Even before Tiger Woods withdrew from the Honda Classic on his back nine Sunday afternoon, my view of his 2014 season was not all that cheery.
Yes, he was coming off a five-win season in 2013, and yes, his main goal during the offseason was to rest that 38-year-old body so that he'd be ready for the rigors of 16 to 18 tournaments he'd most likely play in 2014.
How's that working for him?
With this incident Sunday, he's now been hit by lower-back pain. You may remember last summer at the Barclays, where Woods was suffering from such bad spasms to the point that he fell to his knees in pain after one particular shot.
He was able to limp home and finish second there, but he was troubled by it during the final three FedEx Cup playoff events.
We're now looking at the two most recognizable names in golf, Woods and Phil Mickelson, as guys who could disappear from a tournament in a heartbeat if a spasm flares in their backs. And while much is expected of both, it figures to be problematic for either of them in 2014.

Woods, of course, continues his quest to win four more major championships to tie Jack Nicklaus at 18. This was thought to be a good year for him to perhaps pick up a couple of major titles, based on his bounce-back 2013 season and the success he's had at this year's major venues.
But his play has been abysmal by his standards, and now that there's a back issue this early in the year, those kinds of predictions have to be reassessed.
Golf fans and the media have this misconception that because Woods is credited with bringing fitness back to the PGA Tour, his above-average physique has made him bulletproof.

That's not the case at all. The reality is that he's been injured a lot, as chronicled in a Golf Channel piece updated Sunday after the latest injury.
As a matter of fact, according to PGATour.com, Sunday's withdrawal was the seventh in his career and, more to the point, the fourth in the last five years.
I'm not bullish on Tiger '14. Consider these things: He just turned 38 in December, and while that hardly qualifies him for Social Security payments, there are a lot of miles and wear and tear on that 38-year-old body.
Take away what happened Sunday afternoon. How many of the tournaments in which Woods normally plays would you rate him the favorite? I honestly can't think of any.
And I'm not saying he's done—not at all. But on top of everything else Woods has been forced to deal with, now there are the more persistent back issues. Once he gets this one settled, he could proceed nicely for a while with no problems.
But when will they strike again? Nobody knows, and that's what makes him an iffy pick for the rest of the season.
A prime example? Woods shot his best round in 18 months in Saturday's third round of the Honda Classic, a 65 that moved him to the edge of contention. When he started hitting the ball on the practice range, trouble with his back started.