Tiger Woods knocked off the field after withdrawing from the Genesis Invitational. Photo: AP/Ryan Sun
Golf was shocked when Tiger Woods was forced to withdraw after just six holes of the second round in his first official tournament in 10 months on Friday.
The official reason was given as “illness,” but the announcement did little to allay fears that the game could see a sad final chapter for the icon’s career.
The 48-year-old had a two-shot lead when reaching the par-four and seventh at Riviera and was struggling to make the cut at the Genesis Invitational, a $20m (£15.8m) tour promoted by Woods' own foundation.
Without warning, he was quickly taken away in a buggy, and the residents of Los Angeles gasped at the presenter's departure.
“Making his first official PGA Tour start since the 2023 Masters, Woods had one over [for the day] on six holes and had just hit his tee shot on the par-four seventh hole when he called it quits,” the tour website. said. “The rules officer took him back to the dressing room. The extent of Woods' illness is unknown.»
Rob McNamara, Woods' business partner, said later Friday that the golfer had «flu-like symptoms» and dehydration.
«He had a slight fever and everything, and during the warm-up he felt better, but then when he went outside and started walking and playing, he started getting dizzy,” he said.
“They put him on an IV and he felt a lot better.”
And so ended – or maybe not – another great week in the history of the 15-time major champion. It all started in Tinsel Town with the launch of Woods' new apparel partnership with TaylorMade after he and Nike split after an iconic 27-year relationship.
The Sun Day Red brand has come under fire in many quarters. — mostly because the nickname was split into three words — but Woods seemed to be in a jubilant mood as he attended Monday's glittering presentation.
This is the right time in my life,” Woods said. “This is a transition period. I'm not a child anymore. I want to develop a brand that I can be proud of.
“Sunday Red is me,” he said. “It all started with my mother [Kultilda]. She thought that being a Capricorn, my power color was red, so I wore red as a junior golfer and won several tournaments. And so, I study at a red university, red Stanford. We wore red on the last day of every tournament, and then every tournament I played in as a professional, I wore red. It just became synonymous with me.”
Inspiring words, and at Wednesday's press conference, Woods repeated his old press conferences when he said «only a W» would satisfy him at his home tournament. Nobody believed him. After all, not only was he rusty in inactivity, but he was clearly an old golfer with numerous physical disabilities. As shown in the first round.
Woods hit perhaps his most spectacular putt on Thursday, and he firmly laid the blame on a spinal condition. When asked to explain the reason for the spasm, he answered briefly: “Because my back is fused. My back spasmed in the last two holes and became stuck. But that's just part of the deal, and I'm looking forward to the challenge.»
A risky procedure in 2017 prolonged Woods' golf life but clearly reduced his flexibility in the game. Countless golf obituaries were written when he limped out of Augusta last year — and, moreover, two weeks later when he had more surgery on the right leg that nearly killed him in a car accident just under three years ago.
At this stage, any optimism seemed to extend only as far as Woods could show it occasionally in major tournaments. But Woods said earlier this week that he feels fit enough to play the tournament every month next year. Woods qualified for the 2023 Masters but withdrew before the third round due to plantar fasciitis and had ankle surgery later that month. He returned to professional golf in late November, competing in an unofficial PGA Tour event, the Hero World Challenge, which had a limited field and no cuts.
Two weeks later, Woods competed with his son Charlie at the PNC Championship, which is a 36-hole event featuring two-player teams consisting of the major champion and a family member. In six official starts since the accident, he retired three times, and his best finish (not counting 18th place in a 20-man event in the Bahamas in December) was 45th. In those three years, he lasted all 72 holes just twice.
It had to start again. Woods was reportedly seen entering several portals before beckoning to an official to take him back to the clubhouse. He got off to an encouraging start, starting the second day with a birdie on the first hole before suffering back-to-back bogeys on the fourth and fifth holes. He didn't play very well, but apparently he felt just as bad.
Tour official Mark Dushbabek confirmed that Woods withdrew due to illness. In addition to his regular visits to the toilet, he was spotted slumped over on the fifth tee. “It’s a disease,” Dushbabek told Golf Channel. «He's not feeling well.»
By then, Rory McIlroy was in the clubhouse at two under after a brilliant 66. But the world number two with a chance to leapfrog Scotty Scheffler at the top of the rankings. ranking on Sunday—still regretting a traumatic end to his first round that left him missing six shots over the final eight holes.
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