Tiger Woods will miss next week’s championship at Sawgrass after suffering from back problems.
Woods hasn’t played since the Genesis Open three weeks ago when he finished 68th and missed Arnold Palmer Invitational this week, citing stiff back.
The American has twice won the players’ championship, which is often considered an unofficial “fifth major”.
The Masters begins on April 9 when Woods, 44, hopes to defend the title he won for the fifth time in 2019.
Woods, currently ranked 11th in the world, has only competed in two PGA Tour events in 2020, the other being the Farmers Insurance Open where he finished tied for ninth.
The 15-time major winner underwent four back surgeries during his career and had a fourth knee surgery in August.
The players’ championship, won by Woods in 2001 and 2013, begins on March 12.
“The return is just not ready,” Woods agent Mark Steinberg told ESPN. “Not about the long term, just not ready.”