Nicklaus out of major

Jack Nicklaus, the most successful player in US Masters history, has withdrawn from this year's tournament because of lingering back problems.

It will be only the second time since his debut in 1959 that the six-times winner has missed the Masters. He was also absent in 1999 when he was recovering from hip replacement surgery.

While the 62-year-old Nicklaus has expressed concerns about competing against players half his age on an Augusta National course that has added nearly 300 yards, it was a back injury that has plagued him for nearly a year that forced him to withdraw. Nicklaus also withdrew from this week's Legends of Golf on the Senior PGA Tour.

"I have tried over the last couple of months to get my body and my golf game in shape to play at the Legends and possibly the Masters," Nicklaus said. "And while encouraged, I do not think my golf game is suitable right now for the competition."

Nicklaus, who first won the Masters in 1963, did not rule out a return next year.