Tiger Woods has withdrawn his name from consideration for the United States’ 2014 Ryder Cup team captained by golf legend Tom Watson.
“I’ve been told by my doctors and trainer that my back muscles need to be rehabilitated and healed. They’ve advised me not to play or practice now. I was fortunate that my recent back injury was not related to my surgery and was muscular only,” Woods said in a statement released on his website.
“I have already spoken to Tom (Watson) about the Ryder Cup, and while I greatly appreciate his thinking about me for a possible captain’s pick, I took myself out of consideration. The U.S. team and the Ryder Cup mean too much to me not to be able to give it my best. I’ll be cheering for the U.S. team. I think we have an outstanding squad going into the matches.
“I plan to return to competition at my World Challenge tournament at Isleworth in Orlando, Fla., Dec. 1-7. It’s an event that’s important to me and my foundation, and it will be exciting to be playing again.”
Woods recently missed the cut at the PGA Championship and failed to win a major for a sixth straight season. Injuries limited the 38-year-old to just seven PGA events in 2014, and he failed to win any of them.
The 2014 Ryder Cup will take place in Scotland and begins Sept. 26.
