With only a few weeks left before the Masters, the questionable condition of Tiger Wood’s left Achilles looms heavy.

Woods didn’t say a word as he boarded the golf cart that would take him off the course yesterday. His fellow players, coming up from behind, assumed he was in search of a restroom. That was not the case, as he called it quits after 12 holes of play on the WCG–Cadillac Championship game yesterday.

We came to find out, the same left Achilles that he injured in the Masters tournament last year, was responsible for his early departure yesterday.

No doubt some of his fellow players will be sad if he is unable to join them in Augusta, in only a few weeks. He adds an edge to the game that most aren’t willing to part with yet.

The plan is to get the left Achilles looked at sometime at the beginning of this week. I bet he’s already been there-done that. When interviewed before Sunday’s round, Tiger said he was feeling great. However, as the round progressed, the discomfort appeared to become more severe. A few years ago Tiger would have, right or wrong, played through the pain—but not now.

It’s well known, in the medical community, that an injured Achilles can be one of the most difficult ligamental strains from which to recover.  It’s not uncommon for an Achilles injury to be re-injured many times and/or to require some significant amount of rehabilitation and rest. Surgical repair of an achilies tendon can take up to 6 months to recover from.

My suggestion would be that Tiger take a pass on next week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. The down-time would do him good and hopefully get him ready for Augusta, where all eyes will be watching.