Tiger Woods says 'not physically ready' to play in Masters

Tiger Woods will miss the Masters for only the second time since his tournament debut in 1995, saying he is "not physically ready" for the year's opening major next week.
The former world number one has been sidelined from competition since August as he continues his recovery from back surgeries, and was never likely to tee it up at Augusta National for the April 7-10 event.
"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 in a statement on his official website (www.tigerwoods.com).
"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," said Woods, a four-times Masters champion.
Now aged 40, Woods has not won a major title since he clinched the 14th of his career at the 2008 U.S. Open and his form has slipped dramatically in recent years due to injuries and the mastering of a new swing.
A tie for 10th at the PGA Tour's Wyndham Championship in August, following a dismal season in which he missed three cuts in the majors, gave him encouragement before his health again intervened.
Three weeks later, he had a second microdiscectomy surgery to alleviate pressure on a disc in his lower back, before needing another procedure on Oct. 28 on the same area due to discomfort.
He has since been recuperating and in late February he posted a video of himself swinging a golf club in an effort to shoot down reports that suggested he had endured setbacks during his rehabilitation.
"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," said Woods, who won the Masters in 1997, 2001, 2002 and 2005.
He missed the event for the first time in 2014 after undergoing a microdiscectomy.
"I'd like to express my disappointment to (Masters chairman) Billy Payne, the Augusta National membership, staff, volunteers and patrons that I won't be competing," said Woods.
"It's a very important and special week to me, and it's upsetting to miss it. I do plan to attend the (Wednesday) Champions Dinner and see a lot of old friends.source--intoday

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Anirban Lahiri meets Matt Kuchar in first match at WGC Match Play

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Austin, US: For the second year running, Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri has been paired with Justin Rose as the top seed in Group for the WGC-Dell Matchplay in Houston, Texas.

The other two players in the group are WGC-Dell Matchplay debutant, Fabian Gomez, who won the Sony Open in Hawaii earlier this year, and Matt Kuchar, the 2013 champion, when it was still a single-elimination event.
Lahiri meets Kuchar in the first match of the Group stage, while Rose will meet Gomez.
A year ago, when Lahiri made his debut in the event, he beat Ryan Palmer, who was seeded above him. And then he gave Rose a real close fight before losing on the first extra hole, the 19th hole.
In his third match, Lahiri lost to Marc Leishman, who went in to top the group, as Rose was eliminated. Leishman, in turn, was beaten in the first round elimination by Gary Woodland, who went on to reach the final before losing to Rory McIlroy.
A total of 64 players have been divided into 16 groups of four. Each group has a top seed and World No.1 Jordan Spieth has to contend with Justin Thomas, Victor Dubuisson and Jamie Donaldson and with only the top player moving into the next stage, it will indeed be a tough first group stage for Spieth.
Kuchar is coming off a missed cut at Bay Hill last week, while Anirban was tied second in his defence of the Hero Indian Open, an event co-sanctioned by Asian and European Tours. It was also Lahiri's best result in his last 12 starts.
Rose was T-9 last week at Bay Hill and it was his 10th top-10 finish in his last 18 starts. In six other times he's finished inside the top 25. Gomez won the Sony Open in Hawaii to rise inside the top 64 but he's struggled since then and missed the cut in four of the last six starts.
Defending champion, Rory McIlroy has been grouped with Kevin Na, Smylie Kaufman and Thorbjoen Olesen. Jason Day, winner of Bay Hill last week, is grouped with Paul Casey, Thongchai Jaidee and Graeme McDowell.   source   .india

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