The Masters has been one of the world's premier sports events for decades, so this isn't to suggest that Tiger Woods' stunning announcement that he's pulling out of the tournament because of back surgery will reduce the tournament to a local putt-putt tournament on the giraffe course at Mountasia.
But the Masters just became less interesting.
First the Eisenhower Tree goes down, now this:
Woods, who has been suffering from back spasms recently, announced on his website TigerWoods.com that he underwent a microdiscectomy on Monday in Park City, Utah, and is pulling out of the tournament. A full copy of the statement is below.
Woods sent this message out on Twitter:
This will be the first time Woods has missed the Masters in his career. He hasn't won at Augusta National since 2005. He hasn't won a major since the U.S. Open in 2008. But he is the No. 1 ranked player in the world and remains the most interesting golfer on the Tour. He draws the biggest galleries -- by a longshot -- and stirs the most media attention and biggest television ratings. With the chance that Phil Mickelson also may miss the Masters because of a strained oblique, there's a chance the jewel of the golf season will be without its two biggest attractions.
It doesn't matter whether you love Woods or hate him, or fall somewhere in between. Next week won't be the same without him teeing off on Thursday, even if the chances of him winning seemed less than great, given his recent health issues.
Because Woods' announcement coincided with April Fools Day, sone have wondered whether this was some elaborate joke. But I phoned the office of his agent, Mark Steinberg and was assured by an assistant that, "Everything on TigerWoods.com is accurate." So if this is a joke, they're going to great extremes to pull it off.
He suffered from back spasms last fall and again recently at the Honda Classic, leading him to withdraw from the tournament during the final round. When he shot a final-round career-high of 78 in the WGC Cadillac Championship, it reaffirmed the seriousness of his condition.
Augusta National chairman Billy Payne released a statement on Woods' absence: “Tiger was gracious in keeping us updated of his condition and making us aware of his decision. We wholeheartedly offered our best wishes for his immediate and long-term recovery. Tiger will be in our thoughts and will be missed by our patrons and all of us at the Masters Tournament next week. He is one of our most decorated champions and we look forward to his healthy return in 2015 and beyond.”
Here is Woods' full statement from TigerWoods.com:
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