Els urges Woods not to rush back
SOUTHPORT, England - Ernie Els has two words of advice for Tiger Woods as he recovers from knee surgery: Don't rush.
Els speaks from experience. The two-time U.S. Open winner says he came back too soon after knee surgery in 2005, leading to almost three years of struggles. Only now has he started to fully recover.
"He's got a long road," Els, 38, told reporters at Royal Birkdale Golf Club, site of this week's British Open, golf's oldest event. "He's got a tough couple of months ahead of him. A guy as active as Tiger, to be stationary right now will not be a lot of fun, I know that."
Woods, a three-time British Open winner, underwent reconstructive left knee surgery on June 24, eight days after winning the U.S. Open in a 19-hole playoff with Rocco Mediate.
The 32-year-old said he will miss the remainder of this season, including the PGA Championship next month and the Ryder Cup matches in September. Woods has no timetable for his return.
Following his knee surgery in July 2005, Els had set a December date for his comeback and stuck to it. Although he went on to win the Dunhill Championship in his second event following surgery, he said he later regretted the decision and struggled on the course. It took him until March this year to win again on the PGA Tour.
"I came back a little bit early," he said. "I was a little bit stubborn. But I'm sure Tiger will only come back maybe a month before the Masters" in April 2009.
`A big blow'
The South African Els, who has finished in the top three at the Open six times, including his win in 2002, also said he's in no hurry to see 14-time major champion Woods back on the course anytime soon.
"For this week, I'm not overly disappointed that he's not here as a player," Els said, drawing laughter. "But for the tournament itself, it's a big blow. And for world golf, not to have the No. 1 player playing, it's different. It's very different.
Els, one of the event's co-favorites along with Spain's Sergio Garcia, has finished second to Woods in tournaments seven times.