Recovering From Neck Injury, Tiger Woods Will Play In July's British Open

According to his website, Tiger Woods will compete in the British Open at St. Andrews in Scotland.

He is also committed to play in the U.S. Open (June 17th-20th) and the AT&T National (July 1st – 4th).

Woods won the claret jug the last two times the British Open was at St. Andrews (2000 and 2005).

Tiger Woods underwent an MRI on Wednesday in Florida to diagnose the injury that forced his withdrawal from The Players Championship over the weekend. Late in the evening, the results of those tests were made public (via Tiger's official website): the noted golfing enthusiast has "an inflamed facet joint in his neck." 

Nearly as soon as Tiger Woods withdrew on Sunday from The Players Championship, the rumor mill got to work churning out speculation that it may be a lingering injury from his car accident on Nov. 27. You may have heard something about that -- he crashed into a fire hydrant, leaving him with a busted lip and ... a sore neck (cue dramatic music).

Well, Tiger addressed the media on Monday, and quickly put to rest any thoughts that the two may be connected, saying that there is "zero connection."

The neck pain apparently began two weeks prior to the Masters, and it finally reached a level that he could no longer tolerate, nor play through.

"I'm at a point now where I just can't go anymore," he said.

"I want to practice, I want to play, I want to compete, but this is not allowing me to do the things that I need to do on my golf swing to hit the proper shots. I need to get to where I can do that again."

Tiger is set for an MRI when he gets back home in Florida on Tuesday, and until he knows the results of that, his tournament schedule is "up in the air."

For all things Tiger Woods related, check out SB Nation's Trailing Tiger.

After withdrawing from the final round of The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass with a "bulging disc", Tiger Woods will reportedly undergo an MRI on his injured neck on Tuesday, according to CSN Philadelphia (via Sporting News' Dan Levy).

Woods is thought to be suffering from a herniated disc, which, if true, would mean he'd likely miss at least a month of playing time. In a more severe case requiring surgery, it's possible Woods could be forced to sit out the entirety of the summer season. Obviously, the most immediate question, beyond his prognosis, is whether he'll be healthy enough to compete in the U.S. Open, which begins June 20th.

Woods withdrew from The Players Championship on the seventh hole of his last round, complaining of tingling in his fingers.

For all things Tiger Woods related, check out SB Nation's Trailing Tiger.

After Tiger Woods withdrew from the Players Championship with a neck injury, we could have guessed that there would be plenty of reactions like this:

Today is the 1st day I started to think, is it possible that Tiger never returns to his old self?

The prevailing theory at the moment, held by Mr. Woods himself, is that he has a herniated disc. For the record:

A herniated disc is: a fairly common injury, diagnosed when a spinal disc pushes outside of its normal boundary, and can often be treated with rest and a heating pad

A herniated disc isn't: when part of your spine muscle [?] fractures and falls off, and sort of floats around in your sarcophagus [is this the right word????] for a little while until it sinks all the way down to your feet [where your food goes after you eat it] and you can't walk anymore and then you die

And even if we just choose to stick with what we know for certain -- that a 34-year-old man left a golf course because his neck hurt -- is that something to freak out about? Are we somehow trying to work this into the narrative of Tiger Woods' recent personal problems? Is he such a troubled individual that his neck hurts? You're probably going to hear this sort of stuff in the coming days; my advice is to disregard it.

Right after Tiger Woods withdrew from the Players Championship, USA Today managed to ask him a few questions:

TIGER WOODS: Well, I've been playing with a bad neck for quite a while.

Q. Was there one particular swing that exacerbated it?

TIGER WOODS: They want me to go get a picture on it next week. I might have a bulging disk.

Q. You've been doing this quite a bit.

TIGER WOODS: I've been playing through it. I can't play through it anymore.

Woods says he is experiencing tingling in his fingers.

According to WebMD, a herniated disc can heal itself over time, but it usually takes at least a month to heal. 10% of sufferers end up requiring surgery. Hopefully, Woods can recover in time to play in the U.S. Open on June 20.

And yes, "bulging disc." Have fun, Internet!

For all things Tiger Woods, check out SB Nation's blog, Trailing Tiger.