This might come as a shock, but Tiger Woods is not the only professional golfer coping with an injury.
Paul Goydos was driving to the doctor's office this week to have surgery on his left wrist. It has been bothering him most of his 25 years on the PGA Tour, but the pain usually goes away. This time, it didn't. He has a bone spur that needs to be removed, and expects to be out for three months.
Would it hurt his feelings if this news was buried behind updates on Woods's left Achilles tendon?
"No," Goydos said, stifling a laugh. "It's called the Achilles heel for a reason."
Lucas Glover, a former US Open champion, slipped off a paddle board in Hawaii the weekend before the season opener and injured knee ligaments. Glover did not think it was bad at first. He thought about playing Honolulu, then the California desert, then San Diego, then Pebble Beach.
All he got was a weekly dose of disappointment, until he finally gave up on the West Coast swing. He will play for the first time this season at the Transitions Championship at Innisbrook, Florida, having recovered from the sprained medial collateral ligament and a plica tendon, along with some atrophy in his quadriceps.
But it is all about the Achilles these days.
"I don't feel slighted at all," Glover said with a grin. "What is it, 14 to 1?"
That would be 14 majors for Woods, one for Glover.
David Toms also withdrew from the Cadillac Championship last week with a back injury. No one seemed to notice.
All the focus is on Woods, as the golf world holds its breath to hear whether the Achilles tendon injury that forced Woods to withdraw after 11 holes of the final round on Sunday really was just a mild sprain, as he said later on Twitter.
Woods hopes to be hitting balls by the end of this week, and maybe even compete next week as he prepares for the Masters on April 5-8.
He remains golf's most compelling figure, whether people want to see him return to glory or continue to flounder.
And it probably will stay that way until he retires. Goydos said as much four years ago in Hawaii, when asked when Woods no longer would be considered golf's top attraction.
"When Tiger decides he's not going to play golf," he said.
The specs
Engine: Turbocharged four-cylinder 2.7-litre
Power: 325hp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh189,700
On sale: now
Results
6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah Group Two (PA) US$55,000 (Dirt) 1,600m; Winner: Rasi, Harry Bentley (jockey), Sulaiman Al Ghunaimi (trainer).
7.05pm: Meydan Trophy (TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,900m; Winner: Ya Hayati, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Bochart, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
8.15pm: Balanchine Group Two (TB) $250,000 (T) 1,800m; Winner: Magic Lily, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: Waady, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson.
9.25pm: Firebreak Stakes Group Three (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Capezzano, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
10pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m; Winner: Eynhallow, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff
By Sean Penn
Simon & Schuster
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Shahi
Emirate: Sharjah – Khor Fakkan
Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.
Favourite activities: Bungee jumping
Favourite quote: “My people and I will not settle for anything less than first place” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
