Tigers Woods to make season debut at The Genesis Invitational
Tiger Woods will make his season debut at The Genesis Invitational next week at the Riviera Country Club.
The appearance will be the 15-time major winner’s first since he last competed in an official PGA Tour event at The Masters last April.
Woods announced on social media he was “excited to be a playing host” at Riviera Country Club – in a tournament that benefits his foundation – as he continues his latest comeback from injury.
Woods underwent ankle surgery in April last year after withdrawing from The Masters during the third round and did not compete again until the Hero World Challenge in December.
Two weeks later, Woods competed with his son Charlie at the PNC Championship, which is a 36-hole event featuring two-player teams made up of a major champion and a family member.
The Genesis Invitational is one of the PGA Tour’s signature events, with limited-field events and offering increased purses.
Adam Scott, Justin Thomas and Will Zalatoris have already been confirmed as sponsor exemptions, with Woods now named as the final player.
Woods used last year’s event to mark his first PGA Tour appearance outside of a major since the Zozo Championship in October 2020, having struggled with injuries in recent years and played a limited schedule since February 2021’s car crash.
The event is where Woods made his PGA Tour debut as a 16-year-old amateur in 1992. Last year at Riviera, Woods went one under par through four rounds and finished in a share of 45th place.
Woods finished 18th at the Hero World Challenge in December, his first start since undergoing ankle surgery after withdrawing from The Masters in April, then partnered his son Charlie to a tied-fifth finish at the PNC Championship later that month.
The 48-year-old has said he was targeting ‘a tournament a month’ over the forthcoming season, with an appearance at Riviera and an event on the Florida Swing – potential The Players – realistic starts ahead of the major season getting under way with The Masters from April 11-14.
Woods would likely feature in the PGA Championship from May 16-19 at Valhalla, where he lifted the Wanamaker Trophy in 2000 as part of the ‘Tiger Slam’, although currently does not hold automatic qualification into the US Open the following month.
The USGA would likely offer Woods an exemption should he fail to earn a spot himself over the coming months, with the former world No 1 then likely to compete at The 152th Open this July.
