PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- The "minor" knee and Achilles injuries that kept Tiger Woods from playing and practicing since the Masters have limited his appearance at The Players Championship to nine holes.

Woods withdrew after shooting an ugly 6-over 42 at TPC Sawgrass, where he took a triple-bogey 7 on the fourth hole and was clearly limping before shutting down his round.


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"I'm having a hard time walking," Woods said after his half-round. He hit only one green in regulation and made no birdies.

It is the second straight year that Woods had to withdraw during the PGA Tour's signature event but just the fourth time in his professional career that he has withdrawn from a tournament after starting it.

In last year's Players, only his third event after taking a monthlong break to deal with personal issues, Woods withdrew seven holes into the final round with a neck issue.

This time Woods was unable to make it to the 10th tee, and given his lack of preparation and the way he looked, it was not surprising. He winced on several tee shots.

"The knee acted up and then the Achilles followed after that and then the calf started cramping up," Woods said. "Everything started getting tight, so it's just a whole chain reaction."

Woods has had four operations on his left knee, including a reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament just a week after he won the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. It was there where Woods competed after having not played since the Masters. It was later learned that he was playing with a broken bone in his left leg as well.

Tiger Woods is out of The Players Championship due to injury for the second year in a row.
This time Woods said he injured his left knee while attempting to hit a shot from pine straw during the third round of the Masters last month. He also injured his left Achilles that day -- not the same Achilles he hurt in 2008-09 -- but shot 67 during the final round to tie for fourth.

His game appeared to be coming around with the help of instructor Sean Foley, but this now throws Woods' immediate future into doubt. He did not practice again after the Masters until Monday; he played nine-hole practice rounds here Tuesday and Wednesday.

"This morning, felt fine during warm-up and then as I played, it progressively got worse. ... The treatment's been good. It's been getting better. It just wasn't enough."

Woods said his doctors told him it was OK to play.

"The more rest I get, the better it would be, obviously," he said. "Obviously, it's a big event. I wanted to come back for it and play, and unfortunately I wasn't able to finish."

Woods never truly got going. He hit a poor drive on the first hole and found himself hitting an awkward chip for his third and made bogey. At the par-5 second, after a good drive, he left his second shot in rough near the green, then tried a flop shot that came up short. He settled for par.

It was at the short par-4 fourth where things really turned badly. He hit a poor tee shot that he said hurt his knee. Woods then chunked his second shot into the water, took a drop and, having only 30 yards to clear the hazard, hit railroad ties and saw the ball bounce back and get wet. He wedged on but was still outside of playing partners Martin Kaymer and Matt Kuchar who had birdie putts. Woods made his putt for a 7.

"The tee shot was (leg related)," he said. "It grabbed me on the tee shot there but the pitch shots weren't. Those were just bad pitch shots. Those were just awful."

The 42 was his worst nine-hole score at TPC Sawgrass but not his worst on tour. He had a 43 on the back nine at Quail Hollow last year and also had a 43 on the back nine at Bay Hill in 2007. In all, he's shot 43 four times during his pro career.

Woods said on Tuesday that he wanted to play this week in order to prepare for next month's U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md. The start of the tournament is five weeks away, and Woods would typically be expected to play in the Memorial in three weeks.

All of that is in doubt now.

"I don't know," Woods said when asked if he has returned to square one in his game. "I just finished nine holes. Give me a few days to see what the docs say, and we'll take a look at it."

Bob Harig is the golf writer for ESPN.com.