The news that Tiger Woods plans to withdraw from this week's Safeway Open came as a "surprise" to his friend and former teammate, Notah Begay III.
Begay was with Woods last week at the Ryder Cup, where Woods served as an assistant captain for the victorious U.S. squad. According to Begay, the 14-time major champ had his clubs with him at Hazeltine but didn't find any time to practice in between matches.
The two spoke on the phone Monday, and Begay believes that Woods' decision - which came just three days after he formally committed to the event - is the product of one last self-assessment of his game.