Will Tiger Woods be able to play at the Masters this year? ‘God, I hope so,’ he says

Tiger Woods loves the Masters.

He loves it so much he wrote a book about it. And he talked about it a lot Monday on “Good Morning America.”

Unfortunately for the golfing great, he’s not sure if he’ll be able to play in the annual event next month.

Asked about it by host Michael Strahan, Woods said: “God, I hope so. I’m trying. I’m trying everything I can to get back and play. I love that event. It’s meant so much to me.”

Woods has won 14 major championships, the first of which was at the Masters 20 years ago. He details that event, which he won by a record 12 strokes, in his new book, “The 1997 Masters: My Story.’’

Back issues have caused Woods to miss many events during the last few years, including the Masters in 2014 and 2016. He hasn’t played this year since pulling out of the Dubai Desert Classic on Feb. 3.

“I need to get back physically,” said Woods, 41. “I know that the mind is sharp. I just need to get the body willing to do it. That’s the hard part, getting the prep time in. I haven’t been able to get as much prep time in, haven’t been able to train like I used to, practice like I used to. So it’s been harder.”

charles.schilken@latimes.com

Twitter: @chewkiii