Woods will not play the Masters

Tiger Woods will miss the Masters because of the back injury that has sidelined him since February.

The four-time Masters winner announced Friday evening that he is not "tournament-ready." He will be at Augusta National to attend Tuesday evening's Champions Dinner.

"I have no timetable for my return, but I will continue my diligent effort to recover, and want to get back out there as soon as possible," Woods said in a statement released Friday evening.

Woods has now missed three of the past four Masters after playing the tournament 19 consecutive years (1995-2013) dating back to his amateur days. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Woods’ 12-shot victory at the 1997 Masters. Woods and Canadian golf writer Lorne Rubenstein released a book about the tournament last week.

A book signing in New York City on March 20 was Woods’ first public appearance since he withdrew from the Dubai Desert Classic in February.

"I'm especially upset because it's a special anniversary for me that's filled with a lot of great memories. I can't believe it's been 20 years since I won my first Green Jacket," Woods said.

Woods won his second Masters in 2001 to complete the Tiger Slam. His 2002 victory made him the first back-to-back winner since Nick Faldo in 1989 and 1990. His final victory at Augusta National came 12 years ago, when he holed his famous chip shot at the par-3 16th and defeated Chris DiMarco in a playoff. Woods has finished in the top 10 in 13 of his 20 Masters appearances.

This year, Woods has again been sidelined by back problems. Back spasms forced him to withdraw after a first-round 77 in Dubai. The injury also forced him to miss scheduled starts last month at The Honda Classic and Genesis Open. He canceled a pre-tournament press conference at the Genesis Open, which is run by his foundation, and was unable to attend the event after his doctors advised him to “stay horizontal,” according to an Associated Press report.

Woods was sidelined for 15 months after having two surgical procedures on his back in late 2015. His hiatus ended last December at his Hero World Challenge. He finished 15th in the 17-man field, but also showed promising signs by leading the field in birdies and swinging hard on multiple tee shots. He was scheduled to start 2017 by playing four events in a five-week stretch, but lasted just three rounds before being sidelined again.

Woods missed the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open, his first official PGA TOUR event since finishing 10th at the Wyndham Championship in August 2015, then flew to Dubai to compete the following week.

Woods missed his first Masters in 2014 after having surgery for a pinched nerve in his back. He played the 2015 Masters after sitting out for two months because of woes in his game. He started the final round in fifth place – albeit 10 strokes behind Jordan Spieth – before falling to 17th place with a final-round 73. Woods sat out the entire 2015-16 season after having back surgery.