The soap opera that has become Tiger Woods’s life took another shadowy turn Wednesday when Woods announced he was taking an indefinite leave of absence from competitive golf to work on his floundering game. The announcement, made on Woods’s website, was not unexpected. Woods has been playing the worst golf of his career and he withdrew from last week’s tournament with a back injury.
But the lack of details about how long Woods will be sidelined — and his comment that the leave is not related to last year’s back surgery — created yet another tempest about what is at the root of Woods’s temporary exit.
This winter, Woods has been altering his swing yet again with another new coach but his greatest failings lately have seemed to be mental. He has repeatedly flubbed routine shots near the green that were once the strength of his game. Woods has appeared amateurish and confused.
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On Wednesday, Woods was ranked 62nd in the world. It is the lowest he has been ranked since he turned professional in 1996.
An earlier version of a picture caption with this article misstated the name of a tournament Tiger Woods played in last week. It is the Farmers Insurance Open, not the Farms Insurance Open.
