Golf: Tiger Woods' Father Stricken With Cancer

Tiger Woods, who could lose his world No1 ranking this week has a far more important worry on his mind. His father, Earl, has suffered a relapse in treatment for prostate cancer and says that the disease has spread through his body.

Woods is in Boston for the Deutsche Bank event and if Vijay Singh finishes ahead of him the Fijian will move to the top of the rankings. The American has played poorly, by his standards, this season and has not yet won a stroke play event. His performances in the four majors have been the worst since he turned professional. Naturally, though, now his concern is for his father.

In less than two weeks Woods is expected to be at the forefront of an attempt by the United States to win back the Ryder Cup, in Detroit. His captain, Hal Sutton, in a reference to Woods' relatively poor record in the match (P15, W5, L8, H2) has said: "We will do all we can to ensure that Tiger gets five points out of five."

He will be expected to be the on-course leader of the team, a role he has not relished in the past and which would obviously be more difficult should his father be in any danger.

Earl, 73 and a Vietnam veteran, has not been physically well since a heart attack in 1996 and Tiger said yesterday: "It's been tough, just like it was eight years ago when there were complications after the heart surgery."

Speaking about his current problem, Earl said: "The cancer has formed lesions in my back and there was a tumour behind the left eye which was literally being pushed out of the socket. The pain was so bad it was past being a headache - there's no such thing as a headache like that.

"Every beat of my heart there was pain. When I told Tiger he was concerned. He went very quiet and he looked at me and said, 'Pop, when I was a little kid you promised me you were going to be here until you were 84. I'm going to hold you to that.'

"And I said, 'You've got it. I'll be here'."