LOS ANGELES — Tiger Woods' comeback is over.
Woods withdrew from the Genesis Invitational, his first official tournament since last year's Masters, which he hosts every year in Southern California, due to illness Friday afternoon.
Woods hit his tee shot on the seventh hole after a rough start in the second round at Riviera Country Club. After hitting his drive and landing in the fairway, Woods jumped into his cart and left the course, marking the end of the tournament. He could also be seen cradling his head in his hands on the way back to the clubhouse.
At this point, Woods was 1 over for the round and 2 over for the tournament.
Tour and rules official Mark Dusbabek later confirmed that Woods withdrew due to illness. Woods made numerous stops in the bathroom through the six holes. He was also seen bending over and leaning against the cooler at the fifth tee box, clearly uncomfortable. Rob McNamara, Woods' longtime business partner and manager, said Woods began feeling “flu-like symptoms” after Thursday's round.
”[He] “I woke up this morning and it was worse than the night before. I had a little fever, but it got better during warm-ups, but then when I went outside to walk and play,” McNamara said. , he started feeling dizzy.
“In the end, doctors said he may have had some kind of flu and was dehydrated. He was being treated with an IV bag and was feeling much better and soon You will be freed from here on your own.”
Immediately after McNamara's comments, Woods left the clubhouse on his own, got into his car and left the course. An ambulance was called to Riviera for a “medical request,” but neither Woods nor anyone else was transported by the ambulance.
Gary Woodland, who played with Woods and Justin Thomas, said it was clear early on that Woods wasn't feeling well.
“I saw it, he obviously wasn't who he was, it just didn't look right,” Woodland said. “I saw it before the round started. It sucks. Obviously everything is getting better for him. In his first tournament back he went out and didn't finish the way he wanted. It sucks for all of us. is.”
Woods opened Thursday's Genesis Invitational with a 1-over 72. His first round was incredibly shaky until the end, and on the final hole he actually shank what should have been an easy approach shot for him. He said he suffered from spasms in his back during the final stretch of play, which he attributed to the brutal fusion surgery he underwent on his back in 2017. After withdrawing from the Masters last year, he underwent a second fusion surgery on his ankle. However, he said both Wednesday and Thursday that his ankle is not a concern.
On Friday, before he withdrew, Woods did not appear to be experiencing any physical pain from either his back or legs.
“Physically, I have no problems at all. My back is fine,” McNamara said. “It was all medical and dehydration. He's now on IV fluids and his symptoms are improving.”
Patrick Cantlay was leading the tournament at 10 under par the week Woods withdrew, but Cantlay was only halfway through the second round. Woods was two strokes off the expected cut line and would have needed a strong finish in the second half of Friday's round to qualify for the weekend.
Woods has long said he hopes to play at least one game a month in 2024, which would allow him to play in all four majors. In theory, that means Woods will try to compete at either the Arnold Palmer Invitational or The Players Championship next month.
Cantlay was ahead of the rest by Friday afternoon. He went from an opening round 64 to a bogey-free 65, improving to 13 under par by the middle of the tournament. The Southern California native will enter Sunday with a five-stroke lead over the rest of the field.
