In a mild surprise, Tiger Woods will not be competing in The Players next week, meaning the next time he plays will likely be the Masters.

So far, Tiger Woods has only played a little more than one round of competitive golf in 2024. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Tiger Woods will not be playing in The Players Championship this year, as his name did not appear on the final field list in advance of next week’s tournament.

Woods withdrew from the Genesis Invitational partway through his second round last month, the latest in a long series of setbacks as he returns from a range of injuries. He had indicated in 2023 that he planned to play roughly one tournament a month in 2024, but that likely won’t be the case, at least in the near term.

Woods has won twice at The Players, including 2001, when he holed a 60-foot, triple-breaking “better than most” putt on the famous 17th green, leading to one of the great calls in golf history:

Woods likely won’t play again before the Masters, the event he withdrew from last year shortly after making the cut. That was the last official tournament he played before the Genesis last month.