Tiger Woods announced that he will miss the 2014 US Open because he is still recovering from a back surgery that also forced him to miss the Masters for the first time in his career.

Woods, who will be missing his sixth major tournament because of an injury, announced his decision to skip the event through his official website, saying that he has yet to reach his desired physical shape to participate in a tournament.

"Unfortunately, I won't be there because I'm not yet physically able to play competitive golf," Woods said in a statement. "I'd like to convey my regrets to the USGA leadership, the volunteers and the fans that I won't be at Pinehurst."

The 38-year-old golf superstar expressed disappoint that he will not be able to compete in one of his favorite events, but he also expressed optimism that he will still be able to return strong from his current layoff.

Woods won the last of his 14 major titles during the 2008 U.S. Open. After that victory, Woods missed two other major tournaments that year -- the Open Championship and PGA Championship -- and two more in 2011 because of knee and Achilles injuries.

"The U.S. Open is very important to me, and I know it's going to be a great week. Despite missing the first two majors, and several other important tournaments, I remain very optimistic about this year and my future," Woods said.

Woods, who fell from No. 1 to No. 3 behind Adam Scott and Henrik Stenson because of his inactivity, said last week that he has yet to train aside from light chipping and putting.

When asked about a possible return date during the media day for the Quicken Loans National last week, Woods, who has not played since the final round of the WGC-Cadillac Championship on March 9, admitted that there is still no timetable for his comeback.

"There's no date, there's no timetable, just taking it day by day and just focusing on trying to get stronger and come back," Woods said. "I want to play today, but that's just not going to happen. So just taking it step by step."

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