South African golf legend Gary Player has expressed serious doubts whether Tiger Woods will ever rule the game again.

The former world No1 is currently on an indefinite break from golf, recuperating from a second microdiscectomy surgery of the back last month – just 18 months after the first one.

The 14-time major winner has slipped to No310 in the world after a season that saw him miss three straight cuts in the majors and record just one top 10 in 11 starts.

– VIDEO: Gary Player on Tiger Woods' future

And while Player would love to see Woods get back into the top echelons of the game, he is facing challenges on two fronts – physically, because of the injuries and surgery, and also the fact that he has the yips.

Speaking exclusively to Sport360 after announcing the return of the Gary Player Invitational in Abu Dhabi on February 7-8 next year, Player said: “I don’t think that Tiger Woods will come back to No1 again.

“I hope I am wrong. I’d love to see him come back as the No1. There’s no doubt that golf needs Tiger Woods. He brings in more gallery, more sponsors and more TV ratings than any other player.

“He has also got the yips a little bit. And when you’ve got the yips, it is the biggest curse in golf. He gets it periodically now, and it is almost impossible to overcome. And of course, there is the fact that he has not one, but two back surgeries.

“Having said that, I have to add that Tiger Woods is not a normal guy. He may very well surprise me, and I hope he does.”

And while Player may have sounded pessimistic about Woods’ future, he was full of optimism for the future of golf, especially with three twenty-somethings becoming the top three ranked players in the world – 22-year-old No1 Jordan Spieth, 27-year-old Jason Day and 26-year-old Rory McIlroy.

“What these three guys are doing reminds me very much of Arnold (Palmer), Jack (Nicklaus) and myself. It’s an absolute replica,” said 79-year-old Player.

“Jason Day…what a magnificent swing…I have been saying this for many years to watch out for him. Spieth is the best putter and so good for the sport because he shows that this game is not just about hitting long drives. Seventy per cent of the game is short game, and Spieth is just wonderful there.

“And while I love their games, what I like more is that all three of them are such wonderful ambassadors for the game. They have raised the bar and they have encouraged other youngsters to come up. Golf is in a very healthy state right now.”