Posted March 29, 2016, 10:24 am
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Staff Writer

Masters invitees not exempt from injury, illness, duty

3 invitees could miss tournament

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Woods

The Masters has had its share of excused absences through the years, but rarely has the potential no-show list been so long and for such varied reasons.

Injuries and military conscription could claim as many as three starters from the 93 players qualified to compete in the 2016 Masters.

Four-time champion Tiger Woods (back) and former U.S. Open champ Jim Furyk (wrist) are both casualties of surgical recoveries. Woods announced Friday that he will not play in this year's Masters. Two-time winner Jose Maria Olazabal announced that health issues will keep him sidelined, as they have since his last start at the 2015 Masters. And Sangmoon Bae is involved in a two-year military service requirement in his native South Korea.

Kevin Streelman and Danny Willett were at the mercy of Masters Week due dates, however, both babies were born early.

For these six, Masters prep has been all about time tables and due dates, not range sessions and tune-

ups.

In December, Woods delivered a somber news conference before serving as host for the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, saying he couldn’t “see the light at the end of the tunnel.” His last tournament was in Greensboro, N.C., in August, where he tied for 10th and appeared to have turned a corner after a brutal season that included a two-month hiatus before the Masters to deal with confidence issues.

“I think pretty much everything beyond this … will be gravy,” Woods said of his stalled career, adding that he had “nothing I can look forward to, nothing I can build towards.”

A more optimistic Woods responded to rumors of his decline in February with a video of him hitting a 9-iron on a simulator with the comment “progressing nicely.” He reported that he’s having chipping and putting contests with his son, Charlie, with the loser required to do pushups, but the timetable for the 40-year-old remains uncertain.

“I want to play this game at the highest level again,” said Woods, who’s fallen below 400 in the world rankings. “In order to do that, I have to get healthy.”

Last year, Woods didn’t announce his competitive return until the Friday before the Masters after flying into Augusta twice the week before for practice rounds. He entered the final round tied for fifth before fading Sunday to a tie for 17th.

“The big thing right now is trying to get stronger and more flexible,” Woods said in March. “Sitting out as long as I did, some weakening occurred, and I have a lot of work ahead of me.”

Furyk was No. 3 in the world last summer and No. 7 when he tied for fourth in the Deutsche Bank Championship on Sept. 6 for his seventh top-10 finish of the year. But he withdrew a week later in the middle of his first round in the BMW Championship at Conway Farms with a sore wrist.

The 45-year-old U.S. Open winner hasn’t played since as the problem turned out to be worse than he thought. On Feb. 1, Furyk opted to undergo surgery and miss three months while recovering.

“While I am disappointed that the wrist has not healed sufficiently for me to return to play, I am confident that the surgery at this point is the best course of action and will get me back in the shortest possible time,” he said in a statement. “This has been frustrating for me to this point, but I am focusing on an aggressive rehabilitation program and having a strong year once I am sufficiently healed.”

Furyk has played in 19 Masters dating back to 1996, missing only 2004 when he sat out three months after surgery on his left wrist to repair torn cartilage. He has missed the cut only three times at Augusta and posted four top-10 finishes, including solo fourths in 1998 and 2003, the year he won the U.S. Open.

Bae, 29, qualified for his fourth Masters by reaching the Tour Championship at East Lake last fall, but he won’t be able to make the return to Augusta. After playing for the International Presidents Cup team in his native South Korea, Bae began a compulsory two-year service in the South Korean military.

Unlike countrymen K.J. Choi and Y.E. Yang, who each served their military stints before turning professional in golf, Bae believed his residency in the U.S. exempted him. He lost his appeal to extend his special permit and was required to fulfill his service.

The PGA Tour created a “mandatory obligation” category for members who need it for military or religious reasons, and it will allow Bae to retain his tour exemption for one year once he’s completed his service. The Masters does not defer exemptions for any reasons.

“I’ll be back on tour in 2017,” said Bae, a two-time PGA Tour winner.

Olazabal has not played since missing the cut at last year’s Masters. He cited an undisclosed injury as the reason.

“I am sorry to announce that I’m unable to attend this year as I am not feeling well,” Olazabal said in a statement.

“It’s been very tough being at home these last few months doing nothing. Now, I’m feeling better. I hit a bucket of balls every morning and spend 45 minutes on the putting green. I practice for about three hours. I don’t set myself goals or dates – time will tell. I have regular tests and they show some improvement, which is a good sign, but the main thing is to get rid of pain. It’s a slow process and I have to be very patient.”

Tiger Woods

SLIDESHOW: Tiger Woods

Jim Furyk

SLIDESHOW: Jim Furyk

Jose-Maria Olazabal

SLIDESHOW: Jose-Maria Olazabal

Sangmoon Bae

SLIDESHOW: Sang-Moon Bae

Danny Willett

Kevin Streelman

SLIDESHOW: Kevin Streelman

Masters Record - Woods

Year	Place	Score	Round				Money
Year	Place	Score	1	2	3	4	Money
2015	T17	-5	73	69	68	73	$ 155,000
2013	T4	-5	70	73	70	70	$ 352,000
2012	T40	+5	72	75	72	74	$ 32,000
2011	T4	-10	71	66	74	67	$ 330,667
2010	T4	-11	68	70	70	69	$ 330,000
2009	T6	-8	70	72	70	68	$ 242,813
2008	2	-5	72	71	68	72	$ 810,000
2007	T2	+3	73	74	72	72	$ 541,333
2006	T3	-4	72	71	71	70	$ 315,700
2005	1	-12	74	66	65	71	$ 1,260,000
2004	T22	+2	75	69	75	71	$ 70,200
2003	T15	+2	76	73	66	75	$ 93,000
2002	1	-12	70	69	66	71	$ 1,008,000
2001	1	-16	70	66	68	68	$ 1,008,000
2000	5	-4	75	72	68	69	$ 184,000
1999	T18	+1	72	72	70	75	$ 52,160
1998	T8	-3	71	72	72	70	$ 89,600
1997	1	-18	70	66	65	69	$ 486,000
1996	T60	+6	75	75			$ 0
1995	T41	+5	72	72	77	72	$ 0

Masters Record - Furyk

Year	Place	Score	Round				Money
Year	Place	Score	1	2	3	4	Money
2015	T56	+3	74	73			$ 10,000
2014	T14	+1	74	68	72	75	$ 148,500
2013	T25	+2	69	71	74	76	$ 56,040
2012	11	-3	70	73	72	70	$ 200,000
2011	T24	-2	72	68	74	72	$ 70,400
2010	91	+12	80	76			$ 10,000
2009	T10	-7	66	74	68	73	$ 187,500
2008	T33	+5	70	73	73	77	$ 42,375
2007	T13	+8	75	71	76	74	$ 135,937
2006	T22	+3	73	75	68	75	$ 67,200
2005	28	+3	76	67	74	74	$ 53,900
2003	4	-4	73	72	71	68	$ 288,000
2002	T61	+6	73	77			$ 5,000
2001	T6	-9	69	71	70	69	$ 181,300
2000	T14	+1	73	74	71	71	$ 80,500
1999	T14	E	72	73	70	73	$ 70,000
1998	4	-7	76	70	67	68	$ 153,600
1997	T28	+5	74	75	72	72	$ 19,575
1996	T29	+6	75	70	78	71	$ 15,571

Masters Record - Olazabal

Year	Place	Score	Round				Money
Year	Place	Score	1	2	3	4	Money
2015	T77	+6	79	71			$ 10,000
2014	T34	+6	74	74	73	73	$ 48,600
2013	T50	+7	74	72	74	75	$ 19,480
2012	T65	+7	75	76			$ 10,000
2011	T82	+6	73	77			$ 10,000
2009	T51	+2	71	75			$ 10,000
2008	T71	+7	76	75			$ 10,000
2007	T44	+16	74	75	78	77	$ 22,533
2006	T3	-4	76	71	71	66	$ 315,700
2005	T74	+9	77	76			$ 5,000
2004	30	+6	71	69	79	75	$ 46,150
2003	T8	E	73	71	71	73	$ 162,000
2002	4	-7	70	69	71	71	$ 268,800
2001	T15	-7	70	68	71	72	$ 95,200
2000	T58	+5	72	77			$ 5,000
1999	1	-8	70	66	73	71	$ 720,000
1998	T12	-2	70	73	71	72	$ 64,800
1997	T12	-1	71	70	74	72	$ 52,920
1995	T14	-4	66	74	72	72	$ 39,600
1994	1	-9	74	67	69	69	$ 360,000
1993	T7	-4	70	72	74	68	$ 54,850
1992	T42	-1	76	69	72	70	$ 5,450
1991	2	-11	68	70	69	70	$ 145,800
1990	13	-1	72	73	68	74	$ 26,300
1989	T8	E	77	73	70	68	$ 32,200
1987	T65	+10	79	75			$ 1,500
1985	T71	+13	81	76			$ 0

Masters Record

Year	Place	Score	Round				Money
Year	Place	Score	1	2	3	4	Money
2015	T33	E	74	71	72	71	$ 54,000
2014	T52	+5	72	77			$ 10,000
2012	T37	+4	75	71	69	77	$ 37,600

Masters Record - Willett

Year	Place	Score	Round				Money
Year	Place	Score	1	2	3	4	Money
2015	T38	+1	71	71	76	71	$ 40,000

Masters Record - Streelman

Year	Place	Score	Round				Money
Year	Place	Score	1	2	3	4	Money
2015	T12	-6	70	70	70	72	$ 196,000
2014	T42	+8	72	71	74	79	$ 34,200
2013	T81	+9	76	77			$ 10,000
2011	T75	+5	75	74			$ 10,000