Tiger Woods will return to golf at next week’s Genesis Invitational, the first full-field event he’s played in since the 2023 Masters. Woods made the announcement via Twitter on Wednesday.
Woods spent the majority of 2023 recovering from long-term injuries and surgeries. He withdrew from the 2023 Masters shortly after making the cut, and did not play in any of the three remaining majors. He most recently competed in the small-field Hero World Challenge and the PNC Championship (a father/son event) in December.
On multiple occasions, Woods has said he hopes to play in roughly one tournament a month, starting with the Genesis. That would put him on track to potentially play in The Players Championship or the Arnold Palmer Invitational next month before gearing up for the Masters and the rest of major season.
“I know if I can practice, I know I can still do it,” Woods said in December when asked about the extent of his abilities now. “I can still hit the golf ball. I can still chip. I can still putt. Granted, it’s also puting it all together for 72 holes. That’s the challenging part of it.”
Although he hasn’t been on the course, Woods has taken an active role in golf’s chaotic developments over the last few months. As a member of the PGA Tour’s Player Advisory Council, Woods endorsed the recent $1.5 billion investment in the Tour from Strategic Sports Group, and continues to express optimism that the Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, the financial backer of LIV Golf, will reach an agreement on the future of golf in some form in the coming months.
Woods hosts the Genesis Invitational, formerly known as the Los Angeles Open and held at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles. The defending champion is Jon Rahm, who will not be in attendance given that he jumped to LIV Golf in December.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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