Tiger Woods will not be playing in the 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational, marking the second consecutive year in which the 82-time PGA Tour winner will skip Bay Hill.
The tournament, set to be played next week from March 6-9 at Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, Fla., has its entry deadline on Friday, Feb. 28.
Woods, as with any player no competing this week at The Honda Classic, faces a Friday at 5 p.m. Eastern deadline to enter a tournament for which they're eligible. Woods, an eight-time Bay Hill winner, could play if he wanted.
ESPN reported Woods will be skipping Bay Hill again, quoting Woods' agent Mark Steinberg, who said Woods' back is “still stiff and not quite ready.”
No Tiger at Bay Hill next week. From his agent Mark Steinberg: "He is not going to play. Back still stiff and just not quite ready.''
— Bob Harig (@BobHarig) February 28, 2020
Last week, Woods did not compete in the WGC-Mexico Championship, which came the immediate week after hosting The Genesis Invitational at Riviera near Los Angeles. Woods finished last among players who made the cut in 120-player field.
Tiger Woods' 2020 schedule will feature as many as four events before the Masters. Woods is expected to compete in The Players Championship the week after Bay Hill, and he's likely to tee it up in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play as his final pre-Masters competition. Woods would also avoid back-to-back starts in the first four months of the year.
In 2019, Woods played five times, including the WGC in Mexico City, before winning the 2019 Masters as his 15th major championship title and first major win since the 2008 US Open.
