Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods hugs Rory McIlroy after the first round of the Genesis Invitational. Ronald Martinez. PACIFIC PALISADES, ...

At the par-3 fourth, where the group had to wait several minutes, Woods sat on a cooler with Thomas and untied his right shoe to give his foot some breathing room. “The ebb and flow of needling each other, encouraging each other and telling stories. In the scoring room afterward, Woods said McIlroy announced that he needed to go practice with his driver. “Right behind you,” Woods joked, knowing full well that he would be heading back to his hotel room for extensive icing treatment to prep for his 7:24 a.m. But he still slightly dragged his right leg due to the ankle that was damaged in his car accident two years ago, as well as the plantar fasciitis that he’s contended with more recently. It was a lively and big crowd gathered in front of the iconic clubhouse and lined the first hole, but it wasn’t the zoo that some might have expected. Woods joined McIlroy and Thomas as the trio birdied the easy, par-5 first hole, but he made only one birdie against three bogeys over the next 14 holes. “So, I've had so many surgeries that the ankle just keeps changing, the leg keeps changing. Now, this was a Thursday in the big city after all. Even when Woods made a third straight birdie at the 18th hole to shoot a hard-fought two-under-par 69—five shots more than leaders Max Homa and Keith Mitchell—Riviera’s grassy amphitheater was only about half full. Justin Thomas arrived, followed by McIlroy, and if the cheers and chants for Woods were hearty, they were hardly much louder. Golf moves on, and Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler are now the outlines that people recognize just as well from a distance.

Woods finished with a flourish at Riviera Country Club in an afternoon where he appeared to move well throughout the round.

Tiger Woods marked his return to competitive action with a closing trio of birdies as he carded 69 during the first round of the Genesis Invitational.

“I happened to actually hit some good shots finally and made a couple of putts,” Woods said. The 33-year-old shot an opening four-under 67 to be three strokes back, while Scheffler could only manage 70. It was a nice finish.”

Tiger Woods is back at the Genesis Invitational and fans love it. They're not alone, though. Players are loving it, too.

[PodBean](https://dropzonegolf.podbean.com/) [Stitcher](https://www.stitcher.com/show/golfcom-podcast) [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/5tCHGYbvzziD2cyntgfseS?si=7d9c60166f054228) [iHeart](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-drop-zone-golf-podcast-86279832/) [Colt Knost](https://golf.com/news/rickie-fowler-tpc-scottsdales-16th-crowd/) was the walking reporter with Woods group Thursday. But you could see it most in a harmless conversation between Woods and Jason Day on Tuesday afternoon, which already feels like weeks ago. His performance made things at least a little weird for McIlroy and Thomas, who were relegated to supporting duty for the first time in a while. With wild winds delaying Rai’s own practice round, he introduced himself to Woods and learned all about his garden and backyard short game area. After the round, he shook his head with a knowing smile. It was just one of the many signs that Woods is still a thrill for all his colleagues, even if they’re his competitors, too. On 18, JT calmly curled in a birdie from 28 feet that sent a jolt into the amphitheater behind 18. — Max McGreevy was up on his tippy-toes Thursday evening, just trying to get a glance.

The 15-time major winner was playing his first competitive round in seven months after an injury lay-off but he showed no signs of rustiness as he hit a ...

Tiger Woods pranks playing partner Justin Thomas by cheekily handing him a TAMPON after outdriving him at the Genesis Invitational... Woods' prank signalled that he was in a relaxed mood back on the golf course, and he went on to finish his round in some style. Tiger Woods cheekily handed Justin Thomas a tampon during the opening round on Thursday

Tiger Woods is five shots back after his opening round at the Genesis Invitational, thanks to a wild birdie-birdie-birdie finish.

The bizarre incident happened on the ninth hole after Woods outdrove Thomas from the tee-box.

As Woods and Thomas walked side by side, the 47-year-old forced something into his playing partner’s hand. Woods was playing alongside Thomas and The bizarre incident happened on the ninth hole after Woods outdrove Thomas from the tee-box

LOS ANGELES: Max Homa and Keith Mitchell fired 7-under-par 64s to share the first-round lead at the Genesis Invitational on Thursday in Los Angeles, ...

"I had to try and figure out what the chess match is going to be. I didn't want to be the idiot host to miss it right in front of everybody after I just went birdie-birdie. 17 and 18 to jump into the top five. He rolled in eight birdies on Thursday to counteract two bogeys. Like Homa, Mitchell put eight birdies and one bogey on his card, finishing birdie-birdie at Nos. Mitchell, meanwhile, has just one PGA Tour win to his name, the 2019 Honda Classic.

Woods shot a two-under-par 69 on Thursday at the Genesis Invitational in Southern California. Every stroke amounted to research for the bigger ambitions ...

“There will come a point in time when my body will not allow me to do that anymore, and it’s probably sooner rather than later,” he said. We have the ability to pick and choose and play a little bit longer.” Open because, as he put it later, there was “no way physically I could have done that.” [At the British Open](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/15/sports/golf/tiger-woods-british-open-missed-cut.html) in July, after he missed the cut, he said it was “hard just to walk and play 18 holes.” (He bounced back from trouble particularly well in those days: [He won his first green jacket the next year](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/04/sports/golf/tiger-woods-1997-masters.html#:~:text=Tiger%20Woods%20was%20not%20supposed,and%20catapulted%20himself%20to%20stardom.).) This week in California, moments after Woods made clear he would not be looking to match Player or Palmer at Augusta, a reporter asked Woods to peer into the future. When he grows weary, he mounts a cart — something he cannot do on the PGA Tour — but has seen his outings go from a few holes to 18. About four months later, after he concluded that he could not play a low-key event in the Bahamas because of plantar fasciitis, he acknowledged without elaboration that his year had included undergoing “a few more procedures because of playing.” “Then, after this event, we’ll analyze it and see what we need to do to get ready for Augusta.” Championship](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/21/sports/golf/tiger-woods-pga-championship.html), where he was 12 over par after three rounds, he abandoned his plan to play the U.S. [lots of ice, lots of ice baths](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/09/sports/golf/masters-tiger-woods-injuries.html), just basically freezing myself to death” before the next day’s round. He shot a two-under-par 69 on Thursday, ahead of a second round on Friday morning, with each stroke and step at Riviera Country Club a data point in his team’s quest to make a rebuilt body hum to a higher-than-normal standard. What Woods cannot mask — indeed, what he does not even try much to mask — is that every competitive round is effectively 18 holes of rehabilitation research and development.

Tiger Woods is under scrutiny for handing Justin Thomas a tampon after outdriving him during the opening round of the Genesis Invitational on Thursday.

We are extremely close with the family and we do a lot of things together, and to be able to have that experience tomorrow again." Anna Caplice, Ireland rugby player, tweeted: "If the world generally respected women I would be able to see the funny side of this. "It's just a bit of fun, it's just banter on a golf course. Julie DiCaro, a lawyer and author, tweeted: "Ugh. So played out and stupid." "He's the leader of our game, whatever happens all eyes are on Tiger Woods. "I think he might want to (apologise) knowing what it's caused in the last 24 hours. "Us women all have periods, I know some men find it quite hard to say that out loud. "It can be seen as laddy behaviour but I just think what it says, the inference is not good. It was crass, it was disappointing and I think surprise from my side because he's playing in the Genesis on the PGA Tour. It was supposed to be a private incident but it's now been highlighted. A lot of people have jumped on this and, no wonder, because it's extremely disappointing and I'm surprised the most recognisable golfer on the planet has put himself in this position to be exposed in this way.

It was an unusual sight to see on a golf course -- Tiger Woods handing Justin Thomas a tampon in an apparent prank after outdriving his playing partner on ...

Because I hadn’t been out here so I’ve missed some of the things that have transpired on Tour, which is kind of fun.” The ebb and flow of needling each other, encouraging each other and telling stories. “It was nice that I had this unbelievable pairing, two great guys, two great friends,” Woods said in a press conference afterwards.

Tiger Woods made his PGA Tour debut at the Riviera Country Club in 1992. 31 years later, he's still searching for his first win at the course.

1 Here's the live stream schedule for each round: to 3 p.m. Golf Channel and CBS will both broadcast different pieces of this weekend's Genesis Invitational. — Tee Tiger Woods: "If I'm playing, I'm playing to win ... "There will come a point in time where my body won't allow me to do that anymore, probably sooner than later." Tee time (ET) Now, if Woods wants that first win at the Genesis Invitational, he'll have to do it in a storybook way. He has his next chance to make more history this weekend in Los Angeles. Tiger Woods has a bit of history at the Genesis Invitational.

Not only did Woods open the Genesis Invitational with a 2-under 69, but he brought the trash talk with him.

Tiger Woods' apparent prank on his playing partner at the Genesis Invitational tournament has been met with disapproval online.

In 2017 he [pleaded guilty to reckless driving](https://pleaded/%20guilty%20to%20reckless%20driving%20and%20agreed%20to%20enter%20a%20diversion%20programme%20on%20Friday,%20five%20months%20after%20he%20was%20found%20passed%20out%20in%20his%20Mercedes%20with%20prescription%20drugs%20and%20marijuana%20in%20his%20system.) after he was found passed out in his Mercedes with prescription drugs and marijuana in his system. He followed it with a 74 in his second round on Friday to sit on one over par for the tournament – 10 shots adrift of early clubhouse leader Keith Mitchell. I probably should have appreciated the fans more than I did, but there was so much going on in my head.” “Is the joke here to ‘stop playing like a girl?’ Or that periods and tampons indicate weakness?” The incident caused a disapproving backlash on social media. “If I offended anybody in any way, shape or form, I’m sorry.

On Tuesday, Tiger Woods assured reporters that making shots wasn't an issue. And he went out and demonstrated that on Thursday.

Woods took off his right shoe several occasions throughout the round to alter his ankle brace and sock. The Adani Group will seek to refinance about $1.2 billion worth of foreign-currency bonds ahead of maturity and prune discretionary capital expenditure, key finance executives at the conglomerate told investors during a conference call late Thursday. He continued to walk with a tiny hiccup throughout the whole round as he tried to relieve pressure on his right ankle. It was anticipated that Woods would struggle on the back nine given his physical condition. [Riviera Country Club](/topic/riviera-country-club)clubhouse is rather steep. Woods battled for crucial parts throughout the course of more than five hours, recovered from three bogeys, and finished with a flurry of legendary shots that completely altered the tone of his game.

Woods lines up alongside Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy at The Riviera Country Club.

Into the sand. Later on, Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa and Scottie Scheffler are grouped together, as are Justin Rose, Hideki Matsuyama and Shane Lowry. Solid start, though he gives a shake of the head at the missed opportunity. McIlroy finishes with a bogey, dropping to three under. McIlroy ends just shy of the green and then it’s Tiger’s turn - similar distance to McIlroy but better sight line for the approach, perhaps. He lines it up...but it’s both hard and marginally low below the hole. Thomas, for par from six and a half feet - it’s slightly right to left but he sinks it nicely. Woods is likely to be asked for his explanation of the prank following the round. Tiger Woods live: Genesis Invitational round 2 Tiger Woods at the Genesis Invitational [Woods shot a two-under-par 69](/sport/golf/tiger-woods-genisis-invitational-rory-mcilroy-b2284188.html) to be tied 27th coming into this second round, while Thomas finished round one on -3 and McIlroy scored -4, three shots back from co-leaders Max Home and Keith Mitchell at seven under par (64). Also already in action today are Matt Wallace, Troy Merritt, Matt Fitzpatrick and plenty of others.

During Tiger Woods' much-anticipated return to golf Thursday at the Genesis Invitational, he pulled a controversial prank on Justin Thomas.

When Woods arrived on the 9th tee, he was one under for the round and fresh off a birdie at the 8th. The mood grew even more festive on the back nine, which Woods closed out with a trio of birdies (2-4-3 on his card), moving from one over to two under in three holes. Woods tossed his putter on his bag, glanced over at Thomas and shot him a cheeky grin, to which Thomas could only shake his head. He’s nervous as can be because he didn’t want to be the one to miss on 18. I didn’t want to be the idiot host to miss it right in front of everybody after I just went birdie-birdie. Some of that razzing came on the 9th hole, where Woods had blistered a 323-yard drive past both of his partners. But given Woods’ place in the golf world, it’s hard not to look at the pre-meditated stunt as a head-scratcher. Playing in a glittering group with Thomas and Rory McIlroy, Woods’ ball speed was so zippy that on occasions he outdrove his long-hitting partners. “It was nice that I had this unbelievable pairing, two great guys, two great friends,” Woods said after posting a three-under 69. In the scramble format, Mike had dumped his tee shot in a fairway bunker. Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas have a long history of needling one another. A couple of years ago at the PNC Championship, Charlie — who was playing alongside his father in the team event — left a note for Thomas and his father, Mike, who were playing in the group behind the Woods.

Tiger Woods, a 15-time major champion, brought his A-game and trash talk to the Genesis Invitational, including his pranks.

"I'm going to go work on the range. "I don't like him hitting it by me." Tiger Woods said he was feeling 'sore' but is only 5 shots off the pace after the first round of the Genesis Invitational.

Just over 14 hours removed from wrapping up a first-round, 2-under 69, Woods and his surgically repaired right leg were back on the tee at Rivera, this time at ...

17 to inside 3 feet for his second birdie of the day. He missed putts of 9 feet, 4 feet, 14 feet and 5 feet on his first four holes; the latter two misses, at Nos. Even though he missed a 5-footer for birdie at the par-3 16th hole, Woods stuffed his 180-yard third shot at No.

Tiger Woods' return to the PGA Tour caught the sports world by storm on Thursday. However, a prank that Woods played on Justin Thomas became the story a day ...

However, a prank that Woods played on Justin Thomas became the story a day later. “If I offended anyone that was not the case," he said. If I offended anyone, I’m sorry.”

The 15-time major champ came close to his long-awaited fourth career PGA Tour ace during Day 2 of the 2023 Genesis Invitational.

He made an ace in each of his first three years as a pro (1996 Greater Milwaukee Open, 1997 Phoenix Open), but hasn't made one in a tournament since. Have a look as drinks were almost on the tournament host: Tiger Woods has a lot of work to do if he's going to end his notorious winless drought at Riviera.

Tiger Woods apologized Friday for what he called a prank on playing partner Justin Thomas during the first round of the Genesis Invitational on Thursday.

"Yeah, it was supposed to be all fun and games and obviously it hasn't turned out that way," Woods said. "It was not intended to be that way. Thomas immediately dropped it to the ground, and Woods put his arm around Thomas' shoulder as they laughed.

Tiger Woods shot 74 on Friday at the Genesis Invitational, putting his chances of making the cut (and playing the weekend) in flux.

[Data Golf](https://datagolf.com/live-model/pga-tour) gives Woods a better than three-in-four chance of making it to the weekend. At one over, he has a chance of making the cut, but we’ll have to wait and see what the afternoon wave does. ET), with the last members of the afternoon wave just starting their second round, Just didn’t make the putts early and the middle part of the round when I had those opportunities. And they weren’t very hard putts, I just hit bad putts and obviously had a very bad finish, too.” He bogeyed three of his last four, including his last two holes, to shoot 74.

Tiger Woods finished with three bogeys on his final four holes Friday and is in danger of missing the cut.

And then middle part of the round I could’ve turned it around a little bit and I did not.” “I could’ve easily got off to a very hot start and I did not. “It was supposed to be all fun and games, but obviously it hasn’t turned out that way,” Woods said of the gesture. It was not intended to be that way.” Reflecting on his second-round performance Friday, Woods said he misjudged the wind on Nos. Then, obviously, I had a very bad finish too.”

After lighting up Riviera on Thursday, Woods bogeyed three of his last four holes on Friday.

Tiger Woods will be around for the weekend at the 2023 Genesis Invitational. Turning in a 3-over 74 on Friday was how Woods followed up his opening round of ...

Late mistakes jeopardized his place in the field for the second half of this tournament, but as the difficulty of Riviera increased on Friday, Woods was ultimately able to find himself a weekend tee time. After putting his second into the bunker, Woods converted a slippery 5-foot bogey putt to remain in red figures at 1 under. The putter began to cooperate in the middle stretch of his back nine, but unfortunately for Woods, this was met with subpar approach play. Bogeys ensued on the following two holes as Woods dropped to even par and just inside the projected cut line. Turning in a 3-over 74 on Friday was how Woods followed up his opening round of 2-under 69 from Thursday to remain inside the top 65 at 1 over. Hitting his approach shots inside 8 feet on both holes, the 47-year-old was unable to convert either chance as a cold putter matched the chilly California temperatures early.

TIGER Woods' 3-over 74 in the second round of the Genesis Invitational put him on the wrong side of the cut line Friday afternoon while the rest of th...

While Thomas shot a second-round 73, he is 1 under through two rounds and more than likely to make the cut. After his tee shot landed at the front end of the green, 71 feet from the pin, Woods tried to putt and watched his ball trickle into the bunker. “I mean, I was trying to give myself a chance at making par and at worst bogey. Woods went on to par the next six holes before bogeying three of his last four. 13, before recovering with his best shot of the day at the par-3 14th. Just didn’t make the putts early and the middle part of the round when I had those opportunities.”

Woods is looking to make the cut on tour for the first time since the 2022 PGA Championship.

Woods was 10 shots off the lead (Keith Mitchell maintained his overnight lead with a 69 moving him to nine under) when he finished Friday at lunchtime, but it’s more about those beneath Woods on the leaderboard. Woods has not played weekend golf since the Saturday of last year’s PGA Championship, when he made the cut at Southern Hills only to withdraw injured before the final round. “If I chipped it up on top, there's a chance that it could actually come back to the front part of the green,” Woods said of the decision to putt around, rather than chip it over, the bunker. Then the middle part of the round I could have turned it around a little bit, and I did not.” Among those was putting it straight into the famed bunker in the middle of the green on the par-3 sixth, one of three back-nine bogeys that halted his momentum. 10 Friday morning, Woods battled to an even par front nine with birdies at the par-3 14th and par-5 17th.

The drama Friday at the Genesis Invitational wasn't unfolding at the top of the leaderboard.

He played the weekend even when he was sick, and when he was distracted, and when he was in a foul mood. After finding the right rough on his final hole, Woods had just 156 yards to a flag that was tucked on the extreme right side. The website Data Golf, running its various models, pegged his chances to make the weekend at 74%, but that seemed like little solace in the moment. In the opening round, Woods had thrilled the crowd by birdieing the last three holes to sign for a 2-under 69 in his first competitive appearance in seven months. With only 14 hours to recover between rounds, Woods and his reconstituted right leg underwent hours of ice and treatment, then a morning gym session, then an hourlong warmup in 45-degree temperatures. With a firm rap, his ball raced up the hill but took a sharp-right turn, nosediving into the sand. with 24 in a row.) Woods played the weekend even when his swing was off, and when his putter didn’t cooperate, and when he was victimized by bad breaks. “A cut is still very important at the pinnacle of the game – it separates the field – but it depends what we’re trying to do with the Tour week-in and week-out,” Rory McIlroy told me last fall. And there’s no simple answer to the Tour’s conundrum. The idea has plenty of merit: Players would enjoy the guaranteed pay, of course, as well as a more streamlined setup at events with less range traffic and tee-sheet congestion. Potentially, because of the history of it. Ah, yes, the cut has become a hot topic in recent months.

Tiger Woods' 3-over 74 in the second round of the Genesis Invitational put him on the wrong side of the cut line Friday afternoon while the rest of the ...

Tiger Woods is battling a series of injuries, but off the tee, he's found a new shot he can work with. Let's break it down.

It gives enough power to get the ball out there, enough accuracy to keep it in play. He's [switched golf ball to complement this new strategy.](https://www.golfdigest.com/story/tiger-woods-ball-switch-genesis-invitational) But opting for a fade for most of his tee shots simply gives Tiger more margin for error. [occasionally to his detriment](https://www.golfdigest.com/story/tiger-woods-tempo-golf-swing) — Tiger's new move has become more upper body-centric. "It wasn't the prettiest, it wasn't the most consistent, but it's all I could do. I'll let my hands be the guide," he said of his swing starting in 2018.

Tiger Woods' ball speeds have hovered near 180 mph this week at Riviera — but how is he still able to generate so much power?

“Yes, I can hit the ball harder, but it’s just, I’ve got to be very careful in how I go about that,” he said. “I don’t have that ability anymore, so a lot of it’s just purely core strength but also being very careful because my back is fused.” Without the strength in his legs that he had in his prime, creating ground force reactions is a bit tricky. The tough part of that reality is that without using the ground, generating power becomes quite difficult. But perhaps the most striking thing about Woods’ play thus far have been his ball-speed numbers — particularly with the driver. Golf fans have been enamored since the second he teed it up this week at Riviera.