The Tiger Woods era is over and we will never see it again.
It has been eight years since he took a major title and he has since endured a succession of injuries and resultant surgeries. But if you haven’t given up on Woods and are still waiting for his 15th major title, or worse you bet on his +2000 odds to win this year’s The Masters, you’ve just fooled yourself.
Woods made it official Friday night that he is not playing The Masters although he will still attend the annual Masters Champions Dinner on Tuesday of tournament week.
“After assessing the present condition of my back and consulting with my medical team, I’ve decided it’s prudent to miss this year’s Masters,” Woods said on his website.
“I’ve been hitting balls and training daily, but I’m not physically ready. I’ve said all along that this time I need to be cautious and do what’s best for my long-term health and career. Unfortunately, playing Augusta next week wouldn’t be the right decision. I’m absolutely making progress, and I’m really happy with how far I’ve come, but I still have no timetable to return to competitive golf.”
There no definitive timetable for when Woods will return to competitive golf.
And I’m not saying that he cannot or will not win another major this year, so yeah you can hold on to that betting slip that says Woods will win a Major title this year. Tiger could win again. And we would love to see him win again, wouldn’t we? But his body betrayed him and to come back after three surgeries on his wobbly back is not exactly where a golfer who just turned 40 wants to be at this point in his career. Besides, he no longer putts like he used to, and no longer makes the putts he always made when he had to make them. His left knee is trashed and will only get worse and golf now not only has a new hero but also a phalanx of superstars such as Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day.
As for breaking Jack’s Nicklaus’ Holy Grail records of 18 major championships, he stands no chance when you take all of these factors into consideration. Woods will be back, but in name only and even if he does win another major, it will just be another major. It won’t be a part of the Tiger era.
