Tiger Woods Draws a Favorable Group at the Genesis Invitational
Just over 10 months after withdrawing from The Masters with plantar fasciitis, Tiger Woods will officially return to the PGA Tour on February 15 at the Genesis Invitational at Los Angeles’ famed Riviera Country Club.
Woods, 48, should be quite comfortable in the first two rounds because his group includes good friend Justin Thomas. Woods and Thomas are known to be close friends, and Woods has referred to Thomas as his “younger brother.” They will be joined by 2019 U.S. Open champ Gary Woodland, appearing in his fourth event after missing several months of action due to brain surgery.
It’s not that Woods hasn’t played at all since his withdrawal at Augusta, but the Hero World Challenge and the PNC Championship, both played in December 2023, aren’t official events. But more on that in a moment.
Riviera, of course, is where Tiger made his first-ever start on the PGA Tour, at age 16. It’s also the course where he’s made the most starts during his illustrious career without earning a victory. More on that in a moment as well.
As the Genesis is one of eight designated events on the 2024 PGA Tour calendar, the field will feature 22 of the top 24 players in the Official World Golf Ranking, the only exceptions being Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, both of whom recently defected to LIV Golf. So it’ll be interesting to see how Woods fares against the tour’s best.
“Golf Today” cohost Rex Hoggard said Woods’ swing looks “really, really good,” noting Woods’ lack of playing consistently over the past year might not be that big an issue at Riviera.
“I’m less concerned about that rust,” Hoggard said on February 13. “It’s [about] what his body is going to allow him to do.”
Two weeks after his withdrawal at The Masters, Woods underwent surgery on his foot, which kept him out of action for the remainder of the 2023 PGA Tour season.
His first event back was this past December at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, where, as he will do at the Genesis, he served as the tournament’s host. Though sanctioned by the PGA Tour, the tournament is considered an unofficial event because the field includes only 20 players. However, OGWR points are awarded for playing in the tournament.
Of those 20 players, Woods finished 18th and was one of just three not to finish in red numbers, shooting 75-70-71-72 to finish at even par. Only Wyndham Clark (+2) and Will Zalatoris (+11), who was also playing his first event in several months after undergoing back surgery, finished behind him. Scottie Scheffler won the event at 20-under.
Two weeks later, Tiger teed it up at the PNC Championship, the team event where he’s participated the last several years with his son Charlie. Team Woods tied for fifth, shooting 64-61 to finish at 19-under, six shots back of Bernhard Langer and his son, Jason, who finished at 25-under.
In Woods’ PGA Tour debut at Riviera in 1992, he shot 72-75 to miss the cut. He teed it up again a year later, but also failed to make the weekend.
In 12 starts on the Pacific Palisades track as a professional, he’s recorded eight top-20 finishes. The closest Woods has come to winning was in 1999, when he shot 69-68-65-70 to finish at 12-under in a tie for second, two shots back of Ernie Els.
Tiger tied for 45th a year ago at Riviera, shooting 69-74-67-73 to finish at 1-under for the week, 16 shots back of Jon Rahm.
Woods, Thomas, and Woodland will tee off at 12:25 p.m. Eastern/9:25 a.m. Pacific on February 15 and 2:54 p.m. Eastern/11:54 a.m. Pacific on February 16.
