Teeing Off

Jim Furyk said he's not the only one who wishes Woods were playing in the Players.

"I don't think we look at this event and say, 'He's not here, now I have a better chance of winning.' You kind of worry about yourself.

"So his absence, his not being here, doesn't really affect the rest of us or how we prepare, but it affects on a broader scale -- television, how our viewers, or fans look at the golf tournament because they want to see Tiger in the field."

4. There has been a lot of chatter at Sawgrass about the non-winning streak by European players there. The only European to have won the Players was Sandy Lyle, 21 years ago.

Padraig Harrington, the British Open champion and one of 21 Europeans in the field, said he doesn't think about that statistic.

"I don't hold the burden that no European has won since Sandy Lyle," Harrington said. "I can't figure it out. If there is a reason why Europeans haven't won, I don't know.

"We must be due. I have a 1-in-21 chance if it's a numbers game, but unfortunately, the other 135 players this week are not going to consider that there's 21 Europeans and they deserve a chance to win."

5. Suzann Pettersen is the defending champion at the LPGA Tour event this week at Kingsmill, Va., and she's happy with her new caddie, Greg Johnston.

Asked how she finds new caddies, she said, "I usually go on EBay and see who is available for the cheapest price."

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THE TOURNAMENTS

*--* PGA TOUR The Players Championship *--*

When: Today-Sunday.

Where: Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

TV: Golf Channel (Today-Friday, 10 a.m.-4p.m.) and Ch. 4 (Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.).

*--* LPGA TOUR Michelob Ultra Open *--*

When: Today-Sunday.

Where: Williamsburg, Va.

TV: ESPN2 (Friday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.).

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All times Pacific

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Associated Press

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A SLICE OF LIFE

Jim Furyk, on how the absence of Tiger Woods at the Players will affect the tournament:

'There will be less people and media around, tougher for the producer to figure out who he's going to follow Thursday and Friday.'

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STAT OF THE WEEK

Third-round leaders or co-leaders have gone on to win 12 times in 20 PGA Tour events so far this year -- the last five in a row: Johnson Wagner in Houston, Trevor Immelman, above, at the Masters, Boo Weekley at the Verizon Heritage, Adam Scott at the Byron Nelson and Anthony Kim at the Wachovia.