Let the Tiger Watch begin.
When Tiger Woods did not commit to this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, it may (or may not) have increased the odds he would enter the 50th Players Championship March 14-17 at the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.
Woods hasn’t entered The Players since 2019 when he tied for 30th. Due to injuries and his car accident in 2021 he has appeared in the tournament only three times in the past 10 years since his 2013 victory at the Stadium Course.
Woods’ last appearance on the First Coast came in 2022 when he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the PGA Tour’s Global Home.
This is the final year of eligibility for Woods for The Players based on the five-year exemption he earned for winning the 2019 Masters. Woods has until Friday at 5 p.m. to commit to The Players and normally announces his playing schedule through his X site (formerly Twitter).
Tiger is playing some golf this week
Woods is playing at least 36 holes this week. He is entered in the Seminole Golf Club Pro-Member Monday and Tuesday, playing with PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh, 2021 Players champion Justin Thomas and investor Mike Walrath. Seminole is located off A1A north of West Palm Beach and is noted for its power-packed Pro-Member lineup.
Also scheduled to play are Tour players Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler, Matt Kuchar and Sam Ryder. Tom Brady and former NBA player Shane Battier also are in the field.
Tiger Woods has yet to miss a Players cut
Woods said last December that he would make one start per month in the run-up to The Masters. He entered the Genesis Invitational last month, the PGA Tour event he hosts at the Riviera Golf and Country Club near Los Angeles, but withdrew in the second round due to the flu.
It was his first start since the 2023 Masters, where he withdrew in the middle of the third round. Woods underwent fusion surgery on his right ankle after that and didn’t play again until the PNC Championship with his son Charlie. Woods then played all four rounds of the Hero World Challenge, the event he hosts in the Bahamas.
Woods has made 18 starts in The Players and has never missed a cut. The only time he didn’t play all 72 holes was in 2010 when he withdrew after playing seven holes in the final round because of neck pain.
Woods won the 2001 Players Championship in a Monday finish and captured the 2013 Players to join Jack Nicklaus, Fred Couples, Steve Elkington, Hal Sutton and Davis Love III in winning the tournament multiple times.
