GOLF: Tiger Woods Goes On Leave Says He Will Be Back When His Game Is Tournament-Ready

Tiger Woods is going away for a little while ... or a long while. With rumors swirling that the Big Cat was going to make an even bigger announcement on Wednesday, he simply wrote -- quite matter-of-factly, as it turns out -- on his website that he is strongly considering not playing the Honda Classic and will return to action once his game is up to snuff.

"Right now, I need a lot of work on my game, and to still spend time with the people that are important to me," Woods said. "My play, and scores, are not acceptable for tournament golf."


He's right about that part.

"I'd like to play The Honda Classic -- it's a tournament in my hometown and it's important to me -- but I won't be there unless my game is tournament-ready. That's not fair to anyone. I do, however, expect to be playing again very soon."

What "very soon" means, nobody knows, but at this point, I'd expect it to be later rather than sooner.

"Like I've said, I enter a tournament to compete at the highest level, and when I think I'm ready, I'll be back," he said. "I am committed to getting back to the pinnacle of my game."

Whether he can -- or will -- ever do that is the question, especially now that Woods is admitting that a new unspecified injury -- "not related to my previous surgery" -- is forcing him into daily physical therapy. "I am feeling better every day," he noted.

As for when we'll see him again, I would expect it to go like this: He will likely skip the Honda Classic in two weeks even though he has not ruled that out yet, not qualify for the Cadillac Championship after that, not play the Valspar Championship and then be back for the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

It's a tournament he's won eight times at a course he clearly loves. Since he will not go into the Masters cold, the Arnold Palmer Invitational is certainly the best bet for when we'll see Woods again.