Taking on the TPC
PONTE VEDRA BEACH — This last time Tiger Woods teed it up competitively in Florida, he was on the cusp of winning.
Woods returns nearly two months later searching his for game — and his first victory in nearly five years.
Shaky iron play at the Masters and an ice-cold putter during last week’s Wells Fargo Championship have stalled a comeback that had defied the odds and expectations.
Woods, a little more than a year removed from spinal fusion surgery, looks to put all the pieces together beginning Thursday during his first Players Championship appearance in three years.
“I haven’t played here in a little bit now, and excited to come back and play, take a look at the golf course, see how it’s playing,” Woods said Tuesday. “I haven’t seen the new changes yet, so looking forward to seeing a few of those little tweaks, and just looking forward to playing in The Players Championship again.”
Anything is possible this week with Woods, from a missed cut to a spot on the Sunday leaderboard. Even while at the top of the game, Woods experienced mixed results at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, where he won twice (2001, 2013) but also finished outside the top 20 five times from 1997-2007.
Among Wood’s last four visits to TPC are a withdrawal for neck pain in 2010, a win and a tie for 69th place in 2015 — his last appearance in the PGA Tour’s showcase event. Since then, Woods has undergone three back surgeries that made him wonder if he ever would swing a golf club again.