Tiger Woods told fans he would be teeing it up at the Masters next week - only to confirm he was playing a cruel April Fool's prank minutes later. The 15-time major winner went under the knife in March after rupturing his left Achilles tendon while training at home.

Six of Woods' major triumphs have come at Augusta, including his most recent in 2019. Persistent injury issues have blighted the American's quest for another fairytale win in the years since, and yet another setback has put an end to his hopes of turning out at the 2025 Masters.

After getting supporters excited about a miraculous recovery, Woods brought them crashing back down to earth with a sobering follow-up announcement.

His first post on X read: "I can’t believe I am saying this, but a few weeks after rupturing my left Achilles, the sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber plus the explosive lifts my doctors and trainers have me ready to play the Masters next week! Can’t wait! See y’all on the course."

Woods left fans hanging for a full five minutes as he was flooded by reposts and replies, before adding: "P.S. April Fools my Achilles is still a mess :)".

Many were floored that the 49-year-old would play such a prank. "God damnit, Tiger," wrote @BearLovesKer on X. "I feel I am owed some Sun Day Red swag for pain and suffering." Elsewhere, @dronerogan chimed in with: "Don't do this to us Tiger," and @Anthony_Russo97 posted: "This is a wild April Fool's joke lmao".

Woods has not competed on the PGA Tour since July last year. He underwent a staggering sixth back surgery in September, and the Masters had been pencilled in as a hopeful return date before his latest setback.

"As I began to ramp up my own training and practice at home, I felt a sharp pain in my left Achilles, which was deemed to be ruptured," Woods explained three weeks ago. "This morning, Dr Charlton Stucken of the Hospital for Special Surgery in West Palm Beach, Florida performed a minimally invasive Achilles tendon repair for a ruptured tendon."

Dr Stucken said that the surgery went 'smoothly', and Woods is on course to making a full recovery. But it won't come in time to have a crack at his seventh green jacket, and the fact he described it as 'a mess' is particularly concerning.