Golf
Bob Harig, ESPN Senior Writer 9y

Tiger Woods not in Houston field

Golf

Although it was never considered a strong possibility, Tiger Woods officially will not play in next week's Shell Houston Open, the last event prior to the Masters.

The commitment deadline passed Friday, and Woods did not enter. He has never played the Houston tournament and has never played the week prior to the Masters, but given his current plight and still undetermined status for season's first major championship, the event at Redstone Golf Club loomed as a possibility.

Agent Mark Steinberg wouldn't rule it out two weeks ago when Woods announced he would be skipping the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and again during a subsequent inquiry this week. And the course is groomed with the Masters in mind, as tournament officials put forth wide fairways, virtually no rough and tightly mowed chipping areas to simulate as much as possible the conditions players will see at August National.

Woods has been on an indefinite break since a Feb. 11 announcement in which he said he needed time to work out the issues in his game. He started just two tournaments this year, the Waste Management Phoenix Open (where a second-round 82 led to a missed cut) and the Farmers Insurance Open (where he withdrew after just 11 holes due to stiffness in his lower back).

Upon announcing he would not play the Palmer event, Woods said: "I hope to be ready for the Masters, and I will continue to work hard preparing for Augusta.''

Due to back surgery, Woods missed the Masters last year for the first time since he first played it in 1995. In 19 appearances there, he has four victories and nine other top-10 finishes, including a tie for fourth in his last appearance in 2013.

Woods' only missed cut in the tournament came as an amateur in 1996.

There is no commitment deadline for the Masters; as a past champion, Woods has a lifetime invitation. If he does not play, there will not be a player added to the field.

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