Many people were surprised by Tiger Woods’ decision to skip The Players Championship, especially given that he had previously sketched a best-case scenario of a tournament every month in 2024.
That decision left the door open for him to play in next week’s Valspar Championship, but the Friday deadline passed without Woods being named to the field at the Copperhead Course.
That means the 15-time Major winner has only made one appearance on the PGA Tour this year, at the Genesis Invitational in February, where he withdrew during the second round due to sickness.
Woods’ decision to decline the opportunity to participate means that the earliest he may return to action is at the Houston Open at the end of the month, which is just two weeks before the year’s first Major, The Masters at Augusta National.
However, an appearance at the Memorial Park Golf Course event appears doubtful considering he has never played it before. That leaves the Valero Texas Open the week before The Masters, but Woods has only played that event once since turning pro in 1996, so it is fairly inevitable that the next time we see him in action will be at the Major, which he has won five times before.
After Woods participated in the Valspar Championship six years ago, an appearance there did not seem out of the question. Back then, he finished second, one shot behind champion Paul Casey. That also attracted the attention of the television audience, with the final round receiving the highest non-Major ratings in almost five years.
Before withdrawing from last month’s Riviera Country Club event due to sickness, Woods complained of back pains. However, he did compete in the Seminole Pro-Member earlier this month, implying that his choice not to participate in the Valspar Championship is not due to injury.
Prior to the Genesis Invitational, the 48-year-old has only made two starts since undergoing a subtalar fusion treatment on his right ankle, at the Hero World Challenge in November and the PNC Championship the following month.
Before the first of these events, Woods expressed his ambitions for 2024, saying, “I believe the best scenario would be a tournament every month. I believe that’s realistic, but you’d have to start with Genesis and something in March near The Players.
Again, the largest events are currently scheduled once a month. It prepares itself for that.
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