Woods and Day fit for Sawgrass test - (2026)

Tiger Woods has allayed fears over his fitness and says he is raring to go ahead of this week’s The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass (Woods 25/1 to win outright).

Woods was forced to pull out of last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational with a neck strain that had been troubling him for a few weeks, but he arrived in Florida in good spirits on Monday.

The American, who has put a career-threatening back injury behind him, says he was not willing to push himself last week and the rest will do him the world of good ahead of this week’s event.

“I feel good,” Woods revealed. “Everything is good, I feel good, I just needed last week off. I didn’t want to push it. No need to, not at my age. I can’t do that anymore.

“I could feel it in Mexico. It wasn’t fun. I couldn’t make a backswing, I couldn’t make a follow through, and I couldn’t make a complete swing.”

Woods will play with defending champion Webb Simpson and reigning Masters champion Patrick Reed for the opening two rounds of The Players Championship.

Meanwhile, Jason Day, who is priced at 30/1 to win, is another player who has declared his fitness ahead of The Players after recovering from a back injury.

The Australian played just six holes of the Arnold Palmer Invitational before withdrawing with the problem, but has made a good recovery and will play this week.

Day played 18 practice holes at Sawgrass on Monday and told reporters he is feeling in good shape.

“I feel great,” he said. “My back feels a lot better.”

Odds subject to change.