Tiger Woods will not play at the Players Championship next week after the golf legends missed Friday’s 5pm ET deadline to commit to the tournament.
Woods, 48, had been widely expected to tee it up at TPC Sawgrass next week after he pledged to play an event a month in 2024 during his pre-tournament press conference at the Hero World Challenge in November.
He said that he ‘would have to start maybe at Genesis and something in March, near the Players.’
The 15-time major winner followed through on his promise to play the Genesis Invitational in February, which he did until he was forced to withdraw during the second round.
However, it appears the Players will not be the event ticking the box for March as the deadline to commit to the field passed without Woods on Friday afternoon.
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Tournament organizers released the full field Friday evening, listing Woods as one of four eligible player not committed, along with Will Gordon, David Lingmerth and Danny Willett.
It comes as somewhat of a surprise for the icon to skip the prestigious event with this year marking its 50th anniversary.
Woods is also exempt into the Players due to his 2019 Masters win, which comes with a five-year exemption.
After the 2020 tournament was canceled due to the pandemic, he gained an extra year of exemption with his eligibility extending to 2025.
The next event on the PGA Tour calendar following the Players is the Valspar Championship on Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort from March 21 to 24.
However, Woods’ absence from next week’s field could suggest that fans may have to wait until the Masters in April to catch a glimpse of the golfing great again.
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Woods has not played competitively on the Tour since his early exit from the Genesis last month.
He had his long-awaited return to the PGA Tour at Riviera Country Club cut short last month when he was forced to withdraw six holes into the second round of the Genesis Invitational due to illness.
Woods backed out of the Genesis after suffering ‘flu-like symptoms’ and entering his second round with a fever, his business partner and close friend Rob McNamara had said.
He entered the day hovering around the cut line after shooting a one-over-par 72 round yesterday – punctuated by a hard shank on the 18th hole at Riviera Country Club, which he attributed to a back spasm.
However, McNamara said his Friday departure from the tournament was not related to his back.
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The 82-time winner on the PGA Tour did play the prestigious Seminole Pro-Am on Monday.
