On April 9th, 2019, golf legend Tiger Woods announced that he was withdrawing from the Masters Tournament due to a lingering neck injury. This was a major disappointment for fans of the sport, as Woods had been looking forward to competing in the tournament and had been considered a favorite to win.
Woods had been dealing with neck pain for several weeks prior to the tournament, but had hoped that he would be able to play through it. Unfortunately, the pain became too much for him to bear and he was forced to make the difficult decision to withdraw. He released a statement saying, “I’m sorry that I won’t be able to play in the Masters. I’ve been receiving treatment for my neck strain, but it hasn’t improved enough to play. I’d like to express my disappointment to the Augusta National membership, staff, volunteers and patrons that I won’t be at the Masters. I’m especially upset for not being able to defend my title.”
This is not the first time Woods has been forced to withdraw from a major tournament due to injury. In 2017, he withdrew from the Dubai Desert Classic due to back spasms and in 2018, he withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational due to a neck strain.
Woods has been one of the most successful golfers of all time and his absence from the Masters will be felt by many. He has won four Masters titles in his career and was looking to add a fifth this year. His fans are hoping that he will be able to recover from his injury and return to the course soon.
