Tiger Woods Admits He hasn't Slept for 3 Days Following Break-up with Lindsey Vonn

Tiger Woods has opened up on the break-up of his three-year relationship with American skier Lindsey Vonn and admitted: 'I haven't slept for three days. I'm not going to lie to you, it has been brutal.'

The pair announced their separation on Sunday in statements on their respective Facebook pages. The timing could hardly have been worse from Woods's point of view, since the day also marked the ninth anniversary of the death of his father, Earl.

'Obviously it does affect me,' he said, referring to the break-up. 'It's tough. There's no doubt. I'm not going to lie about that. And on top of that, this three day window, from May 3-5, is always really hard. So it has been really tough. I haven't slept. These three days have been brutal on me. With what happened on Sunday just adds to it.'

Woods returns to competition on Thursday for the first time since the Masters, at the PGA tour's flagship event, the Players Championship. Asked how hard it was going to be mentally to focus on the event, DailyMail reports that he said:

 'I've always had to deal with circumstances outside the ropes. Once you're inside them, it's time to tee it up and time to play. You go into your own little zone and focus, and grind out and win golf tournaments.'