Tiger Woods Will Miss the Masters

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Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods watches his tee shot on the 12th hole during the final round of the Cadillac Championship golf tournament March 9, 2014, in Doral, Fla.Lynne Sladky—AP
By Denver Nicks

Tiger Woods will not be competing in this year’s Masters Tournament in Augusta, Ga., and will focus instead on rehabilitating from a recent surgery, the professional golfer announced in a press release Tuesday.

“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 in a statement.

The golfer has been plagued with injuries in recent months, according to Golf.com. On Monday, Woods underwent a successful surgery on his spine to repair a pinched nerve—likely the result, he said, of the repetitive motion in golf—that had been bothering him for months, according to a press release. Rehabilitation after the surgery is expected to take several weeks.

Woods hopes to return to playing golf sometime over the summer.

Photos: How Tiger Woods’ Descent Into Injury Began

World number one golf player Tiger Woods speaks at a press conference at the Chevron World Challenge, at the Sherwood Country Cub in Thousand Oaks, Calif. on Dec. 17, 2008.
2008 U.S. Open Tiger Woods' dramatic win became all the more awe-inducing when the player revealed he was competing with a torn ACL and a double stress fracture in his left leg. Knee surgery kept the Opens champion out of the Ryder Cup and the next two majors.Robyn Beck—AFP/Getty Images
Tiger Woods plays an approach shot from the rough on the seventh hole, his last shot before withdrawing from the final round of The Players Championship held at The Players Stadium course at TPC Sawgrass on May 9, 2010 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
2010 Players Championship Woods was plagued not only by sex scandals but injuries in 2010. The golfer was forced to bow out during the final round of the Players Championship because of a neck injury. An MRI showed that he had an inflamed facet joint in his neck.Richard Heathcote—Getty Images
Tiger Woods and Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland walk down the fourth fairway during the final round of the Chevron World Challenge at Sherwood Country Club on Dec. 5, 2010 in Thousand Oaks, Calif.
2010 Chevron World Challenge After Woods lost to Graeme McDowell, the player complained of a sore Achilles' tendon. The injury was treated with cortisone.Stephen Dunn—Getty Images
Tiger Woods hits out of the rough off the 17th hole during the third round of the Masters golf tournament April 9, 2011, in Augusta, Ga.
2011 Masters Championship During the third round of the Masters, Woods suffered from a minor MCL strain in his left knee and strained left Achilles' tendon that kept him sidelined at the next event. Woods couldn't play at the Wells Fargo Championship the next week.Chris O'Meara—AP
THE PLAYERS Championship - Round One
2011 Players Championship But missing the Wells Fargo Championship wasn't enough. Woods ended up withdrawing from the Players Championship mid-game when he complained that his knee was acting up and his calf was cramping.Caryn Levy—Getty Images

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