Tiger Woods David Blunsden/Action Plus/Shutterstock
Putting his health first. Tiger Woods is sitting out the rest of the 2023 Masters tournament following an injury.
“I am disappointed to have to [withdraw] this morning due to reaggravating my plantar fasciitis,” the professional golfer, 47, wrote via Twitter on Sunday, April 9. “Thank you to the fans and to @TheMasters who have shown me so much love and support. Good luck to the players today!”
Plantar fasciitis is a tissue inflammation that causes pain in the heel of the foot. According to the Mayo Clinic, plantar fasciitis commonly causes stabbing pain when individuals take their first steps in the morning and can frequently recur if standing for long periods. Woods, for his part, has not further detailed his injury.
Tiger Woods Stuart Wallace/Shutterstock
The tournament’s official Twitter account also confirmed in a statement that Woods has “officially withdrawn” on Sunday after completing seven holes of his third round.
The Masters kicked off on Thursday, April 6, and Friday, April 7, with Woods’ scores toward the bottom of the overall leaderboard. When the championship resumed on Saturday, April 8, the California native was seen limping on the 17th hole. At the time, Woods told reporters that he was dealing with “constant” pain in his right leg.
“Hopping on the left leg is fine. If I did it on the other one, not so fine,” the pro athlete said, per ESPN.
The PGA Tour champ, who has previously won the Masters five times, made his 25th overall appearance on the Augusta National green earlier this month. “I don’t know how many more I have in me,” Woods confessed to CNN on Wednesday, April 5. “So just to be able to appreciate the time that I have here and cherish the memories.”
Woods returned to golf in 2022 after surviving a harrowing car crash one year prior, in which he ended up with severe injuries to his leg.
“I think my game is better than it was last year at this particular time,” Woods told CNN on Wednesday about his recovery. “I think my endurance is better, but it aches a little bit more than it did last year just because at that particular time when I came back, I really had not pushed it that often. I just have to be cognizant of how much I can push it.”
The Masters will conclude later on Sunday with the winner taking home an impressive $3.24 million prize. Brooks Koepka is currently ranking No. 1 on the leaderboard, followed by Jon Rahm, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Bennett.
