tiger woods

Tiger calls out Ernie Els: "Not a big worker physically"

Tiger calls out Ernie Els: "Not a big worker physically"

By Jay Busbee

So much for the bland Tiger Woods quotes.

At a press conference in preparation for the Deutsche Bank Championship, Woods called out Ernie Els by name, saying Els did not do sufficient rehab on his surgically repaired left knee back in 2005.

"Ernie is not a big worker physically and that's one of the things you have to do with an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injury," Woods said. "I feel pretty good with what I've done and I think Ernie could have worked a little bit harder."

Woods, of course, had almost identical surgery and has come back to win five tournaments and place in the top 10 in 12 of 14 tournaments in which he's played. Els, meanwhile, now lingers in the lower echelons of the top 20, and has won only three tournaments since his knee surgery, none since March 2008.

Els was once one of the top players in the world, a legitimate challenger to Woods, but even his own family wouldn't consider him a serious rival to Tiger any longer. But is that because of his knee surgery, or because he's simply getting older? (Els turns 40 later this year.)

Question is, why would Tiger even say such a thing? Why embarrass Els with quotes he knew would be reported worldwide? Perhaps it's a bit of pscyhological gamesmanship, dispatching his rivals one at a time like a ninja. Perhaps it's just that Woods can't imagine giving less than total commitment at all times, and can't put up with anyone who does.

So, your take. Honest truth or jerk move?