Tiger Woods says he withdrew from Genesis Invitational due to influenza
Tiger Woods of the United States tees off the sixth hole during the second round of The Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on February 16, 2024 in Pacific Palisades, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES - Tiger Woods announced Saturday that he withdrew from The Genesis Invitational because of influenza.
"I would like to confirm that I had to withdraw from @thegenesisinv due to illness, which we now know is influenza," Woods posted on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter. "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 support."
Woods withdrew from the tournament at The Riviera Country Club after hitting his tee shot on the seventh hole during Friday's second round.
"He started feeling some flu-like symptoms last night," Rob McNamara, the executive vice president of Woods' company, TGR Ventures, told reporters Friday. "Woke up this morning, they were worse than the night previous. He had a little bit of a fever and that, and was better during the warm-up, but then when he got out there and was walking and playing, he started feeling dizzy.
"Ultimately, the doctors are saying he's got ... potentially some type of flu and that he was dehydrated. He's been treated with an IV bag and he's doing much, much better and he'll be released on his own here soon."
McNamara said the reason for the withdrawal was "not physical at all."
"His back's fine," McNamara said. "It was all medical illness, dehydration, which is now the symptoms are reversing themselves now that he's had an IV."
The 2024 Genesis Invitational was the 48-year-old Woods' sixth PGA Tour event since the Feb. 23, 2021, crash in which he suffered multiple fractures to his right leg and ankle when the SUV he was driving rolled over on a downhill slope of northbound Hawthorne Boulevard in Rancho Palos Verdes, two days after the conclusion of that year's Genesis Invitational.
Only twice in those events was he able to play all 72 holes, finishing 47th in the 2022 Masters, 23 strokes behind Scottie Scheffler, and tying for 45th in last year's Genesis Invitational, 16 strokes behind winner Jon Rahm.
Woods withdrew from his other PGA Tour event in 2023, the Masters, in the midst of the third round last April 7 because of plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the tissue that runs across the bottom of the foot and connects the heel bone to the toes.
Twelve days later, Woods underwent what a statement released on his account on X described as a "subtalar fusion procedure to address his post- traumatic arthritis from his previous talus fracture."
In 2022, Woods was forced to withdraw from the PGA Championship after three rounds and missed the cut at the British Open.
Woods played the first six holes at the Pacific Palisades course Friday at 1-over, birdieing the first hole and bogeying the fourth and fifth, and was at 2-over for the tournament.
Woods entered Friday's play among 11 golfers tied for 49th at 1-over 72, eight strokes off the lead, and was in danger of missing the cut at the limited field event. The field of 70 was reduced to 51 players — the low 50 plus ties — following the conclusion of Friday's second round.
The cut line was at 1-over 143.
The field for the final two rounds would also have included any other players within 10 shots of the lead in addition to the low 50 plus ties but none were. Former UCLA standout Patrick Cantlay led through two rounds at 13- under 129.
The Genesis Invitational, which Woods hosts, was his first official PGA Tour event since having his ankle fused last April.
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Between his latest surgery and The Genesis Invitational, Woods played in two non-PGA Tour events, finishing 18th in a field of 20 in the Hero World Challenge Nov. 30-Dec. 3 and teaming with his then 14-year-old son Charlie to tie for fifth in the parent-and-child PNC Championship Dec. 16-17.
This was the 16th time Woods played in what is now The Genesis Invitational, including missing the cut as a 16-year-old amateur in his first appearance in 1992. The 16 starts are his most in a PGA Tour event without a victory. The closest he came to winning was in 1998, when he lost in a playoff to Billy Mayfair. The next year, he was among three golfers tied for second, two strokes behind Ernie Els.
"I have traditionally not putted well here," Woods said Wednesday. "This is a fader's delight, most of the holes are, for a righty, run left to right. I've driven it well here. There are small greens and traditionally throughout my entire career, my iron game has been pretty good, but I have never really gotten hot with the putter at this course.
"Generally, they're bumpy poa (the type of grass on the greens at Riviera), so it's been a little bit tricky. For some reason, it just has never compiled to a hot week."
When asked Wednesday, "From a golf perspective, what would make this week a success?" Woods replied, "A nice `W' would be nice, right? Hopefully, I can figure something out and get myself in there in contention and maybe get a `W' at the end of the week."
The odds of a Woods victory were 125-1 entering Thursday's play and rose to 600-1 following conclusion of the first round. Woods has not won a tournament since the 2019 Zozo Championship, his 82nd victory on the PGA Tour, tying Sam Snead for the most in history. His last top 10 finish was tying for ninth in the 2020 Farmers Insurance Open.