Tiger Woods is missing from Augusta this year. (Getty)
Tiger Woods is missing from this year’s field at Augusta. Woods continues to nurse a back injury that has sidelined him from action.
According to the USA Today, it marks the second Masters in three years where Woods has not participated. Woods has won 14 majors including four Masters during his career.
Woods is continuing to rehab from his third back surgery and announced he has begun hitting drivers during his recovery process. While he has not announced a return date, his recent progress points to him competing again soon.
He posted this video in February showing his recovery progress:
Belief in Woods ability appears to be at an all-time low. In a recent ESPN the Magazine survey, 70% of pro golfers surveyed believed Woods would not win another major during his career. It was a jump up from the previous year’s survey where 63% of golfers believed he would not win another major.
While Woods may not be competing in this year’s tournament, his impressive history at the Masters continues to hover over the tournament.
Jason Day spoke with the USA Today about Woods impact on the game of golf.
“It was fantastic golf to watch. I mean, he did things that no one else could do: hit shots around the greens, shots from way off the green, approaches. It was just amazing what he could do as an athlete in our sport. He changed the game of golf for the better,” Day told the USA Today.
Pretty cool that at dinner tonight 3 of us sitting next to each other have won a combined 14 green jackets.
In 1997, Woods became the youngest player to ever win the Masters at 21. Woods earned back-to-back green jackets in 2001 and 2002. He won his last Masters over a decade ago in 2005.
Relive some of Woods top Masters moments with this highlight video: