Leg injury forces Woods to withdraw at Doral

Tiger Woods withdrew from the WGC-Cadillac Championship at the TPC Blue Monster in Doral, Fla., on Sunday with a left leg injury after completing 11 holes. He was 3-over par for his round.

“He had tightness in the left Achilles warming up and it got progressively worse as the round went on,” said his office in a prepared statement.

Woods, who was competing for the third-consecutive week, changed shoes at the turn and was noticeably limping on the 10th and 11th holes.

“After hitting my tee shot on 12, I felt it was necessary to withdraw,” Woods said. “In the past, I would have continued to play, but this time I decided to do what I thought was necessary.”

Tiger immediately sent regrets to the WGC, Cadillac and the fans for their support.

“I’ll get my Achilles evaluated sometime early next week,” he said.

Paired with Webb Simpson, Woods began the final round at 9-under 207, eight shots behind leader Bubba Watson. Tiger failed to birdie the par-5 first hole for the first time all week. In the previous two rounds, he made an eagle and two birdies. Sunday, he drove in the left rough, hit his second shot in the left fairway bunker, hit his third shot in the rough and escaped with par.

It would be a sign of things to come for Woods, who never got on track on a warm, breezy afternoon.

After a good drive at the par-4 second, Woods had 142 yards left to the green. But as was the case for much of the tournament, his distance control with his irons was off and he wound 49 feet from the cup. Tiger managed to two-putt, holing a five-foot par putt.

Woods missed a 17-foot birdie attempt at the par-4 third hole. At the 207-yard, par-3 fourth, he hit a 6-iron to the back-left portion of the putting surface, 59 feet from the front-right pin position. Again, Woods did well to two-putt for a par.

Following a two-putt par from 27 feet at the par-4 fifth, Tiger bogeyed the 442-yard, par-4 sixth. After finding the fairway off the tee, he hit his approach shot over the back of the green, chipped six feet past the cup and missed the putt.

The frustration continued at the 454-yard, par-4 seventh, where Tiger drove into the left rough, came up well short of the green with his second shot, failed to find the putting surface with his third, and got up-and-down for a bogey.

Woods was unable to birdie the par-5 eighth. After a good drive, he hit his second shot into the right rough and had about 36 feet to the hole. Tiger hit a sand wedge nine feet from the cup but was unable to convert the birdie try.

At the 169-yard, par-3 ninth, Woods missed the green long-left with his tee shot, but chipped to two feet to save par, making the turn in 2-over 38.

Woods was unable to take advantage of the 551-yard, par-5 10th hole. After driving into the left rough, he went for the green in two but found the water hazard on the left. After taking a drop and absorbing a one-stroke penalty, he wound up missing an 11-foot par putt to fall to 3-over for the round.

At the 402-yard, par-4 11th, Tiger drove in the fairway and had 153 yards to the green. His approach shot caught the right greenside bunker, but he blasted to four feet from the hole and made the par-saving putt, grimacing as he left the green.

After hitting his tee shot at No. 12, Woods notified tournament officials that he was withdrawing. Woods left the course quickly and drove home to Jupiter, Fla.

Woods is scheduled to return to competition March 22-25 in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, Fla.