Tiger Woods withdraws mid-round during second round of PGA Tour comeback at Genesis Invitational | Golf News
Tiger Woods’ PGA Tour comeback ended in another withdrawal after the 15-time major champion pulled out mid-round at the Genesis Invitational due to illness.
The tournament host was making his first appearance of 2024 and just his seventh at an official PGA Tour event since The Masters in November 2020, with Woods playing a limited schedule due to injuries in recent seasons.
Woods mixed five birdies during six bogeys during an eventful opening-round 72 at Riviera Country Club, keeping him within eight strokes of early leader Patrick Cantlay, where he made a shank on the fairway during his final hole and struggled with back spasms over his closing holes.
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Woods hit an incredible shank shot on his approach to the 18th hole as he bogeyed the last to finish on one-over-par at the first round of the Genesis Invitational
The 48-year-old birdied the opening round of his second round as he looked to battle through to the weekend but slipped below the cut mark with back-to-back bogeys from the fourth hole, then made a two-putt par at the sixth hole and hit his tee shot onto the seventh fairway before calling an early end to his round.
The former world No 1 had his head in his hands as he was taken from the course on a buggy, with the PGA Tour confirming that Woods’ mid-round withdrawal was due to illness rather than injury.
Tiger requires IV treatment after leaving course
Rob McNamara, Woods’ long-time business partner and vice president of TGR Ventures, revealed that the 15-time major champion required an IV after getting dizzy and feeling unwell prior to him calling time on his round.
“So he started feeling some flu-like symptoms last night,” McNamara told reporters. “Woke up this morning, they were worse than the night previous. He had a little bit of a fever and that was better during the warm-up but then when he got out there, and was walking and playing, he started feeling dizzy.
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Highlights from Woods’ first round at the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club
“Ultimately the doctors are saying he’s got some – potentially some type of flu and that he was dehydrated. He’s been treated with an IV bag and he’s doing much, much better.
“Not physical at all, his back’s fine. It was all medical illness, dehydration, which is now the symptoms are reversing themselves now that he’s had an IV.”
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Woods reflected on his first round at the Genesis Invitational and revealed he had a back spasm during his shanked approach on the last hole of the day
Woods did not speak to the media after his withdrawal and was seen walking out of the clubhouse a couple of hours later, where he was driven away from the course before the second round had been completed.
Beem: Woods ‘under the weather’ before withdrawal
Former PGA champion Rich Beem, following Woods’ group on-course, commentating for Sky Sports:
“When he was walking off the fourth green, he took a couple of steps and stopped and composed himself before he carried on walking down to the fifth tee box. When he did, once he got down there, he leaned up against a cooler and he was visibly in pain.
“There was a lot of commotion on the fifth green and behind the sixth green with PGA Tour security, Tiger’s staff and whatnot, so you knew something was up. Once he hit the tee shot on seventh I thought he might continue, but he couldn’t.
Woods withdrew from the Genesis Invitational
“He apparently wasn’t feeling very good before the round began and as he was walking around here, it just wasn’t getting better. I don’t think it was so much physical, it was that he was just feeling sick to his stomach.
“I don’t think he had a very good night last night, from what I’m reading between the lines. It might not be as much physical with the legs as it is just feeling more under the weather.”
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The PGA Tour live team take a closer look at Woods’ swing during the Genesis Invitational and how it has evolved over time
What’s next for Woods?
Woods had not played an official event since the Masters last April, where he withdrew during his third round due to injury, although was able to complete 72 holes in December when he finished 18th in a 20-man field at the Hero World Challenge.
His latest mid-tournament withdrawal is his third in his last six official PGA Tour starts, although Woods said last year he was targeting ‘a tournament a month’ in 2024.
Live PGA Tour Golf
Saturday 17th February 3:00pm
The world No 893 is yet to announce his next start but is expected to play once on the Florida Swing ahead of the major season, likely the Arnold Palmer Invitational or The Players, with Woods then expected to be back in action at The Masters from April 11-14 as he chases a sixth Green Jacket.
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