Goosen: Woods comments were 'light-hearted'

Retief Goosen insists he was being “light-hearted” when he suggested Tiger Woods exaggerated his knee injury during his US Open victory.

Woods won his 14th major title at Torrey Pines, beating compatriot Rocco Mediate in a play-off just nine weeks after surgery to his left knee.

The world number one winced in pain on numerous occasions and Goosen, himself twice a US Open winner, was asked if Woods could have been faking it.

He told German TV ahead of this week’s BMW International in Munich: “I think so. It just seemed that when he hit a bad shot his knee was in pain and on his good shots he wasn’t in pain.

“You see when he made the putts and he went down on his knees and was shouting ’Yeah’ his knee wasn’t sore.

“Nobody really knows if he was just showing off or if he was really injured. I believe if he was really injured he would not have played.”

Asked later about his comments, Goosen told The Times: “I was being light-hearted. No one but Tiger knows how badly hurt he was. But if he was really badly hurt, he would have withdrawn wouldn’t he?”