Tiger Woods could embarrass himself if he returns at The Players Championship, says Johnny Miller

With the regular Tiger Woods Friday watch on as the golf community waits for the rehabbing superstar to commit, or not, to The Players Championship, long-time Eldrick watcher Johnny Miller hopes not to see him next week on the PGA Tour.

Miller believes TPC Sawgrass is not the venue where Woods can regain the confidence he needs after a nine-month, injury-related layoff. The NBC analyst worried, during a Thursday teleconference, that a comeback at The Players could further discombobulate the 14-time major winner whose last competitive round was in August at the Wyndham Championship.

“In the back of his mind, he’s thinking, ‘I might really embarrass myself,’” Miller said about what might happen if Woods returned too soon from last fall’s multiple back surgeries.

Woods turned 40 in December after undergoing a second microdiscectomy in September and another operation in October. Both followed a T10 at the Wyndham, his first top-10 finish on tour since a T2 at The Barclays in August 2013.

Recently, as he has prepared to rejoin Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, and the rest of the guys (he has until 5 p.m. ET Friday to declare his Players intentions), Woods showed off a rusty swing via a home video, a golf clinic and the official opening of his Bluejack National golf course.

Despite such exhibitions and what appeared to be a mini-revival of his skills at the Wyndham, many golf watchers — Miller, included — remember the shocking chipping yips Woods displayed at the end of 2014 and to start his 2015 season.

“If you would have asked me who in the world will never get the chipping yips … it would be Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods,” Miller said. “He’s starting to do things … in tournament play that you would have never guessed he’s going to do, and those things haunt you. When you get the chipping yips it’s sort of like always in the back of your mind, ‘Oh, I hope I don’t skull it or chunk it.’”

Woods, unlike most players who “don’t hardly remember what they ate for breakfast two hours earlier,” recalls every shot, good and bad, he has ever made, said Miller.

“It’s hard when you’re really smart and you remember all the tire blowouts and things, and he does do that. He can’t get them out of his head,” Miller added.

Miller suggested the most advantageous place for Woods to make his much-awaited reentry into the competitive realm would be the “little more wide open” Royal Troon in July. Though Tiger has two Players Championship wins (2001, 2013) and three top-10s in 17 professional starts, he shared 69th place last year, and Miller believes TPC Sawgrass hinders his ability to hit fairways.

“That course is just so hard for him,” Miller said.

Miller also cautioned Woods about expecting too much from himself when he finally does return.

“He needs to drop his expectations and just get back on tour and in the groove and start building … like he’s almost like he’s 16, 17 years old again,” said Miller. “He’s got to almost like say, ‘Okay, I’ve got a new career. This is a new career.’

“He’s starting a new career,” Johnny concluded. “There’s no doubt about it.”