Images)Tiger Woods shrugs while responding to a reporter’s question during a news conference at the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament at Bay Hill on March 13, 2018. Woods would finish in a tie for fifth that week after finishing in a tie for second at the Valspar Championship in his previous tournament.
(Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel)Tiger Woods lines up a putt on the second green during tje Hero World Challenge, an offseason tournament he hosts, at Albany, Bahamas on December 1, 2017. Woods was testing his surgically repaired back in preparation for a 2018 return to the PGA Tour.
(Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images)Tiger Woods is scheduled to play at the Players Championship in Florida this week, but it’s hard to imagine he’ll be in top form after what has happened in his personal life over the last few days.
On Sunday, Woods and Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn announced they were breaking up, ending their nearly three-year relationship. On top of that, May 3 is the anniversary of the death of Woods’ father, Earl Woods, who died in 2006.
During a news conference at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., on Tuesday, Woods admitted the last few days have been challenging.
“It’s tough. This time of year is really hard on me,” Woods said. “This three-day window is really hard. I haven’t slept. These three days, May 3rd through 5th, today, it’s just brutal on me. And then obviously with what happened Sunday just adds to it.”
Woods will be playing in his first tournament since the Masters in early April. He put on a surprising showing at Augusta National Golf Club, and the 14-time major winner is hoping for another encouraging result this week. Woods also said he’s made a few “tweaks” to his swing and is hoping the changes will prove fruitful on the course.
Whether it’s enough for Woods to overcome what has been a difficult week away from the game remains to be seen.
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Austin Knoblauch is a senior editor in Sports at the Los Angeles Times, overseeing NFL coverage and digital initiatives. He previously worked as an editor and writer at NFL.com. He initially joined The Times in 2005, serving in various web editing and reporting roles. Knoblauch’s favorite sports are football, hockey and auto racing. He is a native of Southern California and graduated from Mount St. Mary’s University in Los Angeles.