Watson fears Tiger won't dominate again

Published Jul. 12, 2011 6:29 p.m. ET

foxsports

US golfer Tom Watson fears Tiger Woods may never recapture the dominant form of the past because of his ongoing knee injuries, Sky Sports reported Tuesday.

Woods has not played competitively since limping out of the Players Championship in Florida on May 12, and will be absent from this week's British Open. No date has been set for the 35 year old's comeback.

Watson, now 61, had his hip replaced but overcame that to finish runner-up at the British Open at Turnberry in Scotland two years ago.

"With a hip you put a new one in and here we go," Watson said. "The knee takes a lot more stress — it's out there on its lonesome and rotates.

"Whether he is going to have a total knee replacement who knows, but that may be a more difficult thing to come back from if he does. The most important thing is for him to get well so he can put the force on it that he has to for his swing," he said.

Watson added, "He loves to work out, but can it be put back in shape is the question — that's the concern — and whether it's going to prevent him from dominating the game again, who knows?"