Tiger Woods Will Miss The 2014 Masters After Back Surgery

Tiger Woods will miss the 2014 Masters, according to a statement on TigerWoods.com. Tiger had microdiscectomy surgery to treat a pinched nerve. It his first time missing the Masters in 20 years. He has won the tournament four times, the last win coming in 2005.

"“It’s tough right now, but I’m absolutely optimistic about the future,” Woods said. “There are a couple [of] records by two outstanding individuals and players that I hope one day to break. As I’ve said many times, Sam and Jack reached their milestones over an entire career. I plan to have a lot of years left in mine.”"

He is expected to return sometime this summer and not have any lingering issues. Tiger was the PGA Tour Player of the Year in 2013, but has been stuck on 14 majors since 2008.

Tiger had been dealing with a back issue. His agent said last night that a decision was imminent. If this is his version of an April Fools’ Day joke, it is a profoundly unfunny one.