ESPN Golf

No. 8 will have to wait.

Tiger Woods owns victories in his last seven PGA Tour starts, dating back to a British Open title in July, but his pursuit for an eighth consecutive victory will take an unexpected adjournment, as he will forgo playing in next week's Nissan Open.

Sobel: Woods open for criticism
You can stop bad-mouthing Tiger Woods, stop griping about his intermittent schedule, stop complaining that he's skipping the Nissan Open just to keep his current PGA Tour win streak intact. Blog

Earlier this week, Woods' Web site, TigerWoods.com, read "Next event: WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship," which doesn't commence until Feb. 21, one week after the Los Angeles-based Nissan. Players had until 5 p.m. ET on Friday to declare their intentions for the following week's tournament.

The tournament will, however, feature 13 of the next 15 players in the World Ranking, including Phil Mickelson, who hasn't played the Nissan since 2001.

Woods first played in the Nissan Open in 1992, when it was still called the Los Angeles Open, receiving a sponsor's exemption as a 16-year-old amateur. He missed the cut that year and though his results have improved, it remains the tournament he's competed in the most without earning a victory. All told, he has made 11 starts in the event, tallying four top-10s, including runner-up finishes in 1998 and '99. Last year, he withdrew after two rounds due to flu-like symptoms.

"We've been very grateful he's played our tournament that many times," Tom Pulchinski, tournament director for the Nissan Open, told the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday. "He can't play every year."

Woods is coming off a T-3 finish at the European Tour's Dubai Desert Classic this past weekend. His most recent PGA Tour start came two weeks ago, when he shot a final-round 66 at Torrey Pines to win the Buick Invitational by two strokes.

At the time, Woods was noncommittal about where his next U.S. appearance may come. Asked whether it would be at either the Nissan or the Match Play, he simply responded, "Yeah."

He also addressed potential criticism for skipping his hometown tournament in favor of an event more suited to his game, in order to keep the current streak intact. "People can say whatever they want," he said. "That's their opinion. They are entitled to it."

Woods' seven consecutive wins ranks second all-time on the PGA Tour. Byron Nelson won 11 straight times in 1945.

Jason Sobel is ESPN.com's golf editor. He can be reached at Jason.Sobel@espn3.com