Tiger Woods practices putting at Medinah, but will he play the BMW Championship?

With all the excitement flying around this year’s FedEx Cup Playoffs, the man usually at the center of attention has slipped under the radar: Tiger Woods. The primary question surrounding Tiger this week is whether or not he will tee it up at the BMW Championship.

Last week, Woods withdrew from the Northern Trust, the first leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, due to injury. According to him, a recent oblique strain and the associated pain and discomfort made it too difficult to continue playing. The morning after signing for a four-over 75 in the first round, Tiger decided to end his weekly early.

In his tweet making the announcement, Tiger said he “[remained] hopeful that I can compete this week.”

Despite his hopes, there’s at least a decent chance that Woods will determine that his injury is still bothering him too much to play the second playoff event. But in a positive development, Woods arrived at Medinah Tuesday afternoon, where a USA Today reporter caught him in the parking lot.

“I feel good. Feel a lot better than I felt last week,” Woods said on Tuesday. “Felt good this morning so I thought I’d give it a go.”

Woods then spent just under an hour on Medinah’s practice putting green, mainly focusing on short putts. However, he chose not to hit any balls or play any holes on Tuesday.

He is scheduled to play the pro am on Wednesday, and he was spotted back on the putting green early Wednesday morning. However, he once again decided not to hit balls, according to ESPN’s Bob Harig.

Woods’ decision not hit any balls suggests his body could still be hurting. The truth is, whether or not the oblique strain is still a reality, Woods has struggled to keep his body in playing shape for much of the year, admitting that stiffness in his back caused him problems at the PGA Championship, U.S. Open and Open Championship this summer.

If Woods were to withdraw before play begins on Thursday, his season would be over. Currently 38th in the FedEx Cup standings, he needs a strong finish just to get into the field at next week’s Tour Championship, a tournament he won last year.

As of now, Woods is scheduled to tee off for the opening round of the BMW on Thursday at 12:54 p.m. ET alongside C.T. Pan and Billy Horschel.

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