Injuries force Stallings, Johnson out of Humana Challenge
By: Emily Kay on 01/21/12 10:24 AMWhile Tiger Woods took to Twitter Friday afternoon to talk up his Pebble Beach playing partner Tony Romo, Dustin Johnson became the second golfer of the day to withdraw because of injury from this week’s Humana Challenge -- a tourney whose focus is on health and well-being.
A bad back, and not his surgically repaired knee forced Johnson out of the contest midway through his second round Friday. He joined New England native Scott Stallings on the sidelines after last year’s winner of the Greenbrier Classic shut it down with a rib injury.
"First ever WD from an event," @stallingsgolf tweeted Friday after posting an opening-round 2-over 74 at La Quinta Country Club the day before. "Intercostal injury=no fun hope to be back soon"
The intercostals, which are several groups of muscles between and surrounding the ribs, help people breath by alternately lifting and compressing the rib cage. Injuries to the muscles are reportedly not uncommon among golfers and basketball and tennis players and can be difficult to shake, as Paul Casey can attest. The 34-year-old Englishman noted last October that his swing was just getting back to normal after he ripped an intercostal muscle in 2009.
"I don't think I've ever fully got my ball striking back to where I wanted it after the 2009 season where I tore my intercostal," Casey told reporters during the PGA Tour’s Frys.com Open. "I really don't think my ball striking has been back to where it was in early 2009. It's starting to show signs of getting back there." (Casey was on his way back from the rib affliction and turf toe when his comeback hit a speed bump at the start of this year because he dislocated his right shoulder in a snowboarding accident in Colorado.)
As for the 26-year-old Stallings, who was born in Worcester, Mass., the winner of last year’s Greenbrier Classic noted in a follow-up tweet that he had hurt some intercostal muscles on his right side on Wednesday. The tour sophomore did not offer a timetable for his return.
Woods, who's not in the Humana field and took time off from preparations for next week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, put to rest any lingering doubt about which NFL quarterback will be calling the signals with him next month at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. And no, for those still stuck in traffic leaving Gillette Stadium after the New England Patriots’ shellacking of the Denver athletic club last Saturday, it won’t be the Broncos’ left-handed tosser of the pigskin Tim Tebow.
"I know he can shoot in the 60s," @TigerWoods tweeted about the Dallas Cowboys QB and would-be U.S. Open qualifier, "a matter of shooting them when it counts."
Woods followed that up with more kudos on his website for Romo, who’ll be making a return appearance as Tiger’s sidekick in a PGA Tour event. "Tony is a great guy and a good player," Woods said. "We played together at my [2009] AT&T National event and really enjoyed ourselves. I'm looking forward to teeing it up with him again."
Then there was DJ, who said his surgically repaired right knee was fine but his back was not up to the task of walking 18 holes. Johnson tried to give it a go after swinging a club three weeks ago for the first time since arthroscopic surgery in November.
"My knee is ok. I am not worried about it," Johnson told PGATour.com after making it through nine holes Friday. "My lower back is really stiff and hurting, which I think is from the way I am walking or the fact that I have not walked a lot since the surgery. Yesterday was the first time I walked a full 18 holes."
Johnson took his tender knee for a test drive on Tuesday but did not walk the full 18.
"I actually I didn't walk 18," he told reporters Wednesday. "I walked we went out and played, we played probably 16 or 17 holes and I walked probably every other hole....just the last couple days I been playing on a cart, but I been just walking, kind of walking every other hole, just to stay kind of loose and loosen it up.
"As far as hitting balls and doing all that stuff, it doesn't bother me, but I haven't been out there all day walking on it yet," Johnson added. "But I don't think it's going to be an issue."
Following surgery, Johnson had circled next week’s Farmers Insurance Open as the event to kick start his 2012 season. He said today’s WD should have no impact on his play at Torrey Pines.
"I do intend to play next week in San Diego," said Johnson, who shot an opening-round even-par 72 on the Palmer Course and was 4-over at La Quinta Country Club before he halted play.
