Tiger Woods stops early in rematch

After 10 months of absence, Tiger Woods marked his return to an official tournament on the PGA Tour, at the Genesis Invitational 2024, but withdrew halfway due to a sudden illness.

Woods chose the 2024 Genesis Invitational to also open a scheduled monthly rematch schedule on the PGA Tour. He called this a new chapter in his career, at the age of 48 and very weak, especially in his legs after a traffic accident in February 2021.

However, Woods encountered problems right at the beginning of the new phase, when he withdrew from the Genesis Invitational after hitting a fairway shot on hole 7, round 2, on February 16. He immediately received medical attention in the clubhouse and then left after two hours of IV.

Woods' personal manager said his client began showing flu-like symptoms the night before, after shooting 72 in his opening round at the par-71 Riviera Course near Los Angeles.

Tiger Woods leaves the Riviera Country Club after withdrawing from the Genesis Invitational after being shot in the second round. Photo: AFP

Around noon yesterday, Woods looked tired as he was about to enter round 2, complaining of dizziness when he came out onto the course. He moved slowly, leaning against the hole marker on the tee box at hole 5 and looking unwell. At hole 6 par 3, the former world number one went to the bathroom several times. At hole 7, he finished his tee shot and called for an electric car for help.

Speculation that Woods had a physical problem immediately arose after he finished his first round. At that time, "Super Tiger" said he bogey the par-4 18th hole because he suddenly stiffened his back while swinging his second shot, causing the ball to stray into the wild and requiring three more shots to finish.

The 2024 Genesis Invitational marks Woods' first appearance in a major PGA Tour event in nearly a year, with his last appearance at the Masters in April 2023. He withdrew from the third round due to health reasons and then underwent surgery on his right ankle.

Starting in 2024, the top men’s golf tournament in the US will return to a calendar-year schedule, with a schedule that runs from January to mid-August. The latest tournament incident also leaves Woods’ schedule open, which is expected to include the Genesis Invitational, a quartet of majors and two regular tournaments. After those seven tournaments are completed, his schedule will depend on his position in the FedEx Cup standings.

The Genesis Invitational was a special milestone in Woods' career. The 1992 tournament, called the Los Angeles Open, marked his PGA Tour debut as an amateur at the age of 16. Over the years, he has hosted the event as a fundraiser for his own charity.

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