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Poulter tells Woods to sit out rest of 2011

Ian Poulter has told Tiger Woods not to rush his injury recovery © PA Photos

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• Profile: Ian Poulter | Tiger Woods

World No. 16 Ian Poulter believes Tiger Woods should take the rest of the 2011 season off to allow him to fully recover from his current injuries.

Woods, now as low as 17th in the world rankings, has not played since the Players Championship at the start of May - where he aggravated a sprained knee and strained Achilles tendon in his left leg.

Despite that the 35-year-old has refused to rule himself out of the Open Championship that begins next week, but Poulter believes the 14-time major champion is lying to himself if he still believes he will play at Royal St George's.

"He won't play and he probably shouldn't," Poulter told the Daily Mirror. "To be honest, all he needs to do is get himself fit. If he comes back too early, he is going to be back out of the game for a while."

Poulter believes it will be better for both Woods and the game of golf if he waits until he is completely healed before he returns - even if that means sitting out the remainder of the current season.

"He has been so good for golf that I think everybody would like to see him fit, healthy and where he can just play with no injuries," he added. "If that means he has to take the rest of the year off, if that were me, I would be taking the rest of the year off.

"I don't think he should pressurise himself and I am sure he won't. He will come back when he's ready."

Poulter has courted headlines in the past for some bullish statements about Woods and his ability, comments that have landed him in hot water with both the media and the American himself. But, while others are writing off Woods' chances of ever being a real force in the game again, the Englishman is not so sure.

"When he is back, he will be a factor," Poulter added. "Tiger was comfortably twice as good as anyone else when he got to 20 points in the world rankings.

"A half Tiger would still compete to be world No. 1."

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