Tiger Woods reveals he won't play again 'for a while', despite impressive performance at the Masters

The former world No 1 tied with current No 1 Rory McIlroy

Tiger Woods appeared to hurt his hand when he hit a tree root on the ninth (Getty Images)

Former world number one Tiger Woods is in no hurry to play again despite comfortably his best performance of the season in the Masters.

Woods had started just two tournaments in 2015 before competing at Augusta National, shooting a career-worst 82 in Phoenix and then withdrawing after 11 holes of the Farmers Insurance Open due to injury.

The 39-year-old went into the final round in a tie for fifth with Rory McIlroy and eventually finished joint 17th after a closing 73.

His performance in the Masters suggests he is on the right road to improvement, but asked when he would compete on the PGA Tour again Woods added: "It's not going to be for a while. I have a little time off, and go back to the drawing board, work on it again, and refine what I'm doing.

"I really like what I'm doing, I got my distance back, and everything is good. Now my short game's my strength again, which is good stuff."

He injured his right hand in his final round on Sunday after appearing to hit a hidden tree root when playing his second shot out of the pine straw on the ninth.

"A bone kind of popped out and a joint went out of place but I put it back in," Woods said.

"It hurt. It definitely hurt. I didn't know there was a tree root there. I drove my hand or drove the club straight into it. It didn't move. But my body kept moving.

"There was a little joint that popped out and I was able to somehow put it back in, which didn't feel very good, but at least it got back in and I could move my hand again."

Woods hit just two fairways in the final round, the first of which was on the par-five 13th and led to an eagle, but added: "Considering where I was after Torrey Pines and Phoenix, to make the complete swing change and rectify all the faults and then come here and contend, I am proud of that part of it. I just wish I could have made a few more putts."

PA