Tiger Woods commits to next week’s Genesis Invitational

Tiger Woods is returning to the golf course at next week’s Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club outside of Los Angeles, he announced on Friday.

It will be Woods’ first round of competition at an official event since missing the cut at the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews in July. It will be his first start in a non-major since the 2020 Zozo Championship.

“I’m ready to play an ACTUAL PGA Tour event next week @thegenesisinv,” the 15-time major champion tweeted.

Woods, 47, is hosting the Genesis Invitational, which benefits his TGR Foundation. He was in the Los Angeles area for the February 2021 event when he suffered serious leg injuries in a car accident.

Editors Favorites

He only made nine rounds in three majors last season, his first starts since the fall. He finished 47th at the Masters, retired from the PGA Championship after the third round and missed the cut at The Open. Woods also withdrew from the Hero World Challenge, an unofficial event he hosted in the Bahamas, in early December because of plantar fasciitis in his right foot.

Woods has teamed up with world No. 1 Rory McIlroy to play Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas in a 12-hole competition at The Match on December 10. He also played with his son Charlie at the PNC Championships in Orlando, Florida on December 17-18. He was able to use a golf cart in both events.

“It’s great,” said Thomas at the World Championships Phoenix Open upon learning that Woods would be playing next week. “Any time he’s on the property let alone playing it’s great for the event.”

Woods told reporters December 18 that he felt he had come a long way in his recovery, but plantar fasciitis was a setback.

“It was a lot harder than people probably imagine,” Woods said. “Some of the players who are very close to me know what I’ve been through and they keep encouraging me to step back a little. But that’s not really in my nature. My nature is I try to get better. And I have. And through work ethic, as I said, I’ve been able to compete in and compete in three major championships this year.

“And this off-season wasn’t really an off-season. … As you have seen, I can hit golf balls. I can do it all I can practice at home. I can get shots around the green all of that. I just can’t get from point A to point B.”

The Genesis Invitational is a designated event on the revised PGA Tour schedule with a $20 million purse. This year’s event will feature 23 of the top 25 players in the Official World Golf Rankings, as well as the top 30 in the FedExCup Rankings, including McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa.

“Every time Tiger can play on the golf course, the tournament gets even better,” said Rahm on Thursday at the Phoenix Open. “So I hope he can play comfortably and I hope he can play well.” ‘

Max Homa added: “This is great. I imagine we’ll carry him down the hill on 1 and up on 18 which wouldn’t bother anyone. But it’s great. I’m really glad he’s back. I think we’re privileged whenever he plays now.”

Woods made his PGA Tour debut as an amateur at Riviera Country Club in 1992.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.