Tiger Woods will be at the annual Masters champions dinner in spirit on Tuesday night.
Tiger Woods won't be on the course at Augusta National when the 2021 Masters begins on Thursday, but he will still be honored before the tournament takes place.
Woods's seat will be left open at the annual Masters champions dinner on Tuesday night, per the PGA Tour. Woods hosted the champions dinner before the 2020 Masters after winning his most recent green jacket in 2019.
Woods will not attend the 2021 Masters after he was hospitalized in February following a single-vehicle accident in Los Angeles. Woods suffered significant orthopedic injuries which required emergency surgery, and he also suffered "trauma to the muscle and soft tissue of the leg," per Dr. Anish Mahajan, the Chief Medical Officer and Interim CEO at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.
The 15-time major champion left the hospital on March 16 before returning to his home in South Florida.
"Happy to report that I am back home and continuing my recovery. I am so grateful for the outpouring of support and encouragement that I have received over the past few weeks,” Woods said in a statement. “Thank you to the incredible surgeons, doctors, nurses and staff at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. You have all taken such great care of me and I cannot thank you enough.
“I will be recovering at home and working on getting stronger every day.”
Woods has been visited by golfer Justin Thomas in recent weeks in the lead-up to the 2021 Masters. Woods told Thomas on Tuesday it is "starting to set in" that he won't be playing in the 2021 Masters.
Defending champion Dustin Johnson will host the 2021 Masters champions dinner on Tuesday. The menu will include filet mignon, sea bass, Pigs in a Blanket and peach cobbler.