The Loop

Woods commits early to Players and AT&T

April 21, 2010

Tiger Woods continued his new practice of committing early to tournaments on Wednesday by announcing he is playing both next month's Players Championship and the AT&T National in July.

Although it was widely expected Woods would play the Players, especially after committing early  to next week's Quail Hollow Championship, his early announcement still signals a departure from his previous habit of entering tournaments only hours before the Friday 5 p.m. deadline.

That he would sign on for the AT&T National -- this year to be played at Aronimink Golf Club outside Philadelphia July 1-4 -- is also not a surprise given how that tournament continues to benefit his Tiger Woods Foundation. One complicating factor this year, however, is that AT&T had severed its personal relationship with Woods in the wake of his sex scandal, and he is no longer the AT&T National's official host.

As Ron Sirak wrote in Golf World this week, Woods' schedule is shaping up to look no different than it was before he took his hiatus. Although he has yet to give word on Jack Nicklaus' Memorial Tournament June 3-6, that is likely to be his next event after the Players Championship, followed by the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, for which he filed an entry form immediately following the Masters.

*-- Sam Weinman *