Tiger Woods Announces He Will Not Compete at 2016 Masters

Fourteen-time major champion Tiger Woods announced on Friday that he will not take part in the 2016 Masters, the first major tournament of the season:

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After assessing the present condition of my back, and consulting with my medical team, I've decided it's prudent to miss this year's Masters.

I've been hitting balls and training daily, but I'm not physically ready. I've said all along that this time I need to be cautious and do what's best for my long-term health and career. Unfortunately, playing Augusta next week wouldn't be the right decision. I'm absolutely making progress, and I'm really happy with how far I've come, but I still have no timetable to return to competitive golf.

I'd like to express my disappointment to Billy Payne, the Augusta National membership, staff, volunteers and patrons that I won't be competing. It's a very important and special week to me, and it's upsetting to miss it. I do plan to attend the Champions Dinner and see a lot of old friends.

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Woods has dealt with a wide variety of injury issues throughout his career. The most recent ailments have affected his back, which prevented him from playing a full schedule each of the past two years as he went through multiple procedures in an effort to eliminate the pain.

The lingering problems have caused him to delay the start to his 2016 campaign, as well. He provided an update on his official website in early March, which noted he was chipping, putting and hitting 9-irons at home, providing a glimmer of hope he might be ready for the Masters.

Even though golf is in the capable hands of Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler, among others in a new era of stars, the vibe remains completely different than when Woods is taking part in an event. He's a massive mainstream draw based on his past success.

Most fans are still curious to see whether he's got one more memorable run in him that could bring the superstar within striking distance of Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major victories.

While that possibility becomes increasingly less likely with each stint away from the game due to injuries, it can't be completely ruled out. Last December, the current record holder told Paul Gittings of CNN there's still a solid chance Woods can get it done, health willing.

"He has always been a very focused young man with a great work ethic, and is tremendously talented. To count him out of that [majors record] would be foolish, he certainly has a very good chance of doing that," Nicklaus said.

Ultimately, Woods decided his pursuit of the record will remain on hold for the time being. The decision doesn't come as much of a surprise since he would have needed to make a lot of progress over the past month to get ready, but it still takes a little intrigue out of the tournament.

Taking it slow is the right move, though. There are still occasional glimpses of vintage Tiger—he posted 64-65 in the first two rounds of the Wyndham en route to a top-10 finish in his last start—but any time it seems like he's starting to pick up steam, the injury bug strikes again.

His only real chance of chasing down the major championship record is an extended stretch of good health. Getting all the way back to full strength before transitioning back into competitive action, even if it means missing high-profile events, gives him the best chance to make that happen.

Woods' next chance to tee it up in a major will come in June at Oakmont Country Club for the U.S. Open.