Tiger tweets, back pain forces DJ out of Humana

While Tiger Woods took to Twitter Friday afternoon to talk up his Pebble Beach playing partner Tony Romo, Dustin Johnson became the second golfer of the day to withdraw because of injury from this week’s Humana Challenge -- a tourney whose focus is on health and well-being. A bad back, and not his surgically repaired knee forced Johnson out of the contest midway through his second round Friday.

Woods, who's not in the Humana field and took time off from preparations for next week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, put to rest any lingering doubt about which NFL quarterback will be calling the signals with him next month at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. And no, for those still stuck in traffic leaving Gillette Stadium after the New England Patriots’ shellacking of the Denver Broncos last Saturday, it won’t be the Broncos’ left-handed tosser of the pigskin Tim Tebow.

"I know he can shoot in the 60s," @TigerWoods tweeted about the Dallas Cowboys QB and would-be U.S. Open qualifier, "a matter of shooting them when it counts."

Dustin Johnson (l.) withdraws from this week's Humana Challenge, while Tiger Woods takes to Twitter to talk up Tony Romo (Photo: Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

Woods followed that up with more kudos on his website for Romo, who’ll be making a return appearance as Tiger’s sidekick in a PGA Tour event. "Tony is a great guy and a good player," Woods said. "We played together at my [2009] AT&T National event and really enjoyed ourselves. I'm looking forward to teeing it up with him again."

As for DJ, who followed 2011 Greenbrier Classic winner Scott Stallings to the sidelines Friday, it appeared that his surgically repaired right knee was fine but his back was not up to the task of walking 18 holes. Johnson tried to give it a go after swinging a club three weeks ago for the first time since arthroscopic surgery in November.

"My knee is ok. I am not worried about it," Johnson told PGATour.com after making it through nine holes Friday. "My lower back is really stiff and hurting, which I think is from the way I am walking or the fact that I have not walked a lot since the surgery. Yesterday was the first time I walked a full 18 holes."

Johnson took his tender knee for a test drive on Tuesday but did not walk the full 18.

"I actually I didn't walk 18," he told reporters Wednesday. "I walked we went out and played, we played probably 16 or 17 holes and I walked probably every other hole....just the last couple days I been playing on a cart, but I been just walking, kind of walking every other hole, just to stay kind of loose and loosen it up.

"As far as hitting balls and doing all that stuff, it doesn't bother me, but I haven't been out there all day walking on it yet," Johnson added. "But I don't think it's going to be an issue."

Following surgery, Johnson had circled next week’s Farmers Insurance Open as the event to kick start his 2012 season. He said today’s WD should have no impact on his play at Torrey Pines.

"I do intend to play next week in San Diego," said Johnson, who shot an opening-round even-par 72 on the Palmer Course and was 4-over at La Quinta Country Club before he halted play.