Tiger Woods will not be at Ponte Vedra when the Tour stops for the Players Championship. The PGA Tour released the 144-man field for the March 14 event and Woods’s name was a glaring absence. It was widely expected that the veteran golfer would tee up at TPC Sawgrass, having earlier expressed his wish to play one tournament a month.
Speaking at the Hero World Challenge last December, the 15-time Major winner said, “Once a month seems reasonable. It gives me a couple of weeks to recover and a week to tune up. Maybe I can get into the rhythm.”
Woods, who was recently named the Vice Chairman of the PGA Tour Enterprises, is not taking part in Bay Hill as well for the ongoing Arnold Palmer Invitational. He has won eight times at Bay Hill including straight four victories between 2000-2003. The Players Championship, despite its non-signature status, generally draws in the top players.
Tiger Woods has teed up at TPC Sawgrass 19 times in his career, with five top-10 finishes to his name, including two victories in 2001 and 2013. He also came in a close second in 2000 and had previously withdrawn from the Players Championship twice. In 2010, the 48-year-old golfer had to pull out due to a neck injury in the final rounds. The next year, Woods removed himself before the tournament started.
In his most recent PGA Tour start, Tiger Woods shot 1-over 71 in the opening round of the Genesis Invitational. However, he bowed out during the second round with flu-like symptoms. It was later confirmed that Woods had influenza.
