An exhausted Tiger Woods says he's sitting out next week's season-ending PGA Tour Championship to recharge his batteries.

"Playing seven out of nine weeks with an additional trip to Ireland for Ryder Cup practice was taxing both mentally and physically and I feel like I need another week away from competitive golf," Woods said on his website Friday.

Tiger Woods had a tough start to the 2006 season, but finished with two majors and a five-tournament winning streak.
(Steven Senne/Associated Press)

"I'm confident that this extended break will help me to recharge my batteries for the 2007 season."

Calgary's Stephen Ames will also skip the Tour Championship because of a back injury.

Woods does still plan to play in several tournaments before the end of the year, including the HSBC Champions Tournament, the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament, the PGA Grand Slam of Golf and the Target World Challenge.

It has been a difficult year for Woods. His father, Earl Woods, died in May, and Woods didn't play in a tournament until the U.S. Open in June.

After missing the cut at the Open — the first time in his career that Woods failed to qualify for the weekend at a major — the 30-year-old went on a remarkable run, winning the British Open and PGA Championship en route to a five-tournament winning streak.

Losing Woods is yet another blow for the Tour Championship. The tournament in Atlanta, Ga., is reserved for the top 30 players on the PGA Tour's money list following this week's tournament.

Masters champion Phil Mickelson announced last month that he was taking the rest of the golf season off and will also miss the Tour Championship.

With files from Sports Network