Tiger Woods withdraws from The Genesis Invitational

LOS ANGELES — Tiger Woods’ return is over.

Woods withdrew from The Genesis Invitational, the occasion he hosts annually in Southern California and the primary official event he is performed since final yr’s Masters, on Friday afternoon because of an sickness.

Woods hit his tee shot on the seventh gap at Riviera Nation Membership after a tough begin to his second spherical. After hitting his drive and touchdown within the fairway, Woods hopped in a cart and left the course, signaling the top of his event. He was seen placing his head in his palms at one level on the experience again to the clubhouse.

On the time, Woods was 1-over for his spherical and 2-over for the event.

The Tour and guidelines official Mark Dusbabek then confirmed that Woods had withdrawn because of an sickness. Woods stopped into the lavatory a number of occasions by means of his six holes. He was additionally noticed bent over and leaning on a cooler on the fifth tee field, clearly uncomfortable. In keeping with Woods’ longtime enterprise accomplice and supervisor Rob McNamara, he began feeling some “flu-like signs” after Thursday’s spherical.

“[He] awoke this morning, they had been worse than the night time earlier,” McNamara stated. “He had just a little little bit of a fever and that, and was higher in the course of the warm-up, however then when he obtained on the market and was strolling and taking part in, he began feeling dizzy.

“In the end the docs are saying he is obtained some — doubtlessly some kind of flu and that he was dehydrated. He is been handled with an IV bag and he is doing a lot, significantly better and he’ll be launched on his personal right here quickly.”

Woods walked out of the clubhouse on his personal and obtained in a car to depart the course shortly after McNamara’s feedback. An ambulance was referred to as to Riviera because of a “medical request,” however neither Woods nor anyone else was transported away in that ambulance.

Gary Woodland, who was taking part in with Woods and Justin Thomas, stated it was evident early on that Woods wasn’t doing effectively.

“I noticed it, he clearly wasn’t himself, simply did not look proper,” Woodland stated. “Noticed that earlier than the spherical began. It sucks. Clearly the whole lot’s higher with him there and for him for his first event again and he could not come out and end the best way he needed to, that sucks for all of us.”

Woods posted a 1-over 72 to open the Genesis Invitational on Thursday. His first spherical was extremely inconsistent right through, and he truly shanked what ought to have been a straightforward method shot on the ultimate gap. He stated that he was coping with again spasms over the last stretch of play, which he credited to the brutal fusion process he underwent on his again in 2017. He underwent a second fusion process on his ankle after he withdrew from the Masters final yr, however he stated each Wednesday and Thursday that his ankle wasn’t bothering him.

It didn’t appear that Woods was in any bodily ache because of both his again or his foot on Friday earlier than he withdrew.

“Not bodily in any respect, his again’s wonderful,” McNamara stated. “It was all medical sickness, dehydration, which is now the signs are reversing themselves now that he is had an IV.”

Patrick Cantlay was main the event at 10-under on the week when Woods withdrew, although Cantlay was solely midway by means of his second spherical. Woods was two pictures exterior of the projected cutline, so he would have wanted a robust end within the again half of his spherical on Friday to make it into the weekend.

Woods has lengthy stated that he hopes to play in about one event every month in 2024, which might permit him to compete in all 4 main championships. In idea, that may imply that Woods will attempt to compete in both the Arnold Palmer Invitational or The Gamers Championship subsequent month.

Cantlay flew forward of the remainder of the sector by Friday afternoon. He backed up his opening-round 64 with a bogey-free 65, which obtained him to 13-under on the halfway level of the event. The Southern California native will enter Sunday with a 5 shot lead over the remainder of the sector.