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The field is set for next weeks Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. Despite all of the rumors involving Tiger Woods potentially putting his golf shoes on, he will not be playing.
Woods missed the deadline on Friday night to utilize his exemption.
Tiger earned a five-year exemption into the PGA Tour’s flagship event by winning the 2019 Masters Tournament. Sadly, he was never able to make use of that exemption.
The 2020 iteration of the tournament was canceled due to COVID-19. The following February, Woods was involved in an awful car wreck. He required several surgeries to his lower extremities and has never really been quite the same.
But what will make this news sting a bit more for golf fans; Woods may never play in The PLAYERS ever again.
That exemption expires this year. Barring another major victory or a change in qualification critera, the final time he played the iconic TPC Sawgrass course in competition will have been weeks before he won his fifth Green Jacket.
Golf fans have been clamoring for his return to the PGA Tour. It appeared as though they were going to get it at the Genesis Invitational last month.
The 82-time PGA Tour winner had publicly stated his goal to play more on Tour this year.
However, the passing of Woods’ mother, Kultida, prompted the legendary golfer to withdraw. That led many to believe that maybe The PLAYERS was the perfect spot to return.
It would allow him a few weeks to prepare for The Masters. But it also provides a strong test to sharpen his game.
It remains to be seen whether Woods will play at all before next month’s Masters Tournament.
The three tournaments between the Players Championship and Augusta National are the Valspar Championship, the Houston Open, and the Valero Texas Open.