In the past couple of decades, Tiger Woods has played and won the biggest tournaments in golf. However, he isn’t really eligible to play in THE PLAYERS Championship, and it's something even Tommy Fleetwood can't accept.

During the press conference at TPC Sawgrass on March 9, 2026, Fleetwood revealed his shock when the media told him about Woods’ ineligibility. Fleetwood claimed that he would have let Woods play. After all, he has 82 PGA Tour titles, including 15 majors. 

“I would love Tiger Woods to play. I can't believe he's not eligible. How bad is Tiger Woods at golf?” said Fleetwood.

“I am actually very surprised. I didn't realize. You know, I wasn't really sure what criteria goes into this tournament, but if Tiger Woods wants to play anywhere in the world, I think Tiger Woods should be able to play,” added Tommy Fleetwood.

Unfortunately, THE PLAYERS Championship is the only tournament that doesn’t allow exemptions. To qualify for the tournament, a player has to win at least one PGA Tour event after the previous Championship.

If a golfer won a major championship or THE PLAYERS Championship in the last five years, they’d be eligible to play as well. However, Woods’ exemption for his 2019 Masters win has already expired.

Winning either the Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational, Memorial Tournament or the Tour Championship in the last three years, or being in the top 50 list on OWGR list also makes players eligible to enter TPC Sawgrass.

Golfers can still enter provided they’re in the top 10 of the FedEx Cup points, two events before THE PLAYERS Championship. 

However, Tiger Woods couldn’t qualify as he hasn’t won a single PGA Tour event since 2019, and it's not for lack of trying.

Why Tiger Woods Couldn’t Qualify Even if He Wanted To

The 2019 Zozo Championship was the last time we saw the 50-year-old win. Following that, he has made 15/21 cuts. And he has been inactive since missing the cut for the 2024 Open Championship. 

The reason? Woods has been dealing with persistent health troubles. Back in 2020, he had to undergo a microdiscectomy following nerve pain at the PNC Championship. Later in February 2021, he suffered multiple leg injuries in a car crash. 

Plantar fasciitis kept him away from winning in 2022. The following year, he had to withdraw from the 2023 Masters Tournament because of post-traumatic arthritis. 

Things didn't really improve in 2024. In September, Woods underwent another lower back surgery, which kept him out for almost the entire season. And last October, he had another microdiscectomy (seventh back surgery).

It's kept him away from competition for the entire 2025 season. Thankfully, Tiger Woods finally seems to be on the road to recovery and has high hopes about competing again.

Read more at Club Golf!

Written by

Krushna Pattnaik

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi