Back Injury May Prevent Tiger Woods From Breaking Jack Nicklaus’ Record

While Tiger Woods has had to overcome scandal in his ongoing quest to unseat Jack Nicklaus for the most major championships of any pro golfer, it now looks like injuries may end up the culprit if Woods does indeed fall short. The superstar golfer, 38, recently told reporters that his ailing back may force him to miss the Masters tournament next month for the first time in his legendary career. When asked about playing at Augusta, Woods, as reported by CBS Sports, told the media:

“For Augusta, it’s still a little too soon to be honest with you. That’s kind of the frustrating thing about this. I had a couple weeks off, was getting treatment and trying to get ready for Augusta. As of right now, it’s still too soon. As I said, that’s very frustrating.”

Tiger has battled back from injuries in the past, and as previously mentioned, has never missed the Masters in his almost twenty year career. So to hear Woods talk with such doubt and uncertainty about playing is a bit surprising. But lately, health has become a problem for the superstar.

Woods’ back injury forced him to bail on the Honda Classic on March 2nd. At the time, Woods was criticized by many who speculated it was his performance that caused him to withdraw, not any real injury. But then, Woods also withdrew himself from the Arnold Palmer Invitational that took place this past weekend – a tournament he’s won two years in a row – due to the same back injury.

With the latest press conference adding fuel to the career threatening fire, the question of whether or not Tiger’s body will allow him to sustain the high level of play fans have grown accustomed to seeing is certainly relevant. And if Woods were to actually miss the Masters as indicated, you better believe the conversation will undoubtedly focus on whether or not Tiger’s quest to topple prolific golfer Jack Nicklaus’ record 18 major championships is even remotely attainable any longer.

Nicklaus himself was recently quoted via Yahoo Sports saying age is going to play a significant role in whether or not Woods is able to breaks his mark:

“Obviously the older he gets and if he doesn’t win, it makes my record move out further.”

And while Woods has kept himself busy as of late consoling girlfriend Lindsay Vonn with her own current injury woes, the PGA would much rather see Woods on the front line, not the sideline.