“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,” Woods said in the news release. “I wanted to be very respectful of the U.S.G.A. and their incredibly hard work and make sure the focus was on the U.S. Open. Now, it is clear that the right thing to do is listen to my doctors, follow through with this surgery and focus my attention on rehabilitating my knee.”  In all likelihood, that will not be until well into next season. The recovery time for major A.C.L. reconstruction can be from six to eight months. The revelation that the injury occurred last summer and will now be the focus of major surgery was the first mention of an A.C.L. problem by Woods or anyone in his camp.  Dr. Tony Buon-Christiani, a Sun Valley, Idaho, orthopedic surgeon specializing in the repair of various A.C.L. injuries sustained by professional and amateur skiers in the area, said rehabilitation variables included age, physical condition, whether one’s own tissue or cadaver tissue was used in reconstruction and whether an athlete was dedicated in rehabilitating the quadriceps and hamstrings.  “The party line is about six months, but there is no one answer,” he said in a telephone interview Wednesday night. “Jerry Rice, the ex-49ers receiver, went back at four months and retore his A.C.L. A key is getting the strength back in the quadriceps and hamstrings, the surrounding musculature that are the sort of secondary stabilizers that will hopefully augment the repair.  “If someone doesn’t do their rehab, I need to protect them and keep them out if they’re not ready to return to sport. On the flip side, if they do the work, and have rock-solid repair with their own graft tissue, I’ll consider returning them in five months.”  Although he declined to speak specifically about Woods’s case, he said a golfer’s rehabilitation would fall into a similar time frame. Given Woods’s dedication, the seven months between July and December offer plenty of time to rehabilitate successfully.  Even before the A.C.L. tear last July, Woods had gone through swing changes with Hank Haney aimed at slightly flattening Woods’s angle of attack and reducing the pressure on his knee. Whether this latest injury will force him to try more drastic changes is uncertain, but not likely, assuming the surgery is successful and the rehabilitation complete by the time Woods begins playing again.  Woods’s absence for the rest of the season is a blow to the sport in which he has been the biggest draw and most compelling figure for the last decade. He has been ranked No. 1 in the world for 500 weeks, and the significant effect he has on television ratings and attendance cannot be overstated. Woods’s top rival, No. 2 Phil Mickelson, reacted swiftly to the news of Woods’s decision.  “I’m sorry about Tiger having to miss the rest of the year due to more knee surgery,” Mickelson said in a statement. “I know how frustrating it was to lose most of last summer to my wrist injury, but I expect him to be back as strong as ever and look forward to competing with him as soon as possible.”  Some questioned the cost of Woods’s victory at Torrey Pines, including two PGA Tour players on the practice range Wednesday before the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Conn.  “I’m blown away,” said Johnson Wagner, a winner of the Houston Open. “I’m upset. I wanted a chance to play with him this year. That’s unfortunate. What an incredible performance he put on at the U.S. Open. Was it worth it? I don’t know. He’s going to be sitting out two majors and the Ryder Cup, and it’s not good news, it’s not good news for anything.”  The office of Commissioner Tim Finchem circulated a statement within 45 minutes after the first bulletin that Woods would end his season and miss the British Open, the P.G.A. Championship and the Ryder Cup.  “For an athlete as talented and competitive as Tiger Woods, taking the rest of the season off must have been an incredibly difficult, yet necessary decision, one that we understand and support completely,” Finchem’s statement said. After sustaining the injury last year, Woods went on to win five of his next six events, including the W.G.C.-Bridgestone Invitational, the P.G.A. Championship, the BMW Championship, the Tour Championship and the Target World Challenge, and 10 of his last 12 tournaments over two seasons.  Woods originally had pointed to the Memorial at the end of May for his return from the April arthroscopic surgery, but shortly before that tournament, the stress fractures were discovered in his tibia.  “I was determined, though, to do everything and anything in my power to play in the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, which is a course that is close to where I grew up and holds many special memories for me,” Woods said in the statement. “Although I will miss the rest of the 2008 season, I’m thrilled with the fact that last week was such a special tournament.”  Tournament sponsors and organizers will suffer most from Woods’s absence. Woods had committed to play at the Buick Open at Warwick Hills in Grand Blanc, Mich. Organizers had to cancel a golf clinic for next Tuesday night at Comerica Park in Detroit. Refunds were arranged for thousands of tickets.  “Certainly we’ll see a decreased gate and a decrease in TV ratings, but we still have a great field of golfers,” said Larry Peck, Buick’s golf promotions manager.  A version of this article appears in print on , on Page D1 of the New York edition with the headline: After a Big Victory, a Huge Loss for Golf. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe
Tiger Woods will have surgery to repair a torn ligament, an injury he has been dealing with for the last 10 months.