Tiger Woods Players Championship: What Troubled Star Must Do To Win at Sawgrass

Tiger Woods has struggled mightily in his last two tournaments, but that doesn't mean he can be counted out at Sawgrass. 

A few corrections, and he will be in a position to take this prestigious tournament like he did in 2001. 

The first thing he has to do is well beyond his control—he has to stay healthy. I know, that's a no-brainer, but Woods' body has been snake bitten at this event recently. 

The last time he played at this tournament, he got in just nine holes before his Achilles and knee ended his tournament after just nine holes. 

The year before, he tweaked his neck and had to end withdraw in the final round of play. So a bit of luck from his increasingly injury-prone body is a must. 

Own the Par 5s

The next thing he has to do is pickup strokes on the par 5s. This is always important to Tiger and especially so in this event. 

When he won in 2001, he was 11-under in his 16 par 5s for the tournament. That accounts for almost all of his strokes under par as he finished 14-under for the event. 

To do this, he is going to have to hit the fairways. He has struggled with his accuracy off the tee in his past two events, but actually he had been in a nice groove leading up to that hitting almost 70 percent of his fairways in PGA events. 

Start off Strong

The other thing Tiger must do is get off to a solid start. While Tiger has displayed superhuman abilities on the course, he has looked very human during his slump. 

And almost any golfer will tell you that mistakes usually lead to more mistakes. As bad hits begin to accumulate, the mind drifts to swing mechanics. And playing a round is not the time to be focusing on mechanics. 

Sawgrass is a course that can quickly destroy a round with a few errant shots, and glory goes to the bold. 

There are strokes to be picked up with accurate and aggressive play, but to do this, a player has to address the ball with confidence while thinking of the outcome and if they are keeping their elbow close enough to the body. 

Tiger must establish a good early rhythm. This will free him up to focus on ball striking and not the mechanics that lead up to it.