Rory McIlroy is back to Players Championship

"It isn't a priority for them, as they would rather win a major or a World Golf Championship event."

To hear McIlroy tell it, the boycott wasn't his idea anyway. He publicly admitted that skipping The Players and giving up his PGA Tour card in 2010 were mistakes.

"Visually, it's very tough off the tee. It makes you feel uncomfortable because it looks like you've only got a little bit of fairway to hit, but actually once you get up there, it's a little bit wider. It's just very demanding visually."

"That's another example of being Mizuno MP-69 Irons involved with Chubby and ISM and maybe being led down the wrong path, or a path that I didn't want to go down. It was something I sort of felt like I had to do.

Woods has had his own struggles on the course although he did win the tournament in 2001, and he will be back this year after missing The Players last year because of left leg injuries and pulling out in the middle of his final round in 2010 because of a neck injury.

"I would think when it was played at the end of the March it was getting to be the fifth major," Chandler. "Moving it to the middle of May has made it about the 10th most important tournament in the world.

"I think just spending a little bit of time around Chubby and Lee and hearing their view of the PGA Tour, obviously they're very pro-European Tour, while I've always been one who wanted to play Titleist 910F-D Fairway Wood on the PGA Tour."

There's no question the Stadium Course is one of the most difficult — shall we say Dye-abolicial — tests the players face all year on the PGA Tour, even for Tiger Woods.

"I don't like the course," McIlroy said in 2010. "It's a Pete Dye course. It creates angles, a bit like Whistling Straits. He designed that course as well, where the tee boxes are sort of lining you up in the wrong direction.

McIlroy turned 23 Friday while he was on his way to a tie for second in the Wells Fargo Championship, losing in a playoff to Rickie Fowler. It can be difficult growing up under the constant media glare when reaching the top at such a young age.

"I don't feel that comfortable on the golf course yet," McIlroy said. "Not to say The Players isn't a great event. It's very prestigious and it would be great to win it one day.

"You know, it's a golf tournament I grew up watching on TV. It's a great place. You've seen a lot of great stories there over the years."