Golf

Woods visits ill father; still expected to play

By BOB HARIG
Published March 23, 2006

PONTE VEDRA BEACH - Tiger Woods left the TPC-Sawgrass to be with his ailing father, Earl, in California on Wednesday but is expected back for his first-round Players Championship tee time today.

Earl Woods, 74, had a heart attack in 1996 and was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1998. His poor health prevented him from attending his son's Masters victory last year. Woods also skipped the season-opening Mercedes Championship and spent the holidays with Earl at his Cypress, Calif., home.

Woods was expected to play an early morning practice round at the Stadium course Wednesday and hold a media session afterward. When he did not show, word leaked he left Tuesday night. Jacksonville's WLTW-TV reported Woods flew to California.

"Tiger Woods was off site (Wednesday) for personal reasons but intends to be back at the TPC-Sawgrass in time for his first-round tee time," said Mark Steinberg, Woods' agent. Woods rarely discusses his private life but did say this year at the Buick Invitational that he spent a good bit of his time off with his father.

"It meant the world to me," Woods said. "I mean, he's my dad. ... "He's my best friend, and any time you can spend as much time with your parents that you truly love, especially when he wasn't feeling all that well, it meant the world to me."

[Last modified March 23, 2006, 02:15:42]