The Players Championship will feature a competitive field once again, but there will be some noticeable absences this year as well.
All but two of the world’s top 50 players will tee it up at TPC Sawgrass next week in the 144-player field. Only Harris English, Phil Mickelson, Steve Stricker, and Tiger Woods have not committed to the tournament.
Mickelson will skip The Players for only the third time since 1992 because to controversy around statements he made about the Saudi-backed super league. Mickelson missed the event in 1994 owing to a broken leg sustained while skiing, and in 2003 due to the birth of his second daughter. The 51-year-old claimed he was taking a sabbatical from golf in a statement last week in response to his statements.
English won twice last year and was a key member of Team USA’s historic Ryder Cup victory, but he hasn’t played since January due to a persistent hip ailment he sustained last fall.
Stricker, the United States’ Ryder Cup captain last year, is still recovering from a health crisis that landed him in the hospital for two weeks in late 2021.
Woods will miss The Players for the third year in a row due to his recovery from a vehicle accident in February 2021. He was unable to compete in the 2020 event owing to a back issue, but the competition was canceled after Day 1 due to COVID-19. The presence of Tiger Woods will be felt again next weekend, when he is inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
THE PLAYERS Championship field has been revised to include Henrik Stenson, who is eligible due to his win at the 2016 Open Championship.
Taylor Moore is now the first alternate. https://t.co/zPPWURgpvF
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) March 5, 2022
Bryson DeChambeau is set to make his first start since early February after recovering from a wrist injury. He was supposed to return for his Arnold Palmer Invitational title defense last week, but he pulled out on Monday.
