Tiger Woods Withdraws From Masters With Back Issues
For the first time in 20 years, The Masters will be without one of it's biggest draws as Tiger Woods announced this morning that his ailing back problems will keep him out of the tournament.
Woods, a Jupiter Island resident, has won The Masters four times but has been battling some back issues as of late. He withdrew from the Honda Classic at PGA National in the final round a month ago and then withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational after being in noticeable pain during the final round of the WGC Cadillac Championships.
Woods had planned on taking the next few weeks off as he was attempting to recover for another trip to Augusta National next week. After consoling with his doctors he decided that surgery was needed, preventing him from competing in the season's first major. Woods had successful surgery on a pinched nerve in his back and will require several months of rehabilitation.
"After attempting to get ready for the Masters, and failing to make the necessary progress, I decided, in consultation with my doctors, to have this procedure done," Woods said. "I'd like to express my disappointment to the Augusta National membership, staff, volunteers and patrons that I will not be at the Masters," Tiger added. "It's a week that's very special to me. It also looks like I'll be forced to miss several upcoming tournaments to focus on my rehabilitation and getting healthy."
While Woods has won four times at Augusta National, he has not won The Masters since 2005. Not only was he looking to win his fifth green jacket, he was looking to win his first major since 2008 which would bring him one closer to Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 majors. He has been stuck on 14 since he won the U.S. Open in 2008.
While no return date has been set yet, Woods plans on returning to action sometime in the summer.
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