The 2024 Genesis Invitational for Tiger Woods is now officially over. On Friday, while playing the seventh hole at Riviera Country Club, Woods announced his withdrawal from the competition's second round.
Woods' staff said that Woods' early departure was not related to his physical condition but rather to illness. During his first round on Thursday, the 48-year-old experienced back spasms, and on Friday, he was clearly limping as he entered the clubhouse to play his second round.
Rob McNamara, vice president of TGR Ventures and Tiger's longstanding business partner, stated, "He started feeling some flu-like symptoms last night." When [Tiger] woke up this morning, things had gotten worse since the previous evening. He was feeling better throughout the warm-up despite having a slight fever and other medical conditions. However, as soon as he stepped outside to play and stroll, he began to feel dizzy. In the end, the physicians stated that he was dehydrated and that he may have had the flu. He is doing incredibly well after receiving treatment with an IV bag, and he will soon be allowed to leave this place on his own."
Tiger Wood team stated on his X account
I would like to confirm that I had to withdraw from @thegenesisinv due to illness, which we now know is influenza. I am resting and feeling better. Good luck to the players this weekend. I’m disappointed to not be there and want to thank @GenesisUSA and all the fans for the…
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) February 17, 2024
After shooting 1-over 72 to start the Genesis Invitational, Woods was struggling to make the cut. The event host opened the round with a birdie, but faltered on the par-3 fourth and par-4 fifth holes, finishing the round at 2 over. Sitting outside the top 50 and more than 10 strokes behind leader Patrick Cantlay, he was at risk of missing the weekend's play.
Woods made his PGA Tour debut at the Genesis Invitational, following his forced withdrawal from the 2023 Masters owing to an ankle injury. Since the 2022 Masters, Woods has withdrawn from three of his last six tournaments, and he has only finished 72 holes on the PGA Tour twice (at Riviera last season).
It remains to be seen where Tiger goes from here. When Woods speeds up his Masters preparation, one of the two March tournaments—the Arnold Palmer Invitational or The Players Championship—makes sense as a return match.
Woods obviously needs more time in the ring. In his most recent effort at a return, he displayed flashes of the old Tiger, but he lacks the consistency to go four rounds without missing a beat and stay up with his contemporaries. This was best illustrated by Woods' opening round, in which he had five birdies, six bogeys, and seven pars. In the end, his fight for consistency pits him against both his body and his game.
Tiger has limited practice time due to his physical limitations. Ultimately, his sharpness—or lack thereof—will show during tournament action. The 15-time major champion might enter Augusta National in April with little to no game experience for the third consecutive year if he decides not to compete during the Florida Swing.
The week that Woods withdrew, Patrick Cantlay was leading the competition at 10-under, although he was just halfway through his second round. Woods would have needed to make it into the weekend with a strong finish in the second portion of his round on Friday, as he was two strokes outside of the predicted cutline.
Woods has stated repeatedly that he intends to participate in about one tournament every month in 2024 to compete in all four major championships. That theoretically means that Woods will attempt to compete in The Players Championship or the Arnold Palmer Invitational the following month.
By Friday afternoon, Cantlay was well ahead of the rest of the pack. He shot a bogey-free 65 to support his opening-round 64, moving him to 13-under at the halfway mark of the competition. The native of Southern California will start Sunday ahead of the field by five shots.