Tiger Woods once stated whether he thinks the Players Championship is the biggest tournament in golf outside of the majors

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Tiger Woods continues to be absent on the PGA Tour in 2025, but he has been able to regularly play in TGL.

Woods thinks TGL has been a success, but his injury issues mean a first PGA Tour start of the season has yet to arrive.

Golfing legend Woods has been backed to play the four majors this season, a feat he managed in 2024, as well as starting the Genesis Invitational.

The Masters is rapidly approaching, with 15-time major champion Woods finishing 60th at Augusta National last time out.

He missed the cut at the PGA Championship, US Open and The Open Championship, and should be keen to right those wrongs this time around.

Tiger Woods called the Players Championship the ‘fifth major’ in 2001

But whether his body and indeed mind allow him that opportunity remains to be seen, with Woods continuing his absence this week at the Players Championship.

It is a tournament that he has won on two occasions, the first of which arrived in 2001, with the second title coming in 2013.

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And asked if his perception of the event had changed in his winning press conference in 2001, Woods replied: “I’ve always thought this has been a big tournament, so that hasn’t changed.

“I think it’s exciting to be able to play in a field this deep and to be able to come out on top. But my perception has not changed, no. This is a big tournament. And like everybody is saying, it’s probably the fifth major.”

Tiger Woods edges out Vijay Singh to win 2001 Players Championship

Woods was, of course, aiming to continue his momentum from a stunning 2000 season, in which he won nine PGA Tour titles.

And somewhat incredibly, those wins involved the small matter of three major championships; the US Open, The Open Championship and the PGA Championship.

Woods would reduce his honours list to five wins in 2001, which included a one-stroke triumph over Vijay Singh at the Players Championship.

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Asked if he made a blunder at TPC Sawgrass en route to the trophy, he responded: “Probably the only blunder I probably made was trying to keep the blade too open coming down on my second shot into number 11.

“I was up against the first cut… up against the high stuff in the first cut of rough, and I tried to hit a hot one up there in the bunker somewhere.

“And I had to protect against the rough catching it and then hitting a quick hook, and I tried to keep the blade open. I came down and I kept the blade too open, and I hit it straight right, right in the water.”

And sharing his overall thoughts on the victory, Woods said: “Well, I mean, it is special, to be able to win a championship like this, on an extremely demanding golf course, with probably the best field assembled in all of golf… all of golf for the entire year.

“It is extremely rewarding to do that. Not only that, to be able to play down the stretch against Jerry [Kelly] and Vijay, two guys that played extremely hard this week. And obviously, I’m just very fortunate enough to come out on top.”