| Tiger Woods was keen to play at Bay Hill to honour the late tournament host Arnold Palmer, who died last September, but has not recovered from back spasms |
Tiger Woods will miss next week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida as he continues back rehabilitation, he has announced.
The news comes one month before the first major championship of 2017, the Masters at Augusta National.
“Unfortunately, due to ongoing rest and rehabilitation on my back, I won’t be able to play in this year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational,” Woods, 41, said on his website (tigerwoods.com).
“I’m especially disappointed because I wanted to be at Bay Hill to help honour Arnold.”
This will be the first staging of the PGA Tour event at Bay Hill in Orlando since Palmer died last September.
The 14-time major champion Woods, who has hardly played since major back surgery in 2015, gave no indication on when he might return to competition.
“Presently, I have no timetable for my return to golf, but my treatments are continuing and going well,” he said.