Tiger's schedule change could include Colonial

Tiger Woods is not expected to play in the $5.6 million Wachovia Championship next week in Charlotte, N.C., meaning he could miss six consecutive PGA Tour events before returning at the Memorial.

It would be his longest layoff from the PGA Tour in his career. Woods missed only five tournaments during his rehabilitation from knee surgery earlier this year.

But that's assuming he doesn't return until the Memorial.

There are rumblings in the Woods camp that he could add another PGA Tour event to his schedule: Colonial.

Woods has skipped the Colonial the last four years because it was opposite the Deutsche Bank-SAP Open, where he is a three-time winner and the defending champion. The German tournament is held the same week as the Byron Nelson Classic this year.

Why play the Colonial?

It might divert attention away from Annika Sorenstam when she becomes the first woman in 58 years to play on the PGA Tour.

Plus, Bank of America has replaced MasterCard as the title sponsor at Colonial. Perhaps one reason Woods hasn't played Colonial since 1997 was his major sponsorship deal with American Express.

Chances of Woods playing Colonial are said to be 50-50.