Tiger Woods says elbow will be 'good enough' for British Open

Hitting out of the U.S. Open rough worsened Tiger Woods' strained elbow. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Tiger Woods said his elbow is still too sore to pick up a club, but it will be "good enough" for the British Open next month at Muirfield, according to PGATour.com.

Woods, ranked No. 1 in the world, announced last week his decision not to defend his AT&T National title this week. On Wednesday he explained how the U.S. Open's deep rough exacerbated his strained left elbow.

From PGATour.com:

"I pushed it pretty good at the (U.S.) Open," Woods said Wednesday. "Made it worse by hitting the ball out of the rough and eventually got to a point where I wasn't able to play here.

"I listened to my docs and I'm not touching a club," Woods said. "We're treating it, and eventually I'll start the strengthening process of it, then start hitting balls to get up to speed for the British."

Woods' absence from the AT&T breaks a healthy streak dating back to 2011 when pain in his knee and Achilles forced him to walk off after nine holes at The Players Championship. He was sidelined 11 weeks. He has a history of injuries at the AT&T, missing the tournament that benefits his foundation in three out of the last six years.

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Woods admits his elbow might not have been so bad if he had sat out the Memorial Tournament where he finished tied for 65th at 8 over par. The pain in his elbow worsened at the U.S. Open at Merion.

From PGATour.com:

"It was nice to have a four‑week break before the Open," he said. "Unfortunately, this tournament is in that four‑week gap. It's tough."

British oddsmakers have made Woods an 8/1 favorite to win the Open Championship, despite the injury.