Tiger won’t play the Masters
Tiger Woods announced Friday he had lost his battle to be fit for the Masters, saying he was “not tournament ready” for the first major of the year and did not have a timetable for his return.
Woods, whose 14 major titles include four Masters green jackets, has not played since withdrawing from the Dubai Desert Classic on February 3 with ongoing back spasms.
He made his comeback in December after missing all of the 2015-16 season in the wake of back surgery.
But his return has run aground, with the 41-year-old withdrawing from the Genesis Open in Los Angeles in February, the Honda Classic and the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March.
“I did about everything I could to play, but my back rehabilitation didn’t allow me the time to get tournament ready,” Woods said in a statement on his website. “I have no timetable for my return, but I will continue my diligent effort to recover, and want to get back out there as soon as possible.”
This year’s Masters marks the 20th anniversary of Woods winning the first of his four Green Jackets at Augusta National. He also won the title in 2001, 2002 and 2005.
RECORD-SETTING KANG SEIZES HOUSTON LEAD
South Korea’s Kang Sung scorched the Tournament Course at the Golf Club of Houston on Friday, firing a nine-under par 63 for a record-setting second-round lead at the Houston Open.
The 29-year-old, who entered the week ranked 202nd in the world, opened the second round one shot off the lead held by American Rickie Fowler.
He produced seven birdies and an eagle at the par-five eighth hole, where he rolled in a 30-footer.
Kang’s 16-under total of 128 broke the 36-hole tournament record by a stroke.
NO ULTIMATUM FROM LA 2024 CHIEFS
The head of Los Angeles’s bid for the 2024 Olympics ruled out issuing an ultimatum to the International Olympic Committee, taking a swipe at rival city Paris as the battle heats up.
LA 2024 chairman Casey Wasserman said that IOC moves to explore the possibility of awarding both the 2024 and 2028 Summer Games at the same time at a vote in September.