Woods to take another break from golf

Tiger Woods will make the golfing world wait for his next appearance after confirming that he is to take another break from competitive action.

Woods finished joint fourth at The Masters on his return from a traumatic five month lay-off following revelations about his private life. After rival Phil Mickelson claimed his third Augusta title, Woods said: "I'm going to take a little time off and kind of re-evaluate things."

The world number one's first appearance post-Augusta last year was a US Tour event in North Carolina, and this year the same event runs from April 29-May 2. It is unknown whether the American will play there or at the following week's Players Championship in Florida.

With total uncertainty about how the 34-year-old would fare or how he would be received by fans after his troubles, most people would consider fourth place at Augusta a superb achievement.

But Woods, ever the perfectionist, thinks differently. He said: "I finished fourth. Not what I wanted. I wanted to win this tournament, but as the week wore on I kept hitting the ball worse.

"I only enter events to win and I didn't get it done. I didn't hit the ball good enough and I made too many mistakes around the greens."