Tiger won’t play API; ‘no timetable’ for return

Tiger Woods’ absence from competitive play will continue on indefinitely.

The 14-time major winner released a statement Thursday that he will miss next week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, where he has won a record eight times.

“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 said. “I’m especially disappointed because I wanted to be at Bay Hill to help honor Arnold. This is one event I didn’t want to skip. 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.”

Following a 15-month layoff after multiple back surgeries, Woods returned to competition at his own Hero World Challenge in December. He entered 2017 announcing his intent to play four events in five weeks, but made it just three rounds, missing the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open and withdrawing from the Dubai Desert Classic with back spasms.

Woods then missed both the Genesis Open and Honda Classic – his next planned starts – and cancelled a planned press conference at Genesis after his doctors advised him to “limit all activities.”

With the Masters just one month away, Woods is offering no update on a potential return.

“Presently, I have no timetable for my return to golf, but my treatments are continuing and going well,” he said.