Tiger Woods did not complete his final round of the Genesis Invitational as he would have liked on Sunday at the Riviera Country Club in California. But finishing these four rounds, erases that, just making the cut after Friday, was a feat in itself.
As he finished with a putt for par at 18, a classic Woods roar came from the watching crowd. Woods finished tied for 45th in the tournament after shooting 73 (two-over-par) to finish at minus-1 for the week.
But the question on everyone’s mind after watching Woods finish this round is when he’ll be back on the field. He gave an insight into his mindset moving forward in 2023.
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Tiger Woods of the United States plays his second shot from the 17th hole during the final round of the Genesis Invitational at the Riviera Country Club on February 19, 2023, in Pacific Palisades, California. (Harry How/Getty Images)
«Competitively, I don’t know,» he told CBS after his final round. «My goal each and every year here going forward is to play in every major league. I’m not going to play much more than that. My body, my leg and my back won’t allow me to play much more than that.» further. That was my goal last year. I was able to play three of the four. This year, I hope I can play all four. That will be my schedule in the future because of the limitations I have.»
Woods has been battling many injuries since his car accident in 2021, which resulted in multiple injuries to his right leg, foot and ankle. He has also dealt with plantar fasciitis recently.
This was Woods’ first sanctioned tournament since the Open Championship in July 2022. He battled pain in the majors last year and most recently played in the PNC Championship in December with his son, Charlie, though he was clearly in pain.
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But Woods has been preparing for this moment, and since he never won at Riviera, he gave it his best shot. In general, he liked how he played.
«My game is fine,» he told CBS after the final round. «Yeah, it’s rusty. I made some silly mistakes here and there. I didn’t pick up the speed of the greens every day fast enough as when I played normally. But overall, I felt like I hit the ball.» as if he had been beating him at home. Now I just have to bring it here where I have to walk from point A to point B, and that was always the difficulty.»
«I’m so grateful to my team for getting me ready every night, every morning. At least giving me a chance to get out there and play, and I was able to do it.»
Tiger Woods of the United States reacts after a putt on the 13th green during the final round of the Genesis Invitational at the Riviera Country Club on February 19, 2023, in Pacific Palisades, California. (Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
This week was not without controversy from Woods, who was seen giving Justin Thomas, one of the couples in his group, a tampon after beating him and Rory McIlroy on a hole. He brushed it off, saying they were «friends having fun», but others saw it as a misogynist act.
«It was supposed to be a fun game, but obviously it didn’t turn out that way,» Woods said. «If I offend someone, it was not the case,» he said.
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A 69 on Thursday had Woods at two under par, getting him started on the right foot. However, he went from three on Friday to move to one, still making the cut. That’s all fans needed to see.
Woods then came out Saturday with his best round since his return, shooting a 67 with just one bogey on the 7th hole, three birdies and an eagle on the par-5 first hole to bring him to three under par for the weekend.
On Sunday, Woods couldn’t find the same kind of scoring, bogeying five times in the round compared to three birdies.
But the fans followed him like it was a normal Sunday with him in the lead.
Tiger Woods of the United States looks on from the 14th hole during the final round of the Genesis Invitational at the Riviera Country Club on February 19, 2023, in Pacific Palisades, California. (Harry How/Getty Images)
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They’ll wait for the next time they can do it, and it may be April 6 when The Masters kicks off at Augusta National Golf Club.