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Golf star Tiger Woods announces he will not play at the U.S. Open
World No. 3 is still recovering after undergoing back surgery in March
The last of Woods 14 major wins came at the U.S Open in 2008
Woods: "I won't be there because I'm not yet physically able to play competitive golf"
For the second golf major in a row, Tiger Woods will be missing.
The world No. 3 and 14-time major champion announced Wednesday he would miss the U.S. Open as he continued his recovery from back surgery.
Woods went under the knife to repair a pinched nerve in March and also missed the first major of the year –The Masters – in April.
The 38-year-old’s last major victory came at the 2008 U.S. Open but in a statement on his official website, he said he would not be competing at Pinehurst in North Carolina next month.
“Unfortunately, I won’t be there because I’m not yet physically able to play competitive golf,” Woods said.
“I’d like to convey my regrets to the USGA leadership, the volunteers and the fans that I won’t be at Pinehurst.
“The U.S. Open is very important to me, and I know it’s going to be a great week.
“Despite missing the first two majors, and several other important tournaments, I remain very optimistic about this year and my future.”
Injury hampered Woods’ early months of the season and he has not competed on the PGA Tour since early March.
This will be the sixth major championship he has skipped through injury, his absence at Augusta the first time he’d missed The Masters since making his debut there as an amateur in 1995.
Stuck on 14 majors since 2008, he will now have only two more chances this season to close in on Jack Nicklaus’ record haul of 18.
Despite being absent for several months Woods has only recently relinquished his world No. 1 ranking, to Australia’s Adam Scott.
