For years, a towering presence both challenged and frustrated some of golf’s greatest players at The Players Championship in Florida. Now, it’s making a long-awaited return—though it’s not the Woods you might be thinking of.

While two-time champion Tiger Woods remains sidelined due to injury and has not competed at TPC Sawgrass since 2019, another infamous fixture of the Stadium Course is reemerging to test the nerves of players: the overhanging oak tree at the sixth tee.

Since The Players Championship’s debut at Ponte Vedra Beach in 1982, the imposing live oak became a defining—and often despised—feature of the course, looming over the sixth hole and forcing players to carefully navigate their tee shots. As the tournament grew in prestige, often referred to as golf’s unofficial "fifth major," so did the tree’s reputation as a formidable obstacle.

For many PGA Tour players, relief finally came in 2014 when the tree was removed due to disease concerns. But now, a decade later, it has returned.

A Thorn in Many Players’ Sides

Among the tree’s most vocal critics was Davis Love III, a two-time Players Championship winner. Frustrated by the obstructive branches that interfered with his line of sight, Love frequently lobbied then-PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem for its removal.

“When Davis would play the sixth hole, I’d go hide so he wouldn’t ask me about cutting down the tree,” Finchem joked in a 2015 interview with NBC Sports.

Love, who has an entry gate at TPC Sawgrass named after him, played the course from its earliest days, experiencing firsthand the challenging vision of course designer Pete Dye. Known for crafting holes that tested both skill and composure, Dye intentionally preserved the tree as a psychological hazard rather than a physical one—similar in spirit to the famed 17th hole "Island Green."

“He saw that tree as an iconic symbol,” Players Championship Executive Director Lee Smith told CNN. “Not as a water hazard or a bunker, but more of a mental hazard, something to play with your mind.”

While most tee shots safely passed under the oak’s branches, those who hit the ball high risked disaster. Even four-time major winner Ernie Els once saw his shot ricochet off the drooping limbs, leading to a costly double bogey. He later joked about using dynamite to remove it—but ultimately, nature took care of it first.

The Return of a Legend

After the tree was taken down in 2014 due to disease, parts of it were repurposed into commemorative benches placed near the players’ locker room and the sixth tee, engraved with messages honoring its infamous legacy.

At the 2015 Players Championship, reactions to its removal were mixed. Some, like Brian Harman, felt it had no place on a par-four tee box, while others, such as Jim Furyk, were indifferent, noting that it affected high-ball hitters more than others.

But now, the legendary tree has made an unexpected comeback. Whether players embrace its return or curse its presence once more, one thing is certain—it will once again play a role in shaping the fate of The Players Championship.