GOLF:TIGER WOODS, who won a famous US Open victory at Torrey Pines this week despite carrying a knee injury, will not play again this year. The world number one has confirmed the worst fears of those who said he risked more serious injury to his left knee by coming back too early from surgery and has cast doubt on his golfing future.

Woods will now miss next month's British Open at Birkdale, September's Ryder Cup, and the PGA Championship in Detroit in August.

The earliest he is expected to play again is at next January's Buick Invitational, at Torrey Pines, and his next major will be the 2009 Masters.

In a statement Woods said: "I know much was made of my knee throughout the last week, and it was important to me that I disclose my condition publicly at an appropriate time. I wanted to be very respectful of the USPGA and their incredibly hard work, and make sure the focus was on the US Open.

"Now it is clear that the right thing to do is to listen to my doctors, follow through with this surgery, and focus on rehabilitating my knee."

Woods's absence will come as a devastating blow for the Ryder Cup. The biennial event's organisers were depending on his presence to add lustre to the contest between Europe and the United States. Woods has never been a big fan of the event, nor enjoyed much success at it, but he would have been the star attraction.

The absence of the winner of 14 majors will be felt at the British Open at Birkdale, where he finished third in 1998, the last time the tournament was held at the Merseyside course. The Californian would have started the week as a prohibitive favourite to increase his tally as a three-times winner of the Claret Jug.

Woods will also miss a number of PGA tour events, including the lucrative end-of-season FedEx Cup series. Money, however, will be the least of his concerns. Far more worrying will be his long-term future, especially his prospects of overhauling Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 major championships. At the age of 32, and clearly at the peak of his powers, Woods was expected to surpass his boyhood hero within the next few years, but that is no longer certain.

Woods underwent surgery on his troublesome left knee for a third time after the Masters in April and, after a brief rehabilitation, walked 18 holes for the first time at the US Open. But for his astonishing record at Torrey Pines - he had won there six times in nine attempts on the PGA tour - and his certainty that he could continue his winning streak at a major, it is highly unlikely he would have made the trip.

The gamble paid off, at least in the short term. Not only did he add to his total of major wins, he did so in thrilling fashion, holing countless putts in pressure situations before beating Rocco Mediate in a play-off. "It was the greatest [of my major victories], especially because of everything that has been going on this week," he said.

He was clearly in pain at Torrey Pines and was seen wincing throughout the tournament. Typically, Woods refused to discuss his problem at length, conceding only that the knee was "sore" and the pain had worsened as the week had progressed. Asked if he had injured himself further, Woods would only say "maybe".

Clearly, consultations with his doctors over the past couple of days have removed any such equivocation. It is not clear what medical steps Woods will take - a full statement is expected later today - although there were indications in the US last night that he that he won the seasons second major championship with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and a double stress fracture in his lower leg.

John Daly, in Germany preparing for the International Open, said yesterday: "It is a blow to all the fans who follow him, the sponsors - the money wouldn't be where it is if it wasn't for him. A lot of people don't realise if it wasn't for Tiger we wouldn't be playing for what we are now."