OPINION: Fourteen-time major winner Tiger Woods has announced that he will miss the Masters for the third time in four years as he continues to battle an ongoing back problem.
It will be a major disappointment for golf fans, as this year celebrates the 20th anniversary of Woods winning his first green jacket in Augusta.
"I did about everything I could to play, but my back rehabilitation didn't allow me the time to get tournament ready," Woods said in a statement on his official website.
"Augusta National has been a very important place to me and my family for over 20 years, and while I'm disappointed, it will be good to be back there Tuesday."
The 41-year old has not won a major crown since he captured glory at the US Open in 2008, and has long been the face of golf, but those days are well and truly done with the likes of Rory Mcllroy and Jordan Spieth surpassing the Californian.
Woods needs four more majors to equal Jack Nicklaus [18] for the most in golf history - a feat that was almost inevitable 10 years ago is now as likely as Nicklaus adding to his 18 titles.
The American has withdrawn from seven majors since 2010 due to injury, and has only one top 10 finish and four top 25 finishes in 19 PGA tournaments since 2014.
I have been rooting for Woods to cross that bridge and get that 18th win, but time is running out for the American and it seems unrealistic he can find the form to compete at the top let alone win again.
Woods has had three separate back surgeries since 2014 and is clearly a broken man, not just physically but mentally too.
He has not been the same since the infidelity scandal which started the downfall of his career in 2009, and the injuries can be put down to his 'military workout' schedule he put himself through when he was younger as his dad was in the US Army and had a massive influence on his life.
It is now at the stage where even if he is fit enough to play, he can barely muster the strength to do a press conference because it hurts to sit down.
Most sports fans don't want to see Woods go out like this, but he needs to quit now before he gets even worse.
Tiger - it was fun while it lasted, but now is the time to hang up your clubs.
We have seen many athletes play longer than they should have - Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali and Michael Schumacher to name a few - but Woods should have retired a long time ago, yet he still fights on.
We are not going to have a Peyton Manning or George Forman moment where both were damaged goods, but somehow won titles in their respective sports; sadly, that ship sailed for Woods a very long time ago.
There is no nice way to put it, but Tiger Woods is simply finished.
Ben Francis is an online reporter for Newshub.
