The Players Championship Serves as Fulcrum of Success for Tiger Woods in 2015

We get it, Tiger. We’ve all been there. You split with your girl, don’t sleep for a few days and fight the doldrums for a while before ultimately getting back on your feet and putting yourself back out there.

“This three-day stretch is very tough,” he said at a Tuesday press conference preceding this weekend’s Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

“I haven’t slept. And with what happened Sunday, it’s been brutal.”

Of course, when it comes to Tiger, it’s admittedly a little different.

Not only is he recovering from a breakup with a fellow championship-level athlete—Olympic gold-medal skier Lindsey Vonn, in case you hadn’t heard—but the aforementioned tournament that begins Thursday just might go a long way toward determining exactly what his 2015 season might look like.

But don’t sweat it, Eldrick. There’s no pressure or anything.

Go ahead and wallow a bit longer.

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

“Lindsey and I have mutually decided to stop dating,” Woods said.

“I have great admiration, respect and love for Lindsey and I’ll always cherish our time together. She has been amazing with Sam and Charlie and my entire family. Unfortunately, we lead very hectic lives and are both competing in demanding sports. It’s difficult to spend time together.”

Oh yeah, speaking of demanding, the Players event offers a total purse of $10 million, a winner’s share of $1.8 million and 600 FedEx points, but it all could be far more impactful on the psyche than the bank account when it comes to Woods’ recently fragile, on-again, off-again comeback fortunes.

The 14-time major winner has been more sideshow than center ring since winning the U.S. Open in 2008, though his return from a self-imposed two-month hiatus to a dreamy third-from-last pairing with Rory McIlroy at the Masters in April ticked the hyperbole needle toward familiar early 2000s territory.

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Another consistent four rounds at Sawgrass could trigger a full-on engine overheat.

Another missed cut or not-around-for-prime-time Sunday finish could seize it up for good.

No less an authority than Sports Illustrated golf writer Alan Shipnuck, in fact, told Golf.com’s Tour Confidential that a creditable performance will determine whether Woods is a midseason contender.

“If Tiger’s going to be any kind of factor this summer, when the tournaments really matter, he needs a good performance at Sawgrass,” Shipnuck said. “Even though he won there, it’s not a course he loves, but you don’t need to hit many drivers there, and that obviously favors Tiger. If he can maneuver his way around the course with some 2-irons and some 3-woods, I think he could put himself in contention.”

Woods last played at Sawgrass in 2013 and won by two shots after Sergio Garcia, who was tied for the lead at the 17th tee, took 13 shots to play the final two holes and wound up tied for eighth.

Meanwhile, in other competitive tours of the 7,215-yard, par-72 layout in northeast Florida—about 25 miles from downtown Jacksonville—Woods has won (in 2001), recorded two other top-10s and placed anywhere from 11th to tied for 53rd, in addition to withdrawing twice.

He’ll play with fellow former Masters champion Adam Scott for the first two days, with a hope to boost a global profile that’s seen him plummet to 125th in the Official World Golf Ranking, one spot ahead of anonymous Australian Andrew Dodt and one spot behind skidding Swede Freddie Jacobson.

Dodt, 29, has never ended a season ranked better that 181st in the world, while Jacobson, 40, peaked at No. 17 after top-10 finishes at both the U.S. Open and British Open in 2003 but was 107th at the close of 2014.

Not exactly the privileged class he’d grown used to, but Shipnuck drew optimism from Augusta.

“I thought his performance at the Masters was tremendous” he said.

"

I think it was one of the greatest performances of his entire career, to go there with the chip yips and the hardest course in the world for your short game to be exposed. I thought the way he moved the ball around the course was a huge step forward. His long game was obviously pretty rusty. He didn’t hit any fairways on the front nine on Sunday and he kind of went backward in the final round, but even so, overall, that was a big momentum builder. He needs to keep that going.

"

If his aim is PGA domination, that is an understatement. His tumultuous 2014 season seems firmly in the past and his impressive play at August has put wind in his sails. 

With another strong performance, he'll be a step closer to his old self with a serious shot at winning one of the three remaining majors. But as his play in recent years and his comments this week show, his mental and physical state are fragile enough that a dud at Sawgrass could be the start of another downward spiral.