The golf world is turning its attention to Augusta National this week for the first major championship of the season.
Tiger Woods, however, won’t be competing this spring.
Tiger Woods is not playing in the Masters
Woods announced last week that he was stepping away “for a period of time” to seek treatment after he was involved in a rollover crash and arrested in Florida. Specifics of his absence, including how long Woods will be away, are not yet known.
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But that means that Woods won’t be making a comeback to the sport at Augusta National like many had hoped.
Woods was driving in Jupiter Island, Florida, late last month when he collided with a pickup truck and rolled his Range Rover. There were no injuries after the accident, and Woods climbed out of the vehicle on his own. Woods was arrested and charged with DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test. He has since entered a plea of not guilty.
“I know and understand the seriousness of the situation I find myself in today,” Woods said in a statement last week.
“I’m committed to taking the time needed to return to a healthier, stronger and more focused place, both personally and professionally. I appreciate your understanding and support, and ask for privacy for my family, loved ones and myself at this time.”
Woods hasn’t played much at all in recent years. He ruptured his Achilles in March 2025, and he underwent surgery for a lumbar disc replacement in October. He made his return to competitive golf in March at the TGL indoor final with his Jupiter Links Golf Club team. That was his first real round, albeit at an indoor league on a simulator, since the 2024 British Open.
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Woods has won 15 major championships in his career. He’s won five times at Augusta National, too, most recently in 2019. That trails only Jack Nicklaus’ six wins at the Masters. But Woods has struggled recently when he’s played. He has missed the cut or withdrawn in six of the last eight major championship starts he’s made. The only two cuts he’s made during that span came at the Masters, most recently in 2024 when he finished in 60th.
So while the Masters will be played this week, Woods will have to watch the action from afar.
This will be the first Masters without either Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson since 1994. (Johan Rynners/Getty Images)
(Johan Rynners via Getty Images)
Phil Mickelson not playing the Masters, either
Phil Mickelson bowed out of the Masters late last week, too, and said he’ll be sidelined for “an extended period of time” due to a “personal health matter” in his family.
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Further specifics are not yet known, though Mickelson has only played in a single LIV Golf event this season. He missed four straight LIV Golf tournaments before making his lone start in South Africa last month, where he finished T48.
“Unfortunately, I will not play in the Masters Tournament next week and will be out for an extended period of time as my family continues to navigate a personal health matter,” Mickelson said in a statement. “I have great respect for Augusta National Golf Club and it is definitely the most special week of the year. I wish everyone the best of luck and will be watching.”
Mickelson has won the Masters three times in his career, most recently in 2010. He missed the cut at Augusta National last season.
With both Woods and Mickelson out, this will mark the first time since 1994 that the tournament will be played without either golfer.
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