Luke Donald believes “mental anguish” could be behind the decision of Tiger Woods to pull out of his planned comeback at this week’s Safeway Open.
Former world number one Woods has undergone three back operations in the space of 19 months and has not played competitively since August last year.
The 40-year-old had planned to play in California this week and in the Turkish Airlines Open on the European Tour in November, but said on Monday he was not ready to compete.
”My health is good, and I feel strong, but my game is vulnerable and not where it needs to be,” Woods said on his website.
Donald can sympathise with Woods after being sidelined with a career-threatening wrist injury in 2008 and said: “Obviously it sounds like clinically he feels fine.
“He’s just not quite ready to tee it up from a mental standpoint perhaps. That’s certainly what I gathered from his comments.
“There’s a lot of mental anguish when you take time away. I think obviously Tiger, the greatest player that’s ever played, he’s got very, very high standards and expectations.
“I think that you have to weigh that up with that feel of almost failure or fear or anxiety of not performing well. If Tiger Woods is healthy like he says he is, that’s probably what he’s weighing out right now, just feeling comfortable.
“It’s really hard to get comfortable unless you actually put yourself through it. At some point he’s got to jump in, and if he messes up, he’s got a good opportunity to get better the next time he plays.”
Nick Faldo, who famously presented Woods with his first Masters Green Jacket in 1997, believes the American is up against it in a bid to return to the top.
“It’s going to be a hard grind to come back and compete against the best in the world. You wish him well but what does Tiger want to prove?” he told BBC Sport.
“I know personally golf is a wicked game, it dangles a carrot. Ten years ago I’d hit balls and think, ‘I can still play, I can still hit it’ – then you’d go to the course and can’t make a score.
“Everything is stacking up against him now. Physically, mentally and obviously competing.
“Watching him walk, he just doesn’t look supple to me.
“I know the stamina needed to play 72 holes. He may be able to hit balls on a range but there’s a rhythm to that – on a course you get a five-minute gap between two shots.
“I think maybe he is starting to hit the ball better but it’s the stamina to play.”
England’s Chris Wood saw Woods in person during the Ryder Cup when the 14-time major winner was one of Davis Love’s vice-captains and hopes this latest setback does not mark the end of Woods’ career.
“He seemed fine at the Ryder Cup, but you never know with Tiger,” Wood said. “Nobody’s ever known, really, throughout his whole career what he really does golf-wise when he’s at home, practice-wise, gym, all that sort of thing. Nobody knows and (he) never gives on.
“It’s really disappointing because I was ready to watch it and obviously it would have been great for the European Tour for him to play in Turkey in his second event back.
“It is really disappointing for myself as a golf fan to not be able to sit down and watch him play, because he was my golfing hero. He won the Masters when I was 10 years old, so from that point on he’s the only guy I’ve ever looked up to really.”
