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In little more than a month, Tiger Woods went from being tough to beat to having a tough time even playing. Woods said Wednesday that soreness in his left elbow would keep him from defending his title next week in the AT&T National at Congressional, and that he would not compete again until the British Open next month at Muirfield. This is the sixth straight year that injury has kept him from either playing a tournament or finishing one. The culprit this time is a strain in his left elbow. The problem first became apparent during the opening round of the U.S. Open last week at Merion, when he was flexing his left wrist or dangling his arm behind his back after shots out of the thick, punishing rough. "I was examined after I returned home from the U.S. Open, and the doctors determined I have a left elbow strain," Woods said on his website. "I have been advised to take a few weeks off, rest and undergo treatment. Ill be ready to go for the British Open, and Im looking forward to playing at Muirfield." His injury is a blow to the AT&T National, which benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation. This will be the third time since it began in 2007 that Woods has missed the tournament because of injury -- knee surgery in 2008, his left Achilles tendon in 2011 and an elbow injury this year. "Any time you have Tiger in the field, it certainly adds to it a lot," tournament director Greg McLaughlin said. "But we have a very nice field this year and we look forward to a great AT&T National." Masters champion Adam Scott and U.S. Open champion Justin Rose are among those scheduled to play. McLaughlin said Woods is to be at Congressional at least on Wednesday to take part in the opening ceremonies. Woods was not specific about when or how the latest injury happened. He first showed signs of being hurt after hitting shots in the rough during the rain-delayed opening round at Merion, though he told a USGA official it was "fine" when he left the course Thursday evening. After finishing the first round Friday morning, he said only that the reason he grimaced after shots out of the rough was because of "pain" and that he felt it on a few shots. That afternoon, he revealed that he first hurt his elbow at The Players Championship, but he declined to say which round or on what kind of shot. Woods won The Players Championship on May 12 for the first time in 12 years. It was his fourth PGA Tour win of the season. Woods picked up those four in just eight starts worldwide, and the win at Sawgrass was his third victory in his last four tournaments. The exception was the Masters, where he tied for fourth, four shots out of a playoff. But the last two tournaments have produced a surprising outcome. At the Memorial, where Woods was a five-time winner and the defending champion, he had the worst nine-hole score of his career with a 44 on the back nine that led to a 79 in the third round. He tied for 65th and finished 20 shots behind, his largest deficit for a full-field event. At Merion, he wound up with a 13-over 293, his highest score ever for the U.S. Open and tied for his highest 72-hole score in any major. Even so, the announcement Wednesday was surprising. Woods had said Friday at Merion that he would not have withdrawn even if it were not the U.S. Open. He was not asked about his elbow the rest of the week. It will be the 10th time Woods is unable to defend a title in official PGA Tour events, with six of those related to reconstructive surgery on his left knee after he won the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. The last time he failed to defend was in 2010 at Bay Hill, when he was returning from the scandal in his personal life. His website said he felt minor discomfort before going to Merion and aggravated the area last week. Woods extended his regrets to AT&T, secondary sponsors and fans in Washington for not being able to play. "The AT&T National means a lot to me and my foundation," he said. "Its especially difficult not defending at my own tournament. Its going to be a great event, and I look forward to being there to provide my support." AT&T is under contract as title sponsor through 2014. The Dallas-based company recently announced that it would take over as title sponsor for the Byron Nelson Championship starting in 2015. It also is the longtime title sponsor at Pebble Beach. The British Open is July 18-21 at Muirfield, where Woods bid for the calendar Grand Slam ended in 2002 when he was caught in nasty weather. Woods shot 81 in the third round -- 10 players failed to break 80 -- for his highest score as a pro. . -- Devin Hester is done returning kicks in Chicago. .Y. - Free agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, fresh off winning the World Series with Boston, reached agreement with the rival New York Yankees on a seven-year contract worth about $153 million, a person familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday night. . It was just business as usual for the Thunder at home. Durant scored 32 points and the Thunder beat the Bulls 107-95 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win. . Varlamov made 33 saves and Ryan OReilly had a goal and scored in the shootout as the Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Thursday night. . Clarkson had been dealing with an elbow injury in early January and will be out of action for at least one week. He has three goals and five assists through 36 games with the Leafs this season. PITTSBURGH -- The ball left Travis Sniders bat and he took off with his head down. The Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder had imagined driving the ball into the Allegheny River since he joined the team last summer. In Sniders daydreams, the homer always went down the right field line, the shortest route out of PNC Park. Reality turned out to be even sweeter. And longer. Sniders 458-foot longball over the bushes in right-centre propelled the Pirates to a 7-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday night. The two-run shot was Sniders first homer since last August, an eternity for a guy once considered a power-hitting prospect. Thats why he didnt look up. Snider thought he had homered earlier in the season and flipped his bat in celebration only to end up with a double. Not this time. He sprinted around the bases without so much as peeking from under his cap to see where the ball landed. "For me its not how far it goes," Snider said. "Its just about getting it over the fence. Its been a struggle, a long nine months or so." Snider finished 3 for 5 with three RBIs, including the 31st homer to end up in the river in the 12-year history of the ballpark. Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte, Garrett Jones and Russell Martin all had two hits as Pittsburgh won for the sixth time in seven games. Francisco Liriano (2-0) allowed one run on six hits over 5 2-3 innings, striking out seven and walking three. The veteran left-hander reached 96 mph with his fastball and overcame a sloppy first inning before settling down. "I just try to stay calm, not try to do too much, hit my spot and just focus on location," Liriano said. "Pitching is all about location. Im locating my fastball a lot better and my slider is working for me so far." Burgos gave up three runs in five innings but Milwaukees offence sputtered. The Brewers have lost 11 of 13. "I know were going to be fine," Milwaukee centre fielder Carlos Gomez said. "This is a problem that can be fixed because we have good players. Its tough now, though. Its embarrassing. We have a lot of expectations on this team and were not playing up to them." The Pirates sure are. Pittsburgh moved to 24-17 with the win, matching the franchises best start through the first quarter of the season in 21 years. The 1992 Pirates also began the season 24-17 and finished with 96 victories while capturing the NL East. Its also the last time Pittsburgh finished the season with a winning record. "Were in a good place right now," Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. The romp capped a dramatic turnaround in one of baseballs most lopsided rivalries. Milwaukee has dominated the Pirates over the last six years, coming into the series 71-25 against Pittsburgh since 2007. Milwaukee won the opener on Monday before the Pirates responded with a 4-3 win on Tuesday in 12 innings.dddddddddddd A 3-1 victory followed on Wednesday before Thursdays rout, the first time the Pirates have won three straight against the Brewers in the same series since Aug. 16-18, 2009. Liriano, who signed a two-year free agent contract in the off-season, sparkled in his home debut. The veteran left-hander missed the seasons first six weeks while recovering from a broken right arm. He sailed through his first start, an 11-2 win over the New York Mets last Saturday. Things were a little tighter this time around. The Brewers pushed a run across in the first on an RBI single by Jonathan Lucroy, an inning that could have been bigger if leadoff hitter Norichika Aoki hadnt been gunned down trying to steal second after a leadoff walk and McCutchen didnt rob Ryan Braun of extra bases with a leaping grab at the wall in centre. The veteran left-hander seemed to settle down immediately. He struck out four straight batters at one point and worked out of a trouble spot in the fifth when Jonathan Lucroy flied out to left with two on to preserve a 1-all game. Snider broke the tie in the bottom of the inning. Marte led off with an infield hit then Snider crushed an 85 mph fastball. "I threw a fastball up and down the middle of the plate and he put a good swing on it," Burgos said. Burgos gave up three runs on eight hits with a walk and three strikeouts, and he remains winless since winning his major league debut against the Chicago Cubs on April 20. Milwaukee had a chance in the sixth after Clint Barmes bobbled a potential double-play ball at shortstop. Reliever Justin Wilson came on with two outs and retired pinch-hitter Aramis Ramirez on a fly to left with two on to preserve the lead for Liriano. The Pirates broke it open in the sixth off reliever Alfredo Figaro, ripping off five straight hits to score four runs and give the bullpen plenty of cushion on a night closer Jason Grilli was not available after being given the day off by Hurdle. NOTES: Four-time All-Star reliever Francisco Rodriguez, called up from Triple-A Nashville early Thursday, struck out one batter during his perfect inning of work ... Pittsburgh RHP Charlie Morton, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, pitched four innings in a rehab start at Double-A Altoona on Thursday. Morton gave up two runs on two hits with one walk and one strikeout. His next start will come at Triple-A Indianapolis next week ... The Pirates open a three-game series with Houston on Friday. Jeanmar Gomez (2-0, 2.28 ERA) starts for the Pirates against Houstons Jordan Lyles (1-1, 8.36) ... Milwaukee travels to St. Louis Friday. Wily Peralta (3-3, 5.40) faces Jaime Garcia (4-2, 2.88). ' ' '
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