Tiger Woods confirms he WILL PLAY Genesis Invitational

Clear your diaries for next week – Tiger Woods is BACK!

The 15-time major champion has confirmed he will play in the Genesis Invitational, taking place at Riviera Country Club from February 16-19.

It will be Woods’ first PGA Tour appearance since missing the cut in The 150th Open last summer and his first regular tour start since the ZOZO Championship in October 2020.

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Speculation had quietly been mounting that he might play in the tournament, which he also hosts, as he builds up towards April’s Masters Tournament.

He made the news official on Friday night in a brief tweet, saying: “I’m ready to play an ACTUAL PGA Tour event next week @thegenesisinv.”

The event will be just Woods’ fourth tour start since he was almost killed in a car crash the morning after the 2021 Genesis Invitational concluded. 

The 47-year-old was sidelined for over a year following that accident, making his comeback at last year’s Masters where he defied expectations by playing all four rounds. 

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He next played at the US PGA Championship at Southern Hills where he again battled to make the weekend was forced to withdraw ahead of the final round.

He sat out the US Open at Brookline before returning for The 150th Open at St Andrews where he missed the cut. Woods was slated to play the Hero World Challenge last November but was forced to withdraw after developing plantar fasciitis in his right foot.

He was able to peg it up in a subsequent exhibition event with Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas, and partnered son Charlie in the PNC Championship prior to Christmas but used a cart in both those events. 

There are, however, no carts allowed on the PGA Tour so it would seem that not only is Woods ready for the rigours of hitting shots, but he’s ready to walk the course, too. 

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The former world No.1 has a special relationship with the Genesis Invitational. Formerly the Los Angeles Open, it was there that Woods made his first-ever PGA Tour start in 1992. As a 16-year-old amateur, he shot 72, 75 to miss the cut by five.

He has, however, never won at Riviera in 11 starts as a professional.