Tiger Woods confirms next PGA Tour start

Tiger Woods has confirmed he will play in next week’s Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines.

The former world No.1, who hosts the tournament, will be pegging it up on the US-based circuit for the first time since last summer’s Open Championship at Royal Troon.

It will also be the 49-year-old’s first regular start on the tour since he was forced to withdraw from the same event 12 months ago. He managed a grand total of 11 competitive rounds in 2024, having targeted one tournament per month at the start of the year.

Woods was sidelined after the Open following further back surgery. After opting to sit out the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas at the start of December, he explained that he wasn’t quite ready to compete.

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“I’m not tournament sharp yet,” he said at the time. “I’m still not there.

“These are 20 of the best players in the world, and I’m not sharp enough to compete against them at this level. When I’m ready to compete and play at this level, then I will.

“The fire still burns to compete [but] the difference is the recovery of the body is not what it used to be.

“The body just won’t recover like it used to, that’s part of age, part of an athlete’s journey.”

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Presumably, he now feels fit enough to take his place in the Genesis.

The occasion is sure to be an emotional one for Woods, who announced the death of his mother Kultida earlier this week.

Ordinarily, the Genesis Invitational would take place at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles but the devastation caused by wildfires which ripped through California in January forced tournament organisers to move it to San Diego.

Torrey Pines has historically been a happy hunting ground for Woods. The 15-time major champion has won there eight times over the course his career.

Michael McEwan is bunkered's Head of Content and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Head of Content