Tiger Woods has admitted his recent neck injury is a consequence of a fourth back surgery. He also insisted in the buildup to the Players Championship on Tuesday that he can manage the problem sufficiently to remain competitive.

Woods withdrew from last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, the latest fitness setback to have dogged this phase of his career. He said the pain in his neck, which has now subsided, has been an occasional problem since last year’s Open.

“It was getting to the point where it was affecting my setup, my backswing, my through swing,” Woods said. “It was gradually getting worse. That’s just because my lower back is fused and so the stress has to go somewhere if I don’t have movement. So it’s very important for me, since the surgery, to keep pliable or else the stress is going to go somewhere else.

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“I’ve got to keep that moving, even though it’s fixed. I’ve got to keep all the other structures pliable and that’s one of the issues of having a procedure like I did, that the forces have to go somewhere. I’ve got to stay fit, I’ve got to stay on it and have to stay as loose as I possibly can for as long as I play.

“It’s just part of the nature of the sport. If you have force, it’s got to go somewhere. If it’s not my lower back it’s going to be in the hip; you know I have had four knee operations. It’s got to go somewhere. We’re not immune to having the forces go somewhere. Eventually in a repetitive sport, you’re going to wear out something.”

Woods, who is seeking a third victory at Sawgrass, seems confident his preparation for the Masters has not been affected by his Bay Hill absence. The opening major of the year is four weeks away.

“I’ve played three tournaments this year and that’s about right,” he said. “I was going to play three or four. If I would have got my rounds in last week it would have been four tournaments, so I’m right where I need to be.

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“My finishes are getting a little bit better each and every time I’ve gone out this year and I’ve got a little bit more consistent with my play. I think that everything is headed on track towards April.”

Woods confirmed that “if nothing flares up” at Sawgrass he intends to add the WGC-Match Play in Austin at the end of the month to his Augusta preparation. His aspirations for 2019 are clearly more lofty than a year ago, when the former world No 1’s professional future was in serious doubt.

“I know I can play again, I know I can win a tournament and so I know I can compete at the highest level,” the 43-year-old said. “So that’s all good. Now it’s about keeping it consistent, keeping my body solid and fresh and pliable and athletic.

“These are all things that are a little bit more difficult as you progress in age and these are the challenges I’m going to be facing. I can’t sit out there and practise for eight to 12 hours like I used to.”