Many people were surprised by Tiger Woods’ decision to forgo The Players Championship, especially because he had previously described the ideal situation as a tournament taking place every month in 2024.
Although Woods may have chosen to tee it up at the Valspar Championship next week, which is being held at the Copperhead Course, the deadline for naming the field on Friday has passed.
This implies that the 15-time Major winner has only made one appearance on the PGA Tour this year, at the Genesis Invitational in February, where he withdrew due to sickness during the second round.
The Houston Open at the end of the month, which is just two weeks before Augusta National hosts The Masters, is the earliest that Woods may return to action due to his choice to once more decline the opportunity to compete.
He has never played the Memorial Park Golf Course, so an appearance there seems doubtful. That would leave the Valero Texas Open the week before The Masters, but since going pro in 1996, Woods has only participated in that tournament once, so it’s quite likely that we will see him compete at the Major, which he has won five times already.
After Woods participated in the Valspar Championship six years prior, an appearance there didn’t seem impossible. He was only one shot behind champion Paul Casey at the time, finishing in T2. The public’s attention was also piqued by it, as seen by the last round garnering the highest non-Major ratings in more than five years.
Prior to his influenza-related withdrawal from the Riviera Country Club event last month, Woods reportedly reported having back spasms. He did, however, participate in the Seminole Pro-Member earlier this month, indicating that his decision to decline an invitation to the Valspar Championship was unrelated to a medical condition.
The 48-year-old had only made two starts before the Genesis Invitational since having his right ankle’s subtalar fusion surgery in November and the PNC Championship the following month.
Woods expressed his expectations for 2024 before to the first of those events, saying, “Maybe a tournament once a month would be the best scenario.” That’s realistic, I believe, if you have to start somewhere, perhaps at Genesis and somewhere in March close to The Players.
Once more, as of right moment, the largest events are scheduled once a month. It positions itself to do that.