Tiger Woods is not the only star skipping the Players Championship

Tiger Woods will not be in the Players Championship. He opted not to play as he continues to mourn the loss of his mother. He recently said he’s not really been practicing very much as he deals with the difficult loss. He alluded to missing the Players before missing the deadline to sign up, thereby cementing his absence.

The Players is a Signature Event with a limited field, which means only the best of the best can even get into the event. Aside from Woods, a few other stars who would be able to play are also missing out this weekend.

Tiger Woods leads absences from Players Championship

Tiger Woods, partly because he’s still dealing with the untimely death of his mother and partly because he’s been largely inactive save for TGL outings, is not going to play the Players. He has lifetime exemption into Signature Events, but he hasn’t yet taken advantage of that. He got it before the 2025 season but hasn’t played any tournaments, let alone elevated events.

Ernie Els won three times on the PGA Tour Champions a year ago, including the Kaulig Companies Championship, which is basically the senior circuit’s version of the Players Championship. That got him a place in the Players, but outside obligations will prevent him from playing at TPC Sawgrass this weekend.

Alex Noren, ranked 60th in the world in the latest OWGR update, and Brendon Todd, 141st in the world, are also eligible for the tournament, but they do not have proposed reasons for missing the event. These four are the only absences.

That still leaves the field in great shape, as none of the top-ranked players in the field are expected to miss out. Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Sepp Straka, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Wyndham Clark, Ludvig Aberg, Michael Kim, Justin Thomas, Nick Taylor, Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry, Collin Morikawa, Hideki Matsuyama, and so many others will still vie for the crown.

There’s a $25 million prize purse, of which the winner, which has been Scheffler the last two years, will take home $4.5 million. Several will add at least $1 million to their bank accounts on Sunday evening at TPC Sawgrass.