[Golf Topic] Woods' Back Injury "Arnold Palmer Invitational Absence"

[Asia Economy Reporter Noo Rae Noh] ○…The 'resurrected golf emperor' Tiger Woods (USA, photo) has encountered injury setbacks.

On the 29th (Korean time), the American ESPN reported, "Woods will not participate in next week's PGA Tour Arnold Palmer Invitational (total prize money $9.3 million) due to a back injury." The tournament will be held for four days starting from the 5th of next month at Bay Hill Golf Club (par 72, 7,419 yards) in Orlando, Florida, USA. Notably, this course is Woods' 'stronghold,' where he has won eight times, raising expectations for him to achieve a total of 83 PGA Tour wins, the most in history.

Woods' agent Mark Steinberg (USA) explained, "Woods is experiencing discomfort in his back" and "he is not in a condition to compete." Woods first felt these symptoms two weeks ago at the Genesis Invitational and also did not participate in last week's World Golf Championships (WGC) Mexico Championship. Woods has already undergone back surgery four times: once in 2014, twice in 2015, and once in 2017.

In addition to his back, he has a history of suffering from various injuries including his neck, knees, ankles, and Achilles tendon. Like last year, Woods is expected to compete in mid-March at 'the fifth major,' The Players Championship, and the WGC Series Dell Technologies Match Play, then head to the Masters in April to defend his title. Locally, there are cautious predictions that "it will be difficult for Woods, who has undergone multiple back surgeries, to win the Masters two years in a row."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.