Tiger Woods will remain idle as the PGA Tour heads to Connecticut next week.
The reigning Masters champion sat out last week’s Charles Schwab Challenge at Fort Worth, Texas, and this weekend’s RBC Heritage at Hilton Head, S.C. The two events marked the tour’s return to action after a two-month shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Woods, 44, let the deadline pass for entry Friday afternoon for The Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn. A strong field includes Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, Spain’s Jon Rahm and Americans Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Phil Mickelson.
Woods has competed in just two official events since October, tying for ninth at the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego in January, then placing 68th (last among those who made the cut) in the Genesis Open near Los Angeles in February.
Before the tour shut down, Woods sat out several events, including the Players Championship, due to stiffness in his surgically repaired back. The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., was abandoned because of the pandemic after the first round was played March 12.
Woods returned to action unofficially when he teamed with Peyton Manning to beat Mickelson and Tom Brady in a charity match-play event on May 24.
Woods’ schedule decisions might be influenced by the tour’s revised schedule, with only one major event to be played during the 2019-20 season. The postponed PGA Championship will be held at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco from Aug. 6-9.
The season-ending FedEx Cup playoffs are due to be contested from mid-August to early September.
The U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y., was postponed from mid-June to Sept. 17-20, and the Masters was pushed back from April 9-12 to Nov. 12-15 in Augusta, Ga. The Open Championship, scheduled to be played July 16-19 at Royal St. George’s in Sandwich, England, was canceled.
–Field Level Media
