Tiger Woods will miss the Masters

Tiger Woods announced on Tuesday that he will be unable to play in the Masters next week after undergoing a successful microdiscectomy procedure to repair a pinched nerve that has been causing him pain for months. He will need to rest and rehab for several weeks.

“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 press release on his website. “I’d like to express my disappointment to the Augusta National membership, staff, volunteers and patrons that I will not be at the Masters. 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.”

Woods also thanked the fans for their support, adding that he is frustrated to have to miss golf’s most storied event but is following the advice of his doctors to preserve his long-term health.

It’s hard to imagine the Masters without Woods, as he will be missing the event for the first time in his career. He has won the Masters four times and would have been searching for his first major tournament win since 2008. The last time he won the Masters was in 2005.

Tiger had to withdraw from the Honda Classic last month due to back spasms. It was reportedly the same discomfort he had experienced last year at The Barclays, so this is something that has been going on for a while. He hopes to be back at some point during the summer.