Tiger Woods thought he would be ready to try to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational for the ninth time, and third in a row, but he announced on Tuesday that be won’t make it to Bay Hill this week because of lingering back problems.
Woods added that he’s not even sure about the Masters in three weeks.
“I personally called Arnold today to tell him that, sadly, I won’t be able to play in his tournament this year,” Woods said in a statement. “I would like to express my regrets to the Orlando fans, the volunteers, the tournament staff and the sponsors for having to miss the event.
“Unfortunately, my back spasms and the pain haven’t subsided. It’s too early to know about the Masters, and I will continue to be evaluated and work closely with my doctors. I feel badly that I won’t be able to play in this great tournament this week.”
Woods said a while back that he might add one of the two Texas events, the Valero Texas Open or the Shell Houston Open, before heading to Augusta, but obviously that remains up in the air, too.
