PGA Tour: Tiger Woods retires in second round of Beginner Invitational

Tiger Woods retired during the second round of the Genesis Invitational being played at the Riviera Country Club course in Pacific Palisades, California. The champion left the course after six holes due to “illness”, as described by PGA Tour officials and, after treatment that lasted two hours, he left the club in a courtesy car. It should be noted that during the opening round Woods had suffered back spasms.

PROLOGUE – Tiger Woods will be the most anticipated player in the Genesis Invitational, a PGA Tour tournament scheduled from February 15 to 18 at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California. We can’t talk about a comeback because the champion returned in December in the World Warrior Challenge (18th) and then a few days later he played in the PNC Championship with his son Charlie (5th), two unofficial races. He had previously remained inactive since April, that is, since he retired during the third round of the Masters, after leaving his mark. In fact, he won the Major for the 23rd time in a row, equaling the streak of Gary Player (1959-1982) and Fred Couples (1983-2007).

Now it is a proven fact that only the participation of Woods, who turned 48 at the end of December and will present himself with a new line of clothes, changes the appearance of each event. Even in this one, which also has a prize pool of $20 million (four million to the winner) and in which 23 of the top twenty-five players in the world rankings will be in the field, including number one Scottie Scheffler, the place will be his. He is certainly not the favorite in a tournament he has never won, but as usual the public and the media will be on him. Woods, who received an invitation from a sponsor, is making his 374th appearance and competing for the 16th time at the Genesis Invitational, which he never won, but where he started in 1992 on the PGA Tour as an athlete at the age of 16. cut , when in 2023 he finished 45th, the last time he completed 72 holes. And in 2021, while in the Los Angeles area, after attending a tournament as a spectator following another back surgery, Woods was involved in a car accident in Ranchos Palos Verdes, endangering his life and career .

With the most advanced field, any prediction is impossible, but it is easy to imagine a new round of the endless duel for the throne of the world between Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, number 2, and the second has failed the previous event in which he. he could pass him and who now has to recover almost a point of loss on his opponent. Jon Rahm, number three, the reigning champion who moved to LIV Golf, will be missing, but Viktor Hovland, , ie those who finish the top ten in order.

And not only. Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa, Sahith Theegala, Tom Kim, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Thomas, Tony Finau, Jason Day and Adam Scott, another former winner at the start (2005, 2020), will certainly not hesitate. Young people who are trying to make their way like Nick Dunlap, a 20-year-old amateur from Huntsville (Alabama) who won this year in American Express, and two protagonists of the Ryder Cup in Rome, the first held in Italy and. international success: Ludvig Aberg (11th in the World Ranking), who is coming off two top finishes including second place at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am, and Nicolai Hojgaard, runner-up at the Farmers Insurance Open.

History – The Genesis Invitational, now in its 98th edition, was born in 1926 as the Los Angeles Open, a name it maintained until 1994, but joined by the sponsors of the time since 1971. Then it became the Nissan Open (1995-2007), the Northern Trust Open ( 2008-2016), Genesis Open (2017-2019) before the current name since 2020. The record of success is held by four Scotsman Macdonald Smith (between 1928 and 1934) and Lloyd Mangrum (1949 to 1956). Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer and Bubba Watson follow with three. Six players scored consecutive doubles: Smith, Palmer, Hogan, Paul Harney, Phil Mickelson and Mike Weir.

Racing on Discovery Plus and on Eurosport 2 – The Genesis Invitational will be televised by Discovery Plus and Eurosport 2 at the following times on both platforms: Thursday 15 February and Friday 16, from 10pm to 2am; Saturday 17, from 7pm to 1am; Sunday 18, from 7pm to 0.30am. Comments by Nicola Pomponi, Alessandro Bellicini and Federico Colombo.

Pictured: Tiger Woods