Struggling Woods pulls out of Players Championship

Tiger Woods has pulled out of the Players Championship for the second year running today.

He had played nine holes in a six-over-par 42.

Woods had a triple-bogey seven on the 384-yard fourth hole and was already eight shots behind Londoner Brian Davis two hours into golf's richest event today.

Woods, returning to action at the $9.5m (€6.7m) Players Championship at Sawgrass a month after suffering knee and Achilles injuries in The Masters, hit a 133-yard pitch into the water short of the green and then went in again with his chip.

He had to hole a putt of almost 18 feet to avoid an eight and, having started with a bogey, was four over par and bringing up the rear of the field.

Woods dropped yet another shot after missing the green at the fifth as well, then chipped into a bunker at the long ninth and by taking six there turned in a shocking six-over-par 42.

He was sharing last spot with Canada's Stephen Ames - another former winner of the title - and they were 10 behind Davis, Dufner, South African Rory Sabbatini and Koren YE Yang.

Woods later said that he was in trouble from his opening shot.

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

"I'm having a hard time walking. I felt fine during the warm-up and then as I played it progressively got worse.

"I'm surprised. The treatment's been good and it's been getting better - it just wasn't enough."

Davis, in stark contrast, holed from eight feet at the first, two-putted the long next and then birdied the fourth and sixth as well.

He led by one from Americans Nick Watney and Jason Dufner, while world number two Martin Kaymer, playing with Woods, was in the group on two under and Luke Donald, Paul Casey and Irishman Padraig Harrington all stood one-under.

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