Better odds aside, even players sense loss when Tiger's not around

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Rory Sabbatini swears he wasn't being coy.

It doesn't happen often, but Tiger Woods won't be around to defend a title this weekend. (Getty Images)

Much less sarcastic, bombastic, abrasive, evasive or any of the other alleged character flaws to which he has occasionally been linked.

When the subject of a certain player was broached on the eve of the Wachovia Championship, Sabbatini shrugged his shoulders and then laughed, as though a lightning bolt of realization had slammed into his head.

"Actually, that's funny," Sabbatini said. "I didn't even know he wasn't here. I didn't even pay any attention to it. That's the first I've heard of it. I completely forgot."

He, in this case, is the reigning world No. 1, the both ailing and absent Eldrick Tiger Woods. Sabbatini was surely kidding, since Woods is the defending champion and his every move is ultra-scrutinized, right?

"Sorry, I don't pay a lot of attention to what Tiger does," Sabbatini said in his own defense. "Seriously, I didn't know. I completely forgot about that."

Rest assured, Sabbo's standing in the short line on that front.

Still recovering from surgery on his left knee that could keep him on the shelf for another month, Woods was unable to defend his title this week at the star-laden Wachovia, one of the 10 best events on the PGA Tour. He won't be on hand, or on foot, next week at the vaunted Players Championship, either, marking the first time he's missed the so-called fifth major in 12 full seasons as a professional.

In a sport that's forever starving for more of Woods, he left them cold turkey after finishing second at the Masters. The first round of the Wachovia on Thursday marks the beginning of a fortnight where Woods regularly has played.

"Without a doubt, there's a huge void when he's not here," Masters champion Trevor Immelman said Wednesday.

On the surface, the mood this week at the Wachovia event appears unchanged. The pro-am Wednesday drew a throng and the event has been sold out for months, just as in years past, even though Woods had never formally committed to play until a few days before the tournament.

But make no mistake, just as Woods possesses a certain unquantifiable aura, the vibe at events when he's missing is palpable.

"You can always tell where Tiger is on the course, just by the sound and the pack of people following," said Jerry Nelson of Columbia, S.C., who drove two hours to watch the pro-am. "So, in the years he hasn't been here, there's just a little less buzz."