by Tiger Woods will not play in the Bahamas next week for the Hero World Challenge as he recovers from a sixth back surgery he underwent in September.
In announcing Monday on social media that he would not play, Woods said the 20 players for his holiday tournament would be rounded out by Justin Thomas, Nick Dunlap and Jason Day.
Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion.
Woods was unlikely to play in the Bahamas since he revealed on September 13 that he had undergone another lower back operation – his sixth in 10 years – which he hoped would relieve some of the spasms he had suffered this year.
He described it as microdecompression surgery of the lumbar spine for nerve impingement, and the recovery time is typically eight to 12 weeks. Woods said that while he was disappointed not to play, he was looking forward to his role as tournament host.
Woods finished 18th among 20 players a year ago.
Thomas is a two-time PGA champion whose wife gave birth to their first child a week ago, a daughter they named Molly Grace. He has only played once since the Tour Championship.
The newcomer to the unofficial event — he gets world ranking points but no official money — is Dunlap, who won a PGA Tour event as an amateur, left Alabama to turn professional and won a second victory. Dunlap joins Woods as the only players to win both the US Junior Amateur and the US Amateur.
Woods, meanwhile, is much more likely to play the PNC Challenge on Dec. 14-15 in Orlando, Fla., a 36-hole event with his son Charlie. Woods is allowed to ride a cart that week because it is sanctioned by the PGA Tour Champions.
A year ago at the Hero World Challenge, Woods talked about his hopes of playing a big tournament every month. But he withdrew after one round at Riviera and didn’t play again for almost two months. He finished the year completing only 11 rounds.
He set a Masters record by making his 24th consecutive cut, then Woods missed the cut in the other three majors.
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AP Golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
