Tiger Woods quits The Players Championship
Despite a double bogey on the par-4 14th hole, Nick Watney recorded an 8-under 64 on Thursday to take the first round lead at THE PLAYERS Championship. It is just one shy of his career-low round of 63, set on six occasions, most recently during the final round of the 2011 Farmers Insurance Open (finished T6). Watney is currently No. 7 in the FedExCup standings with five top-10 finishes and a victory at the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship (his third-career PGA TOUR win).
Lucas Glover, who won last week’s Wells Fargo Championship, carded a 7-under 65 on Thursday, equaling his best round at TPC Sawgrass (second round, 2010). It is just his third sub-70 score in 13 rounds at THE PLAYERS. Glover is making his sixth start at THE PLAYERS, with four missed cuts and a solo third-place finish a year ago. Glover, currently No. 27 in the FedExCup standings, is trying to become the fourth player to win the week prior and then go on to win THE PLAYERS. Raymond Floyd won the Doral-Eastern Open followed by THE PLAYERS in 1981, Tom Kite won the Nestle Invitational and THE PLAYERS in 1989 and Tiger Woods won the Bay Hill Invitational and THE PLAYERS in 2001.
Tiger Woods withdrew from THE PLAYERS Championship following his opening nine holes on Thursday with an injury. He stood at 6-over 42 at the time. Woods has been recovering from a Grade 1 mild medial collateral ligament sprain to his left knee and a mild strain to his left Achilles tendon after hitting a shot from the pine straw on No. 17 during the third round of the Masters Tournament.
This is the second consecutive season Woods has pulled out of THE PLAYERS. Last year, he withdrew after six holes during the final round with a neck injury. During his professional career, he has withdrawn from a TOUR event four times (2010 & 2011 THE PLAYERS Championship, 2006 Northern Trust Open, 1998 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am). Woods also withdrew from the 1995 U.S. Open as an amateur.
Bubba Watson carded a 4-over 76 in his fifth start at THE PLAYERS. A T37 in 2009 represents his only made cut in four previous starts. Watson’s 76 on Thursday is his eighth over-par score in 11 rounds at TPC Sawgrass. On the strength of victories at the Farmers Insurance Open and the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Watson arrived at THE PLAYERS atop the 2011 FedExCup points standings. Watson ended Mark Wilson’s 12-week run atop the standings with the victory in New Orleans and how holds a 140-point lead over Luke Donald.
