US MASTERS: Six-times Masters champion Jack Nicklaus will not be playing at Augusta National next week after failing to recover from a long-term back complaint.

It will be only the second time since 1959 that Nicklaus has missed the Masters. The 62-year-old has also pulled out of this week's Legends of Golf event on the Seniors Tour.

"I have tried over the last couple of months to get my body and my golf game in shape to play at the Legends and possibly the Masters," said Nicklaus, who was unable to compete in the 1999 Masters due to replacement surgery on his left hip. "And while encouraged, I made a decision that neither is at the point I hoped they'd be at this stage."

Nicklaus has not played an official tournament since finishing third in the Senior British Open in July 2001.

"I will continue to focus on my strengthening and conditioning programs, with the hope that I will continue to see improvement," added Nicklaus, the winner of a record 18 majors.

"My back is better and hopefully it will come around to the point where it will allow me to play in the not-so-distant future."

Nicklaus, who hopes to play the Countrywide Tradition - the season's first major on the Senior Tour - in three weeks' time, will be present at Augusta National for the annual champions' dinner.

Last month Nicklaus urged Augusta National not to rule out imposing their own equipment regulations on the tournament in future following technology advances in recent years.

The course was stretched by nearly 300 yards last year to 7,270 yards, and club chairman Hootie Johnson said they were virtually out of room to add further extensions.