Tiger Woods will skip Bay Hill, but is hopeful for the Masters

Tiger Woods will not play in the 2015 Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Woods, an eight-time champion of the Orlando event at Bay Hill, announced Friday he is skipping the tournament.

“I’ve put in a lot of time and work on my game and I’m making strides, but like I’ve said, I won’t return to the PGA Tour until my game is tournament ready and I can compete at the highest level,” Woods said on his website Friday.

“I hope to be ready for the Masters, and I will continue to work hard preparing for Augusta.”

The 14-time major champion announced Feb. 11 that he would not play on the PGA Tour again until his game is “tournament ready.” In two 2015 starts, Woods missed the cut at the Waste Management Phoenix Open following a career-worst 82 in Round 2 at TPC Scottsdale. A week later, Woods withdrew from the Farmers Insurance Open after 11 holes, citing back pain.

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