Orlando, Florida (AP) Tiger Woods will not compete in The Players Championship next week, raising questions about where the five-time Masters champion will play prior to Augusta National.
The Players is already missing a number of well-known players who have joined LIV Golf. It is now missing the biggest draw in golf.
There was no obvious reason why Woods elected not to play at the TPC Sawgrass, which he had won twice. He was not included in the PGA Tour field published on Friday. Despite the fact that injuries have severely hampered his schedule, he would be eligible to win the 2019 Masters thanks to a five-year exemption.Woods’ path to the Masters may have started with the Seminole Pro-Member last week in Florida. He played 18 holes alongside PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh. Otherwise, his only competition this year was 24 rounds at the Genesis Invitational, which Woods withdrew from after six holes in the second round at Riviera due to the virus.
Woods underwent surgery to repair his right ankle following the Masters last year and did not return until the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas in December. He stated that walking was no longer a difficulty, though he still experienced soreness in other portions of his body. He has undergone five operations on his back.
Nonetheless, he remained optimistic that he may play once a month in the majors by 2024. He never committed to The Players, despite the fact that it made sense for the tour’s top tournament to be held once a month on a course he has won twice.
The Valspar Championship comes following the Players. Woods finished second there in 2018, but has never returned. The only two tournaments left are the Houston Open, which he has never played, and the Texas Open, which he last played on a sponsor exemption in 1996, when he was 20 and fresh out of college.
However, he has a history of showing up at the Masters with little competition. The most noteworthy incident was in 2022, when Woods played for the first time after crashing his automobile in Los Angeles and breaking bones in his lower right leg. Woods placed 47th that year.
He also went five months without playing in 2010, as his personal life crumbled around him after he was revealed for having many adulterous relationships. He opened with a 68 and finished tied for fourth, five strokes behind Phil Mickelson.
Woods has never missed the cut at the Masters as a pro.
The Players Championship still features a loaded field, led by defending winner Scottie Scheffler. With Woods out, Alexander Bjork is the last player in the field.
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