Finchem dismisses Woods reports

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Tim Finchem has responded to rumours that Tiger Woods was pressurised to play in the Players Championship despite injury.

PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem has responded to rumours that Tiger Woods was pressurised to play in the Players Championship despite injury.

Woods returned from a knee and Achilles injury for the Sawgrass event this week, but soon withdrew after a horror first nine holes that saw him move to six over par in no time.

During Golf Channel’s “Live From” show on Friday, accusations were made that the PGA Tour had strong-armed Woods into participating in golf’s unofficial “fifth major”, but on on the “CNBC Saturday” morning show Finchem addressed the reports, dismissing them as “ludicrous”.

“It’s always important for Tiger to be part of the Tour, because he’s Tiger Woods,” Finchem said on CNBC. “But the idea that we would pressure him to play is ludicrous.”

“We don’t pressure any player to play the tournament. In this case the suggestion is somehow he was hurt and we got him to play anyway. Tiger doesn’t enter a tournament unless he thinks he can win. I was on the range with him Tuesday, I watched him hit balls. He practiced that day, he practiced Wednesday hard. And he tweaked it yesterday. So, non-issue.”

Some higher-profile players have been asked to play in more events in recent years in an effort to provide more value for sponsors in tough economic times, but no Tour member has ever officially accused the Tour of forcing or pressurising them to play in certain events.

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