Tiger Woods: There is no timetable for my return, there is nothing I can look forward to

Former world No 1 Tiger Woods does not know when he will play golf again.

The 39-year-old will not be playing in the Bahamas this week and admits he does not know whether there is 'light at the end of the tunnel', as he spoke at a press conference.

Asked about his return from back surgery, Woods, who has not played since the Wyndham Championship in August, said: 'I have no answer for that. Neither does my surgeon or my physio. There is no timetable.

Former world No 1 Tiger Woods has not swung a golf club since operations in September and October

'There is nothing I can look forward to, nothing I can build towards.'

The 14-time major winner said he has not been able to begin rehabilitation work for the two back operations he has had since his last start over three months ago.

He revealed video games have been one of his main pastimes but said cannot bend over to pick up a ball when playing with his children.

Asked about what physical activity he is able to do, Woods replied: 'I walk. And I walk. I'm just walking, and that's it.

'Where is the light at the end of the tunnel? I don't know.'

Woods turns 40 on December 30 and whether he can add to his 79 victories on the PGA Tour must be open to serious debate.

Woods says he has 'nothing to look forward to' in his recovery from back surgery

He insists his hope is to resume his career and 'get after it with these guys', but he also acknowledged that any good golf from now on would be 'gravy' on top of a career that saw him ranked number one in the world for 623 weeks.

'I think pretty much everything beyond this will be gravy,' he said. 'If that's all it entails, then I've had a pretty good run.'

Now ranked down at 400, Woods continued: 'It's just taking it literally day by day and week by week and time by time.

The 39-year-old has had two operations to alleviate pain from a pinched nerve

'It's different from any of the other surgeries and procedures that I've had in the past, where, okay, you blow out your ACL, which I did and I had ACL reconstruction and okay, you're back in nine months. That's the timetable.

'For nerves, there are really no timetables, and therein lies the tricky part because you can come back earlier or you can come back later.

'It just depends on how the nerve heals and how it settles.

'I listen to my surgeon, I listen to my physios, and we just take it day by day.

Woods missed the cut at three of the four majors this year and played in only 11 events

'Hopefully the day by day adds up to something positive here soon.'

Woods said his decision to become a vice-captain for Davis Love III on the 2016 US Ryder Cup team was not related to his playing future, whatever that might be.

Referring to the Americans' response to the 2014 Ryder Cup defeat to Europe at Gleneagles, he said: 'When I was asked to be part of the task force and I committed to that, all the guys on the conference call, they all know what my feelings were about the Ryder Cup and how I wanted to be a part of it.

'I told Davis, 'whatever you want me to do, I'll do'.'

Woods was speaking at a press conference ahead of the Hero World Challenge, the 18-man tournament hosted by his foundation.