Tiger to skip Players; Rory 2 back at Bay Hill

The strongest field of the year at The Players Championship will be without the biggest draw in golf.

Tiger Woods isn’t playing.

Woods will miss The Players Championship for the first time when not recovering from any of his nine surgeries.

The 15-time major champ and two-time Players winner said Thursday on Twitter that it wasn’t an easy decision.

“I have to listen to my body and properly rest when needed,” Woods said. “My back is simply just not ready for play next week. I’m sad to miss one of the best events of the season, OUR Championship.”

Woods has played only two times this year, a tie for ninth at Torrey Pines and last place at the Genesis Invitational at Riviera, where he serves as tournament host. Woods shot 76-77 on the weekend at Riviera in the Pacific chill and said his back was a little stiff.

■ Sung Kang shot a 4-under 68 and Tyrrell Hatton shot a 69 to share a one-shot lead midway through the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Fla. First-round leader Matt Every followed his opening 65 with an 83 in windy conditions at Bay Hill and missed the cut. World No. 1 Rory McIlroy shot a 73 and was two back of the lead.

Coronavirus: The alpine skiing World Cup Finals from March 18-22 in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy was among the latest events to be canceled because of the escalating virus outbreak. Several cycling races in Italy also were cancelled as was Saturday’s French league soccer match between two-time defending champ and current leader Paris Saint-Germain and host Strasbourg.

NFL: The Saints plan to place a first-round tender on restricted free-agent QB Taysom Hill, ESPN reported. The tender means another team would have to give up a first-round draft pick to sign him. The Saints also will have the right to match any offer that Hill might sign with another team after making him the qualifying offe. Hill, 29, is seen as a possible successor to 41-year-old Drew Brees . ... The Chargers and restricted free agent RB Austin Ekeler agreed to a multiyear extension worth $24.5 million over four years with $15 million guaranteed, ESPN reported. Ekeler, 24, shared backfield duties last season with Melvin Gordon.