Woods' departure sets up waiting game

Greenwood/Getty Images

Tiger Woods visited the fitness trailer at TPC Sawgrass after withdrawing from the tournament.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Tiger Woods withdrew from THE PLAYERS Championship with a neck injury and triggered an exercise in futility for the media covering the PGA TOUR's signature event.

The world No. 1 spoke briefly, giving a series of one- and two-sentence answers, in the locker room before walking briskly and grim-faced toward the parking lot. He was wearing his trademark red shirt and black pants, and his eyes were shielded by dark sunglasses.

About 30 TV and print reporters had gathered near the assigned space for his courtesy car. Woods' caddie, Steve Williams, had already loaded his clubs into the car.

As Woods walked out of the massive Mediterranean-style clubhouse and down the sidewalk, flanked by security guard Joe Corliss, he looked straight ahead. Woods was headed to the fitness trailer and stayed inside it for nearly 45 minutes.

About 100 media members gathered outside the trailer on the off chance that Woods would speak when he emerged -- which he didn't. Eight St. Johns County Sheriff's deputies surrounded his courtesy car, as well as another SUV that had been backed up next to the stairs for the quick get-away.

Woods' former teacher, Butch Harmon, was briefly in the crowd but he left to join his current marquee student, Phil Mickelson, on the range.

Zach Johnson, who will play with Mickelson on Sunday, was working out in the other fitness trailer. He walked beside the SUVs and briefly stopped, grinning and joking like he was there to be interviewed, before heading to the clubhouse to prepare for the final round.

When Woods finally opened the door of the fitness trailer, the whirl of cameras' flash drives was the only sound that could be heard. He got into the back seat on the driver's side, shut the door and the two cars pulled out,

The fitness trailer is right outside the media center. So there was a mass exodus into the air-conditioned building where computers awaited and stories and photos would be sent to and media outlets around the world.