Tiger Woods withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Tuesday afternoon, stating the lower back spasms that have hampered him lately still are ailing him.
The sudden news of Woods still struggling with his back problems raises questions about how healthy he will be for the Masters, which begins on April 10.
It also raises questions about how sharp Woods will be for Augusta even if he is healthy enough to compete. He has played just 14 competitive tournament rounds this year. Bay Hill was his last scheduled tune-up before the Masters, and he has not been consistently sharp.
“Í personally called Arnold today to tell him that, sadly, I won’t be able to play in his tournament this year,’’ Woods said on his website. “I would like to express my regrets to Orlando fans, the volunteers, the tournament staff and the sponsors for having to miss the event. Unfortunately, my back spasms and the pain haven’t subsided.
“It’s too early to know about the Masters, and I will continue to be evaluated and work closely with my doctors. I feel badly that I won’t be able to play in this great tournament this week.’’
Woods has won eight times at Bay Hill, including last year, and has been in desperate need of some good news about his game, because he has struggled all year.
He tied for 80th at Torrey Pines, missing the third-round cut on a course where he has won eight times. He tied for 41st at Mega Dubai Desert Classic and tied for 25th at the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral, a tournament he has won seven times.
Three weeks ago, Woods withdrew after 13 holes of his final round in the Honda Classic at PGA National because of the lower back spasms. The problem first surfaced in the final round of the Barclays Championship in August at Liberty National, where he doubled over in pain after hitting some shots.
That caused Woods to struggle for the rest of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup series.
If Woods is well enough to play after this week, he has until Friday afternoon to commit to the Texas Open in San Antonio, the PGA Tour event next week, and he also has the option to pay the Shell Houston Open the week before the Masters.
During Doral week, Woods’ caddie, Joe LaCava told The Post he felt “reps’’ were “very important’’ for Woods to have as he prepared for the Masters. Depending on whether he will be healthy enough to play in either of the next two events in Texas — or if he even wants to — Woods will enter the Masters with the fewest competitive rounds he ever has as a pro.
Woods broke the news via his Twitter account, and it surely broke the heart of Palmer, whose tournament already is without two of the game’s biggest stars, Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy.
Mickelson, who generally plays the tournament, shifted his scheduled this year for family reasons, and opted to play the Honda Classic instead of Bay Hill. McIlroy has not had Bay Hill on his schedule.
Woods called Palmer at about 4:30 Tuesday afternoon to explain his situation.
“I am certainly sorry that Tiger is not able to play,’’ Palmer said in a statement. “Quite obviously, we will miss having him here this week. He called me to tell me that his back is still giving him a lot of trouble and he didn’t feel he should play. I told him I understood and wished him well.’’
Woods has been stuck on 14 major championships since his June 2008 U.S. Open win at Torrey Pines. Ironically, Woods won that event playing with a hairline leg fracture and knee injury, which required major surgery.
Since then, he has been hampered by neck, elbow and Achilles tendon injuries that have affected his play and his tournament schedule.
It all makes Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major championships seem further from Woods’ reach than ever.