Los Angeles (AFP)

Golf star Tiger Woods, who suffers from back pain, will not compete in the Players Championship next week, the last big tournament before the Augusta Masters of which he is defending champion, his agent told ESPN on Friday.

"His back is not ready. Nothing to worry about in the long run, it's just that he is not ready," said Mark Steinberg.

After having withdrawn for the Championship of Mexico (WGC) a fortnight ago, then for the Honda Classic last week, Woods gave up the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which started this Thursday.

This time, the winner of 15 Grand Slam tournaments will miss an opportunity to reconnect with the very high level competition at the Players Championship, considered to be the 5th major on the PGA circuit.

The last tournament he played in, the Genesis Invitational, dates back to mid-February.

It is therefore with only three weeks of competition in the legs in 2020 that he could tackle the big event that awaits him from April 9 to 12 in Augusta.

Unless he deviates from his habits of not playing the tournaments that precede Grand Slams and enters the Valspar Championship (March 19-22) or the Match Play (WGC) in Austin (March 25-29) or at the Texas Open (April 2-5).

A year ago, his 5th victory at Augusta marked his big return to the top of world golf, after eleven years of famine in the Grand Slams.

In the process, the 44-year-old golfer, who has been cutting back on his programs since several back operations suffered in recent years, won the Zozo Championships last October in Japan.

With this 82nd title on the PGA circuit, he equaled the record for the greatest number of victories hitherto held by the only Sam Snead.

Currently 11th in the world, Woods is the 7th American in this ranking. To hope to participate in the next Olympic Games, one of his objectives, he must be among the top four in his country in June.

Even if Dustin Johnson, current 5th in the ranking and 3rd American, has already given up on the Olympic Games, Woods will still have to overtake two of his compatriots to see Tokyo.

© 2020 AFP