The field for next week’s Players Championship suffered a serious blow with fan favorite and 82-time PGA Tour winner Tiger Woods opting not to play.
Woods, the winner of the Players in 2001 and 2013, hasn’t played in the Tour’s signature event with the richest purse on the circuit, since 2019.
This season, Woods has played just one round, shooting an opening-round 72 at the Genesis Invitational in February before withdrawing from the tournament after hitting his tee shot at the seventh hole, citing the flu. According to Woods’ camp, the WD at Riviera wasn’t injury related.
Woods, 48, competed on Monday at the Seminole Pro-Member with partner Seth Waugh, the CEO of the PGA of America. They teamed to post a better-ball score of 70 and net 67, finishing outside the top 10 in both divisions. It was Woods’ first time playing in the exclusive club tournament.
Woods will only have three more chances to play competitively ahead of the Masters – at the Valspar Championship, the Texas Children’s Houston Open and the Valero Texas Open. While he has played the Valspar near Tampa as recently as 2018 when he finished T-2, Woods may be headed into the first major with a fresh coat of rust.
As recently as last month during his pre-tournament press conference in Los Angeles, he reiterated he hoped to build his schedule around the four majors and play once a month.
There are four eligible players not committed: Will Gordon, David Lingmerth, Danny Willett and Tiger Woods.
Woods is the winner of 15 majors during his World Golf Hall of Fame career. He joined the Tour’s Policy Board last fall.