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A18 SPORTS
Saturday 1 april 2017

Tiger Woods decides to sit out another Masters

DOUG FERGUSON Woods missed the Masters a hard time with what’s
AP Golf Writer for the first time in 2014 be- happened, because ev-
Tiger Woods won’t play cause of the first of what ery time he turns around,
in the Masters for the would be three surgeries he hurts himself,” Nicklaus
third time in the last four on his back. He played in said. “And instead he’s
years, announcing Friday 2015 despite taking off two saying, ‘When am I going
night on his website that months with chipping prob- to get over this?’ ... He may
rehabilitation on his back lems, and he tied for 17th. physically be hurt. You guys
didn’t allow him enough He missed the cut in the don’t know. I don’t know. I
time to prepare. other three majors that really don’t have an an-
“I did about everything I year, had two more back swer. I just know that the
could to play, but my back surgeries and missed 15 guy looks great, talks great,
rehabilitation didn’t allow months of competition to mentally he sounds sharp.
me the time to get tourna- let it heal. But after an up- So what’s happening?”
ment ready,” Woods said beat return in the Baha- Woods said there was no
on his website. mas at his unofficial Hero timetable for a return to
He still plans to be at Au- In this Feb. 2, 2017, file photo, Tiger Woods reacts on the 11th World Challenge, Woods competition.
gusta National, but only hole during the first round of the Dubai Desert Classic golf tour- curiously signed up for four “But I will continue my dili-
for dinner with past Mas- nament in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. tournaments in a five-week gent effort to recover, and
ters champions on Tuesday Associated Press stretch, including going to want to get back out there
night, just like last year. conference schedule for so the club held onto his Dubai. as soon as possible,” he
Augusta National checked He missed the cut at Tor- said.
on Woods’ status Thursday Masters week. Woods did 1 p.m. Tuesday spot just in rey Pines, a place where Woods has signed endorse-
not know if he could play, case.
before sending out its press he has won eight times as ment deals over the last
a pro. And after a 77 in four months with Monster
easy conditions at Dubai Energy (on his golf bag),
in early February, he with- and equipment deals to
drew the next day, citing play with TaylorMade clubs
back spasms. Woods also and Bridgestone golf balls.
cited back spasms for with- He still has an apparel con-
drawing from his own tour- tract with Nike.
nament at Riviera — he Woods said he was particu-
even withdrew from a press larly disappointed because
conference at the Genesis this is the 20-year anniver-
Open, which supports his sary of his first victory at the
foundation — and from the Masters, a record-shatter-
Honda Classic. ing, game-changing, 12-
Woods also missed the Ar- shot victory at age 21.
nold Palmer Invitational. He was in New York last
And now the wait contin- week to promote a book
ues for Woods, once golf’s he wrote about the 1997
dominant force, now its Masters.
biggest mystery. Woods won the Masters
“I think injury has a lot to do four times, most recently in
with it, but the injury is not 2005 in a playoff over Chris
just his body, but his mind,” DiMarco. The Masters re-
Jack Nicklaus said in an in- mains the only major where
terview last month. he has never missed the
“Mentally, I think he’s had cut as a pro.q