Tiger Woods has downplayed his readiness to compete in the past, but the 15-time major champion did not sound like he was preparing to play at the Players Championship next week.
Competing for the last time Tuesday night at TGL, the tech-infused golf league he helped launch, Woods noted his lack of practice when he was asked a question about an impressive drive he hit during the made-for-TV competition that his Jupiter Links team lost to the Atlanta Drive.
Asked specifically if he is gearing up to compete in Florida in the coming weeks, Woods cited his mom Kultida’s death last month and his work on the PGA Tour policy board as leading to a lack of desire to work on his game.
“Not really,” he said. “This is the third time I’ve touched a club since my mom passed, so I haven’t really gotten into it. My heart is really not into practicing right now. I’ve had so many other things to do with the Tour and trying to do other things.
“Once I start probably feeling a little bit better and start getting into it, I’ll start looking at the schedule.”
Next week is the Players Championship, the PGA Tour’s flagship event, at Tour headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. This is the last year that Woods is exempt for the tournament via his 2019 Masters win.
It’s possible he could play the following week at the Valspar Championship, where he tied for second in his only appearance in 2018.
The Masters, where he has won five times and has not missed the cut since he was an amateur in 1996, is five weeks away.
Woods referenced his lack of golf recently which included a round with President Trump on Feb. 9. The next day, he withdrew from the Genesis Invitational, a tournament his foundation runs, after originally committing to play.
He also competed in a TGL match on Feb. 18 and played Monday at the Seminole Pro-Member, where he walked with his caddie, Lance Bennett, and competed with amateur partner Seth Waugh, the former CEO of the PGA of America.
Woods, 49, last played officially at the British Open, where he missed the cut in July. In September, he had a sixth back procedure and skipped the Hero World Challenge before playing with his son, Charlie, at the PNC Championship in mid-December.
His back issues were improved and Woods appeared to walk better than at any time since the February 2021 car crash with led to multiple issues with his lower right leg.
Woods has said he wants to play more than year after competing just five times in 2024 and playing just 11 rounds.
In order to play at the Players Championship, he needs to commit by a Friday afternoon deadline.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Tiger Woods Doesn’t Sound Likely to Compete at Next Week’s Players Championship.
