Tiger Woods looked to be entering the weekend at the Genesis Invitational at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., on Friday, but then bogeyed three of his last four holes.
After completing his second round, Woods was 1 over, behind the cutoff line of what was then even. To top it off, the game was suspended on Friday, so he had to wait a little longer to find out his fate.
However, the cut line went back one stroke, and Woods was right on the line, putting him in contention for the weekend.
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Tiger Woods reacts to his putt on the fourth green during the second round of the Genesis Invitational at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California on Friday. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
The Genesis Invitational is Woods’ first tournament since the Open Championship in July, an event in which he missed the cut.
It was an up-and-down round for Woods, who hit the ball well but wasn’t great in the short game.
«I didn’t shoot well today, I blocked a lot of putts early, and this is probably the highest score I could have made today,» Woods said after his round. «I probably should have shot five or six times better than this, easily. I just didn’t putt early and in the middle of the round when I had those opportunities. And they weren’t very hard putts, I just putt badly.» And obviously it had a very bad ending as well.»
However, it prevailed, and many bettors are genuinely pleased: DraftKings CEO Jason Robins said that «98% of bets» at the sportsbook were placed on Woods to make the cut.
«It amazes me, Tiger will never go out of style,» Robins said in fox business. «Now, we priced it at +150, sorry Tiger, so I think it looks appealing to a lot of people.»
Some states even increased it to +200 on the site. (A $100 bet would win $200.) Of course, if you can get positive odds on perhaps the greatest golfer of all time to just make it to the weekend, it’s definitely hard not to jump.
Prior to the Genesis, Woods last played in the Open Championship at St. Andrews, where he missed the cut. But if you know how Tiger operates, making the cut isn’t a hit.
Tiger Woods celebrates with a raised fist after making a birdie putt on the 17th green during the first round of the Genesis Invitational at the Riviera Country Club on February 16, 2023, in Pacific Palisades, California. (Keyur Khamar/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
TIGER WOODS RESPONSES TO REACTION OF GIVING JUSTIN THOMAS A tampon: ‘FRIENDS HAVING FUN’
«Making a cut is a big thing. If I go into the event, it’s always to get a W», Woods said tuesday. «There will come a point in time where my body will no longer allow me to do that, and that’s probably sooner rather than later. But wrapping my head around that transition and being an ambassador role and just playing and trying to be here with guys? No, that’s just not in my DNA.»
Robins added that there are several other bets around Tiger, perhaps to win or finish in certain positions, «but you don’t often see almost 100% betting on one side of nothing, so it’s just a testament to the Tiger’s Popularity». .»
Woods was matched with Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy for the first two rounds. The 15-time Grand Slam champion closed his opening round with three consecutive birdies to finish at a two-under-par 69.
However, despite success on the course, he received some criticism in the first round after handing Thomas a tampon after besting him.
Tiger Woods of the United States (L) and Justin Thomas of the United States tee off the 9th tee during the first round of the Genesis Invitational at the Riviera Country Club on February 16, 2023 in Pacific Palisades, California. (Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
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«It was supposed to be a fun game, but obviously it didn’t turn out that way,» Woods said. «If I offend someone, it wasn’t the case. It was just friends having fun.»
«If I offend someone in any way, shape, or form, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. We make jokes about each other all the time. Virally, I think this didn’t feel that way, but between us, it’s different.» .
Max Homa leads the group with -10.