Tiger Woods' much-awaited return to golf has not gone according to plan at all as he continues to struggle with injuries. Woods had made his return to golf in December 2016 at the Hero World Challenge, his first tournament in 15 months after his third back operation.
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Woods then took part in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and after a disappointing first round, which saw him fire an opening 77, he had to withdraw from the tournament due to a back spasm. Following that injury, he had two tournaments lined up, Genesis Open and Honda Classic, but missed both of them as he could not recover in time.
Now, Woods has ruled himself out of the Arnold Palmer Invitational too after he made an announcement on his official website saying that due to his ongoing rest and rehabilitation on his back, he will not be able to play at Bay Hill.
Woods has won the Arnold Palmer Invitational eight times and had expressed his disappointment at missing this tournament in particular because he wanted to honour Arnold. The 14-time major winner could also be in line to miss the Masters next month as he said there is no timetable for his return, but said his treatments are going well.
"Unfortunately, due to ongoing rest and rehabilitation on my back, I won't be able to play in this year's Arnold Palmer Invitational. I'm especially disappointed because I wanted to be at Bay Hill to help honour Arnold. This is one event I didn't want to skip," Woods said,
"Arnold has meant so much to me and my family; I thought of him as a close friend, and Sam and Charlie were both born in the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies. He will be greatly missed and can never truly be replaced. Presently, I have no timetable for my return to golf, but my treatments are continuing and going well," he added.
