LOS ANGELES - Tiger Woods is unlikely to experience any long-term problems because of his lingering neck pain and could feel better by next week, medical experts said on Tuesday.

World No 1 Woods was forced to withdraw from the final round of last week's Players Championship in Florida and will have MRI scans on his troublesome neck later this week.

"For Tiger to pull out in the final round, there must have been considerable pain," Dr Alex Vaccaro, a professor of orthopedics and neurosurgery, said. "He must have been having some functional disability with his upper extremity.