Tiger Woods Leave of Absence: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

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On Wednesday, Tiger Woods officially released a statement on his website saying that he was going to be taking a temporary leave of absence from the sport.

He also tweeted from his official account:

Woods taking himself out of PGA events has something that has been a more frequent occurrence in recent years. He is currently ranked 62nd in the world, which is the lowest since he turned professional in 1996.



1. Tiger Withdrew From the Farmers Insurance Open Last Week

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Last Thursday Woods withdrew from last weekend’s PGA Farmers Insurance Open after just 11 holes. Woods’ early exit marked the eighth time in his PGA Tour career that he’s withdrawn from a tournament and the sixth time in the last five seasons.

The list of PGA events that Tiger has withdrawn from include:
1998: Woods withdraws before the start of the Kemper Open due to a back injury
2006: Woods withdraws before teeing off in the third round of the Nissan Open citing the flu
2010: Woods withdraws from the Players Championship after eight holes in the final round citing a neck injury
2011: Woods withdraws after nine holes in the first round of the Players Championship citing a knee injury
2012: Woods withdraws from the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral after 12 holes in the final round citing a left leg injury
2014: Woods withdraws after 13 holes in the final round of the Honda Classic citing lower back spasms
2014: Woods withdraws after eight holes in the final round of the Bridgestone Invitational, citing lower back spasms.
2015: Woods withdraws after 11 holes in the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open, citing back pain.


2. The Withdraw is Unrelated to His Previous Back Injury

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According to Woods’ statement:

This latest injury is not related to my previous surgery. I am having daily physical therapy and I am feeling better every day.

The injury that Woods is referring to is his back injury. Last May, Woods released this statement on his website that gave an update about the microdisectomy surgery that had taken place because of the pinched nerve in his back.


3. Woods is Disappointed in Himself and Needs Some Time to Reevaluate

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In the first sentence of the statement, Woods said:

The last two weeks have been very disappointing to me, especially Torrey, because I never want to withdraw. Unfortunately, lately injuries have made that happen too often.

He continued:

Right now, I need a lot of work on my game, and to still spend time with the people that are important to me. My play, and scores, are not acceptable for tournament golf. Like I’ve said, I enter a tournament to compete at the highest level, and when I think I’m ready, I’ll be back. Next week I will practice at Medalist and at home getting ready for the rest of the year.


4. Golf Analysts Are Questioning Woods’ Future After His Latest Injury

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Woods has not been the same player since the car accident and impending scandal he was involved with, now over five years ago. As recently as two years ago, Woods won five PGA tournaments and 2013 Player of the Year honors.

Before he pulled out of last week’s tournament, he monumentally struggled — he shot an 82 on the first day. Questions will begin to mount in the coming months if he can even reach the diluted level he was at in 2013.


5. Woods Is Optimistic About a Return Later This Month at the Honda Classic

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Woods was optimistic about his scheduled return time, so much so that he is looking to play in February 26 Honda Classic — just about two weeks from now.

I am committed to getting back to the pinnacle of my game. I’d like to play The Honda Classic — it’s a tournament in my hometown and it’s important to me — but I won’t be there unless my game is tournament-ready. That’s not fair to anyone. I do, however, expect to be playing again very soon.