Despite Tiger Woods' struggles so far this season, his supporters said just wait until he gets back to the Masters. His back, however, may end up preventing him from going to the Masters.
Golfweek.com has reported that Woods has a bulging disc that won't require surgery but could threaten his appearance at Augusta for the April 10-13 major.
Quoting an anonymous source, Golfweek reported that Woods is not suffering from a herniated disc, which would require surgery.
Woods withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Tuesday, a tournament he has won eight times, explaining on his website that his "back spasms and the pain haven't subsided."
According to Golfweek, Woods has not revealed the diagnosis publicly, other than to identify his spasms. He is trying to rehab the back to put him in position to contend for his fifth green jacket.
"It's too early to know about the Masters, and I will continue to be evaluated and work closely with my doctors," Woods said on his website.
His last two final rounds on the PGA Tour - at the Honda Classic and the WGC Cadillac Championship - have been marred by his self-described back spasms.
Woods withdrew from the Honda Classic after 13 holes. And after shooting a third-round 66 at the WGC Cadillac Championship, Woods labored through a final-round 78 to fall out of contention.
He has not won a tournament since the WBC Bridgestone Invitational in early August and has only one top-10 finish in eight PGA tour starts since that victory. Woods has played just 10 full rounds of golf on the PGA Tour in 2014.
Golfweek explained that Woods' back injury is more serious than his knee injury because the back injury affects him midswing while he felt knee pain after swinging the clubs.
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