Playing the Waiting Game at the Players Championship

UPDATED... see below
My fate (for this week anyway) is up in the air. Will I get to play in the fifth biggest tournament in the world of golf, or not? I still don't know. I've flown to PGA headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida to wait to find out.

If I get to play The Players Championship on Thursday, the stakes are huge: At $9.5 million, it's the biggest purse on Tour.

For now, I practice and I wait. My fate rests on whether or not a single golfer decides to withdraw from the tournament.

I've written before about how much a rookie golfer's schedule can change at the last minute. I had no idea it would be this hectic. Here's how the last few days have gone:

Friday: I'm in! I'm in! I'm in!

Friday 5 p.m.: Tiger and Jeff Olgilvy decide to play. I'm so out.

Monday: I'm back in... sort of. If two people drop out, I'll play. Not looking good.

Tuesday morning: It's looking better? PGA calls to tell me to make plans to come to Florida.

Wednesday: Bumped up one spot. If one person drops out, I play.

Wednesday afternoon: Come on. Only one person. Please.

Showing up to a PGA tournament as an alternate, by the way, is an entirely different experience: The usual perks are not included. No courtesy car. No locker. Not even a yardage book. I feel a bit like I'm on the outside looking in. But better that than watching this in my living room!

Any minute I could find out that I'm playing on Thursday. Or going home. Besides just figuring out how to kill time, the real challenge is staying mentally prepared for whatever the next 24 hours brings. I'll be on the course at 6:30 a.m. tomorrow waiting for the call.

UPDATE: Well, someone finally did withdraw -- but it was too late. Tiger got through nine holes before he left the course. Unfortunately for me, once a player has started a round, even if he withdraws an alternate can't take his place. The wait is over and it's back to Knoxville for a few days at home...