The "minor" knee and Achilles injuries that kept Tiger Woods from playing and practicing since the Masters ended up limiting his appearance at The Players Championship to nine holes. Woods withdrew after shooting an ugly 6-over 42 at TPC Sawgrass, where he took a triple-bogey 7 on the fourth hole and was clearly limping before shutting down his round. "I'm having a hard time walking," Woods said after his half-round. He hit only one green in regulation and made no birdies. It is the second straight year that Woods had to withdraw during the PGA Tour's signature event but just the fourth time in his professional career that he has withdrawn from a tournament after starting it. "Tiger looked like he was in pain today," playing partner Matt Kuchar said after he shot an opening-round 69. "[It] looked like he was walking quite slowly, quite gingerly. ... He was just last to get to his ball every time." In last year's Players, only his third event after taking a monthlong break to deal with personal issues, Woods withdrew seven holes into the final round with a neck issue. Source ESPN