Tiger to skip Players, prepare for Masters
ORLANDO, Fla. — Tiger Woods is not in the field for The Players Championship next week, opening questions about whether or where the five-time Masters champion will play before Augusta National.
The Players already is missing a bevy of big names from those who joined LIV Golf. Now it’s missing the biggest draw in golf.
There was not an immediate reason why Woods chose not to play at the TPC Sawgrass, where he has won twice. He was not listed in the field that the PGA Tour released Friday. Even though injuries have severely limited his schedule, he would be eligible from his five-year exemption from winning the 2019 Masters.
For Woods, his road to the Masters could be the Seminole Pro-member last week in Florida. He played 18 holes with PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh. Otherwise, his only competition this year was 24 holes at the Genesis Invitational, where Woods withdrew after six holes in the second round at Riviera with the flu.
Woods had surgery to fuse his right ankle after the Masters last year and didn’t return until the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas in December. He has said walking was no longer as big an issue, though he still got sore from other parts of his body. He has had five surgeries on his back.
Arnold Palmer Invitational: Shane Lowry set the target at Bay Hill, and as tough as the course plays, he would not have imagined how much company he would have at the top in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Scottie Scheffler chipped in for eagle and holed a 45foot birdie putt on his way to a 5-under 67. U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark birdied five of his last six holes — he had nine birdies for the round — and shot 66. Hideki Matsuyama, coming off a win at Riviera, had a 70 to put himself in the mix for another $4 million payoff.
All that movement late on a warm day in central Florida led to a six-way share of the lead that includes British Open champion Brian Harman (68) and Russell Henley (69). Puerto Rico Open: At Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, Joe Highsmith did his best to create some separation in the Puerto Rico Open, making a pair of late birdies to get the lead before darkness prevented the rain-delayed second round from being completed.
Highsmith, the 23-yearold rookie who starred at Pepperdine, was at 13-under par. He will return to Grand Reserve on Saturday morning to finish his last three holes.
LIV Golf: At Hong Kong, Abraham Ancer and Dean Burmester shot 7-under 63s to share the first-round lead at the inaugural LIV Golf tournament in Hong Kong.
Both players had strings of five consecutive birdies on the relatively short 6,710yard Hong Kong Golf Club course.
LPGA: At Sanya, China, Narin An shot a 7-under 65 to join Sarah Schmeizel in the lead after the second round of the Blue Bay LPGA on China’s southern island of Hainan.
Both golfers had a 9-under total of 135 to sit one shot clear of Hye-jin Choi as they each look for a first victory on the LPGA Tour. DP World Tour: At Edenvale, South Africa, Matteo Manassero shot a careerlow round for the European tour of 11-under 61 to take a one-shot lead of the Jonsson Workwear Open.
The Italian hit a pair of eagles and seven birdies to go 15 under overall heading into the weekend at Glendower Golf Club.