American professional golfer Steve Stricker is planning to play at the Masters next week in his first competition following a four month gap due to a back surgery.
Stricker, who recently returned from Naples, Florida, after testing his swing and strength, had surgery two days before Christmas on a bulging disk in his lower back that was causing recurring hip problems.
Stricker revealed that he was playing, walking, just to see what he had, adding that it's the first time he played since December, and it was good, Sport24 reported.
Stricker said that he had just a little stiffness here and there, adding that he walked the last three days just to play like he would be playing.
The 48-year-old last played on December 7 at the Hero World Challenge, where he finished 14th in an 18-man field at Isleworth. He has been playing a reduced schedule since 2013 and last year failed to reach the Tour Championship for the first time in the FedEx Cup era.
Stricker qualified for the Masters by being ranked in the top 50 at the end of last year, having finished the year at number 41, and has since fallen to the 75th spot, which is his lowest ranking since he was out of the top 100 a week before the 2006 PGA Championship, the report added.