PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — As much time as Adam Scott spends away from the PGA Tour, this might have been a good week to take off.

By the mathematical wonder of the world ranking, Scott could have stayed in The Bahamas this week and still moved to No. 1 in the world ranking provided three other players had an ordinary week at The Players Championship.

“See you later,” Scott said with a laugh when told of the scenario.

Scott would love to get to No. 1 for the first time in his career, though he’s more interested in winning big tournaments. Besides, he had a chance at Bay Hill and the Masters to replace Tiger Woods atop the ranking and squandered both chances.

What adds to the interest on the TPC Sawgrass is Scott has company. Henrik Stenson, Masters champion Bubba Watson and Matt Kuchar each have a mathematical chance to reach No. 1 for the first time.

“I don’t think I knew that,” Kuchar said. “That title is a pretty impressive title. To be No. 1 in the world at anything is amazing. To have a chance to be No. 1 in the world in the game of golf, I think all of us that play have those dreams.”

It’s been made possible in part by Woods being on the sidelines. The Players Championship, which starts Thursday, is the second title he is unable to defend this year because of a balky back. Woods had surgery on March 31 and still doesn’t know when he might return.

Woods effectively has owned the No. 1 ranking for the better part of 15 years, his most recent reign dating to his victory last year in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Other players have reached No. 1 with a caveat. Woods was going through a swing change in 2004 (though Vijay Singh helped his cause by winning nine times and a major), and he was going through another swing change and a divorce when he lost the No. 1 ranking from October 2010 to March 2013.

And now he’s not even playing.

But the landscape is changing in golf. Woods has gone six years without a major and is hampered by injuries to his legs, arm and back in recent years. Stenson a year ago became the first player to win the FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai in the same season. Scott won the Masters and became a force in the majors.

“This guy has had as much of a ‘No. 1’ period as anyone,” Geoff Ogilvy said as he walked onto the short-game area to see Scott stick 24 tees into the ground around the cup for a putting drill. “He contends every time he tees it up. He only plays the big tournaments. After two rounds, it feels like he has a chance in every tournament.”

That sounds a little like Woods, minus the outrageous number of victories.