Goosen plays down Tiger 'ham' comments but insists: He could not have been that badly hurt

While 25,000 fans roared on Woods as he shrugged off the pain in his left knee to play 91 holes in five days, Goosen did not appear impressed.

Child's play: Tiger Woods walks with his daughter Sam Alexis

The South African, who won the last U.S. Open play-off, against Mark Brooks at Southern Hills in 2001, before winning the title again at Shinnecock Hills in 2004, said yesterday: 'It just seemed when he (Woods) hit bad shots his knee was in pain and on his good shots he wasn't.'

Goosen flew out of California after finishing 14th and watched the play-off on television at home in London.

He told German TV before tomorrow's first round of the BMW International in Munich:

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

Goosen admitted he had no proof to back his claims. Later, when asked if Woods could have been 'faking it, a smiling Goosen replied: 'I think so! I think so! You see when he made the putts and he went down on his knees shouting "Yeah", his knee wasn't sore.'

Woods would only admit his knee was 'sore' throughout his week at Torrey Pines, and he said after his victory he needed rest, which could force him to miss next month's Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

However, late last night, Goosen insisted: "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 But if he was really badly hurt, he would have withdrawn wouldn't he?"

Meanwhile, England's Luke Donald and Ian Poulter withdrew from the BMW event yesterday as a result of wrist injuries picked up at Torrey Pines.

Neither completed his U.S. Open campaign after being injured when trying to play out of the uncompromising rough in California.