I think Tiger's mental game never changed with his physical issues.

He hit plenty of bad shots early in his career but his strength and physical abilities allowed him to recover. He'd push a drive but he had the ability to hit a cut 5 iron out of the rough, over the bunker, to within 10 feet for a bird.

Now he doesn't have that ability due to his injuries and recovery from those bad shots isn't easy and dang near impossible. He doesn't mentally get that and in his mind thinks he still can.

Until he realizes he can't and he needs to tone it down and take a more calculated approach to the game he'll struggle.

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"Nowhere did we say it was a leave of absence," Steinberg said.

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This statement made by Steiny after the web update yesterday pretty much reflects one of the main reasons Dan Jenkins wrote his "fake interview" with Tiger.

Jenkins acidic "humor" drove home the point that Tiger doesn't say much himself compared to being told what to say and do by Steinberg. A lot of people gave Jenkins a hard time over that article, including me, but he was dead solid perfect on this point.

I think Tiger's image would improve 100% if he'd just speak with his heart instead of letting this dbag run interference for him.

I've seen some people talk like Tiger might not be back for several months. I didn't read the statement that way. I'd be very surprised if he didn't play Bay Hill and I wouldn't be shocked to see him play at the Honda Classic.

Once he feels like his game is "tournament ready" then he needs to play in lots of tournaments, though.

He'll absolutely be back for bay hill.. I would also bet on him playing the Honda

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I've seen some people talk like Tiger might not be back for several months. I didn't read the statement that way. I'd be very surprised if he didn't play Bay Hill and I wouldn't be shocked to see him play at the Honda Classic.

Once he feels like his game is "tournament ready" then he needs to play in lots of tournaments, though.

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Right. His quote was treated by some as some extended leave of absence, as "stepping away from the game" for a long time, etc., when his words said absolutely nothing to that effect. He simply said he won't play until he feels competitive again, but that could be in literally two weeks. Annoyed at how they misrepresented his statement and made a huge deal of it. It's basically a non story. He's going to keep practicing and wants to play and be competitive. Just like every other pro.

It's been ridiculous.

Lol at clown ball accusations

Tiger not playing in the Arnold.

Just announced

Tiger isn't coming back until the Masters.

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Is Briney Baird? They have equal chances to win.

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Tiger not playing in the Arnold.

Just announced

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This is not a good sign... his game must look about like it did in Phoenix and San Diego...

Yeah I'm fairly shocked he isn't playing Bay Hill.

On a related note, shameless mention that I played there last July. So cool.

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Tiger isn't coming back until the Masters.

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Which seems odd for someone with the chipping yips. Not exactly the easiest place to test your nerve.

I think it's a clear sign that the back is in bad shape. There is no substitute for getting back into form than playing competitve golf, but I don't think he's physically capable of holding up for very long. So he's just going to save the wear and tear and hope for the best in Augusta.

Disagree completely. I think it's a clear sign his mind is still fubar. I Wish it were something that could just heal, like his back.

Honestly, I wish he would sit for the entire season and get 100% healthy.

I don't think he has a real shot at contending in the Masters, so, why rush back and risk injury?

Come back fresh next year and grind out some Tourneys he usually doesn't play to get back into it.

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Disagree completely. I think it's a clear sign his mind is still fubar. I Wish it were something that could just heal, like his back.

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So he had to withdraw from his last tournament because his back feels fine? He wouldn't skip Arnie's tourney if he was physically capable. His game was in rough shape but i think his back is a big reason. I think a very large part if what is going on with his game ties right to the back. Feels like **** and things just can't fire like they used to.

And backs at his age don't really heal. There are just stretches of less pain vs more pain. There will never be a 100% healthy Tiger.

Agree with Danny. Couple that with what could be a fragile mental game, Augusta is going to eat him alive after the first couple of short shots don't work like he wants. Dude needs to step back for a long while and get both mind and body right.

Think about it, he was hitting chip shots like a Saturday hacker. No way he can tackle elevated greens at the Masters.

Tiger has always been pretty secretive about his injuries until there were undeniable facts like a surgery occurring and a related, definitive time he would miss. So I would have been shocked to hear him say he isn't playing because his back hurts even if it was true. Everyone is always having to speculate what might be hurting, and when he does withdraw with an injury, speculating about what exactly is wrong and speculating about his return timeline. He plays that stuff close to the vest.

To back out of a tournament hosted by one of the greatest players and ambassadors the game has ever seen, a tournament he's won so many times, it's more than "i just dont like where my game is at right now".

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He'll absolutely be back for bay hill.. I would also bet on him playing the Honda

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Haha. I couldn't have been more wrong. Has to be more wrong than just chipping yips

I am very familiar with bad backs, had one since 1980. Confined to the floor on my back for a couple days at a time. Strangely, the back tightened up worse and felt worse on chips and putts, particularly putting.

He says it us unrelated to the back surgery, i.e., different injury, but that seems unlikely to me. If the surgery did not work, then he is probably done. Maybe he should talk to Freddie Couples for some advice.

Could it not be physical AND mental? Seems like he is somewhat screwed in both areas to me. I get the feeling he may be in a deep depression as well.

Sure it could. In fact, I'd say there was 99.9% chance it was.

Physically he's trying to heal but is still hurting.
Mentally, he's struggling with not only the doubt that accompanies the worst golf he's ever played, but the mental uncertainty of whether his body will hold up.

Is he playing in the Masters?

Hasn't officially said yet. If he's not then something fishy is up.

I volunteer to take his spot. I'm sure I'll shoot 150 or so on each 9, and terribly humiliate myself, my family, and my university, but it would be worth it to play ANGC.

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Hasn't officially said yet. If he's not then something fishy is up.

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Fishy? If he doesn't play it just means his game is still fubar.

As of today, just making a WAG, I think Tiger plays at Augusta but finishes way, way out of contention. I don't think his short game will be back in major shape. I think his full swing and his knowledge of the course will be good enough to get around and make a few birdies, but his short game will keep him well back of the leaders. But I don't see him skipping Augusta, no matter how bad his game looks. It's one thing to skip Bay Hill. Skipping a major when your entire career is now judged on those four tournaments a year, I don't see it.

He's in a lose-lose situation with The Masters.

If he stinks it up at Augusta, what has he gained?

If he further injures his back, what has he gained?

If he's not ready to play Arnie's Tourney, he's damn sure not ready to play at Augusta.

I still think he should sit out the rest of the season...let the back fully heal...start fresh in 2016...play a bunch of Tourney's he doesn't usually play...and get a bunch of Tournament play under his belt.

He's not skipping the Masters if he's healthy. Period. This is a strange game where a player can still capture lightning in a bottle for a weekend, and he doesn't exactly have a ton left before father time closes the door on any more green jackets. If he misses the Masters, it's futher confirmation of a physical problem, a significant one at that.

The back is most likely an obstacle to overcome the rest of his career. Ask Freddy. Sit out. Don't sit out. A break won't necessarily lead to full recovery.

I agree with everything Danny said.

If Tiger skips the Masters, his career is pretty much over, for all intents and purposes. It either means the back is so far gone that it will never be right (which may still be true even if he does play), or else his mind is so far gone it will never be right. David Duval never recovered. No one ever recovers when they lose whatever it is that makes them tick. So I'm not convinced Tiger has lost it yet, but if he skips the Masters, he has.

I remember 2010 The Masters was his first tournament back after his incident with Elin. He didn't look particularly sharp and made some mental mistakes, but still grinded his way to a T4 finish and had an outside shot of chasing down Phil on the back nine on Sunday (at least until Phil hit that shot from behind the tree on 13 to put it on ice).

I'm 50/50 on whether or not he plays this year. His short game seems to be in a MUCH worse state than it was in 2010 and you can't get around Augusta chipping like he did at Isleworth and TPC Scottsdale. But I also think 1) he has too much pride to think he can't put it all together for one week, 2) it's been 10 years now since he beat DiMarco in the playoff and 3) who knows how many more of these he has left.

If I was him, I'd consider playing in Houston the week before. Usually deadline to enter a tournament is Friday of the week before. If that's the case for the Masters, maybe he can play his first and second round in Houston and see how his game is. They setup that course similar to Augusta, so it would be a good proxy for where his short game is at under tournament conditions.

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He's in a lose-lose situation with The Masters.

If he stinks it up at Augusta, what has he gained?

If he further injures his back, what has he gained?

If he's not ready to play Arnie's Tourney, he's damn sure not ready to play at Augusta.

I still think he should sit out the rest of the season...let the back fully heal...start fresh in 2016...play a bunch of Tourney's he doesn't usually play...and get a bunch of Tournament play under his belt.

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Maybe he's healthy enough but didn't want to risk it at Bay Hill? Nobody really knows what he is up to. He could be practicing his ass off getting ready for Augusta, or he could be broken still. Who knows.

I don't think he's injured, at least not physically.

If he's still blading chips, he should not, and I expect, will not, play. It doesn't mean anything more than that, imho.

You can't judge the present tiger by the old tiger rules, the dude's got, or at least had, the yips. I'd be surprised if he's fixed things in such short order. That doesn't mean he's hurt and it doesn't mean he's done, it just means he's still mind fubar'd. Look at the way Paddy's now playing, he once had the tips and now he's back playing well and he's older than tiger.

Everything with tiger is so sensationalized and over magnified.