Tiger Woods announced on Wednesday he’s taking an indefinite leave of absence from competing on the PGA Tour to try to straighten out his ailing game. Following a series of injuries, Woods has been slow to return to form. The former champion recently shot an amateurish 82 in the second round of the Phoenix Open, missing the cut by 12 strokes, and then was forced to withdraw after only 11 holes in his next tournament due to stiffness in his back.
“Right now, I need a lot of work on my game, and to still spend time with the people that are important to me. My play, and scores, are not acceptable for tournament golf,” Woods wrote in a statement on his website. “Like I’ve said, I enter a tournament to compete at the highest level, and when I think I’m ready, I’ll be back.”
Woods said he would like to be ready to play in the Honda Classic later this month, but said he won’t return until his game and his body have healed. Woods has endured years of injury woes, and his play has understandably suffered. “Since earning PGA Tour Player of the Year honors in 2013, Woods has recorded only one top 25 in 10 full-field starts as his world ranking has tumbled from No. 1 to its current position at No. 62, his worst ranking since his rookie year of 1996,” according to the Golf Channel.
