FORT WORTH, Texas — As the Charles Schwab Challenge second round was being played at Colonial Country Club on Friday, rumors of whether Tiger Woods would play next week at the RBC Heritage were swirling.
There was a report earlier in the week that Woods’ yacht, “Privacy,’’ had departed Jupiter Beach, Fla., where Woods lives, up the Atlantic Coast into Georgia. That fueled speculation that it might be headed to Hilton Head, S.C., where Woods would play the RBC.
That’s not happening. Woods, who had until 30 minutes after the conclusion of Friday’s Charles Schwab second round to commit to the RBC, was not heard from.
Next on the clock is the Travelers Championship, which Woods has never played. That takes place the week after RBC. Then comes the Rocket Mortgage Championship in Detroit, where Woods definitely won’t go since that was the sponsor that left his tournament in Maryland.
If you’re a betting person, bet the ranch on Woods playing next at the Memorial in July. It’s a tournament he has played whenever he has been healthy and won five times.
Woods has not played an official PGA Tour event since February, when he finished last among players who made the cut at the Genesis Invitational. Citing his bad back, he then skipped the next four tournaments, including the Players Championship.
Woods has made only three official starts on tour during the 2019-20 season — his win at the Zozo Championship, a tie for ninth at the Farmers Insurance Open and his 68th-place finish at the Genesis. He’s currently ranked No. 11 in the world rankings.
Woods’ game looked sharp when he and Peyton Manning defeated Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady in a COVID-19 charity match last month at Medalist, where Woods hit every fairway.
That apparently wasn’t enough to whet his appetite for competition in these first four PGA Tour events.
Included among the significant players who missed the cut at Colonial were Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm, Rickie Fowler, Sergio Garcia, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and 61-year-old Tom Lehman, who followed his opening-round 65 with 74 on Friday, ending what had developed into a terrific story.