Tiger Woods out of PGA Championship

TIGER Woods has pulled out of next week’s US PGA Championship and abandoned hope of playing on tour this season.

The 14-time major winner is continuing to build up fitness to compete after undergoing two back operations last autumn.

It has meant Woods has not played a tournament since finishing tied for 10th at the Wyndham Championship in North Carolina last August.

The 40-year-old’s agent, Mark Steinberg, says Woods has chosen to focus on recovering full fitness for next season, which begins in October.

Steinberg detailed Woods’ fitness in an email quoted by GolfChannel.com, saying: “Continuing to make progress, but simply not ready for PGA. Will not play in the ’15/’16 season and will continue to rehab and work hard to then assess when he starts play for the ’16/’17 season.”

The tournament begins at Baltusrol in Springfield, New Jersey, on July 28, and the absence of Woods means he will have missed all four majors in a season for the first time in his career. – DailyMail