Tiger Woods may miss the next tournament on the PGA Tour schedule and it's one that he won last season in the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral and his back injury may keep him out of the running with Rory McIlroy for the event.
According to ESPN.com, Woods will be getting evaluated this week as he decides whether to participate in the tournament or not and that could have an effect on what he does for the Masters in April. Woods was set to practice on Blue Monster course at Trump National Doral and he did not do that and now he will be getting another evaluation and there is a chance he could add another tournament to his schedule.
Woods withdrew from the Honda Classic in the final round last week with back pain and he has had a rough start to this year, missing the secondary cut at the Farmers Insurance Open, a tourney he won last year, and finishing 41st in Dubai before the withdrawal. Last season he got his number one ranking back and won five times and now he needs to shape up for the Masters.
Check here for the upcoming PGA schedule.
Here is more on Reuters.com about Tiger Woods and his injury.
Tiger Woods's status for this week's WGC-Cadillac Championship remained uncertain on Tuesday as the reigning champion continued to receive treatment for a sore back.
He cancelled his pre-tournament news conference and practice round on Tuesday but is due to meet with the media on Wednesday.
Woods, who has been paired with Masters champion Adam Scott and FedExCup winner Henrik Stenson for the opening two rounds at Doral, withdrew from Sunday's final round of the Honda Classic after 13 holes due to back spasms.
Woods, whose career tally of 14 majors is second to Jack Nicklaus, said in a statement after the Honda Classic that he would decide later if he could defend his WGC-Cadillac title.
If Woods is unfit to play it would be a big setback ahead of the April 10-13 Masters at Augusta National, the year's first major
It would also leave world number two Scott a chance to bump Woods from the top of the world rankings with a win at Doral.
In 13 career starts at the WGC-Cadillac championship, Woods has seven wins, the last four on the famed Blue Monster course which underwent a massive redesign following last year's win.
"I'd say it's definitely a different Doral," said Briton Justin Rose, the 2012 WGC-Cadillac champion. "A lot has clearly been done since last year.
"There's elements that you recognize but pretty much the shots, the lines and obviously the reads on the greens are all completely new."
With the world's top 50 players all teeing it up at the Blue Monster course there will be plenty to keep the expected large galleries entertained.
Another marquee grouping will feature Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy, who will be bidding to rebound from a jarring playoff loss at the Honda Classic, 2009 Doral winner and fan favorite Phil Mickelson and in-form Australian Jason Day, winner of WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.
"At these events like the majors and WGC events, if you play well, you can move yourself up the rankings pretty quick," said Day. "Winning the WGC Match Play, moving from 11 to 4, it was one of my goals to get into the top five this year and winning that event shot me up to number four.
"I don't want to stop there. I just love playing in front of a lot of people on the big stage."
(Reuters)
