Tiger Woods Doubtful For Players Championship Ahead Of Friday Deadline

Tiger Woods has suggested he is unlikely to make his PGA Tour return at next week's Players Championship, with the deadline to commit at 5pm ET this Friday.

The 15-time Major champion admitted during Tuesday night's TGL contest that his "heart is really not into practicing right now" following the death of his mother on February 4 and that Jupiter Links' 9-1 defeat to Atlanta Drive at SoFi Center was one of the first times he'd picked up a golf club since Kultida passed away.

Woods is a two-time Players champion who sees the final year of his exemption into the PGA Tour's flagship event expire after 2025, but shared that a combination of his recent loss and the role he continues to play in PGA Tour-PIF talks means he has been unable and unwilling to prepare sufficiently for pro golf.

Asked if he was looking to compete at some point in the Florida Swing, with many fans believing a start at TPC Sawgrass might be the most likely place to see Woods in action once again, the 82-time PGA Tour winner said: “Not really. 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.”

The 49-year-old's most recent competitive start arrived at The Open Championship last July - two months before Woods underwent his sixth back surgery. After deciding December's Hero World Challenge was too soon to make his playing return, Woods teamed up with son, Charlie at the 2024 PNC Championship a matter of days later but lost out in a playoff to Bernhard and Jason Langer.

The new year saw Woods make his debut for Jupiter Links in TGL, the tech-infused competition that he and Rory McIlroy helped to launch, before going on to play a social round with US President, Donald Trump on February 9.

Between then and the Genesis Invitational - which Woods hosts annually - the 15-time Major winner met with Trump, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, PIF chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan and fellow Policy Board member Adam Scott to discuss the future of men's pro golf and a potential unification deal.

Woods had originally intended to compete at the Genesis Invitational last month but ended up withdrawing due to admitting he was "not ready" to tee it up again just days after his mother's death.

In a statement confirming the decision, Woods said: “I planned to tee it up this week, but I’m just not ready. I did my best to prepare, knowing it’s what my Mom would have wanted, but I’m still processing her loss. Thanks to everyone who has reached out."

Earlier this week, the 49-year-old competed in the exclusive Seminole Pro-Member alongside former PGA of American CEO, Seth Waugh and was reportedly assisted by caddie, Lance Bennett - consequently giving a boost to belief that Woods could appear at The Players.

However, it appears as though the California-born pro's next start will not be this month after all. Meanwhile, The Masters - which Woods has won five times - begins on April 10.