LOS ANGELES — Tiger Woods' comeback is full.
Woods withdrew from The Genesis Invitational, the occasion he hosts yearly in Southern California and the primary official match he has performed since final 12 months's Masters, on Friday afternoon attributable to sickness.
Woods hit his tee shot on the seventh gap at Riviera Nation Membership after a tough begin to the second spherical. After hitting his tee shot and touchdown within the fairway, Woods jumped right into a cart and left the course, signaling the top of his match. He was seen placing his head in his arms at one level on the way in which again to the clubhouse.
On the time, Woods was 1-over for his spherical and 2-over for the match.
Event and guidelines official Mark Dusbabek then confirmed that Woods had withdrawn attributable to sickness. Woods stopped within the toilet a number of instances via his six holes. He was additionally seen bent over and leaning on a fridge on the fifth jersey field, clearly uncomfortable. In accordance with Woods' longtime enterprise companion and supervisor, Rob McNamara, he started experiencing “flu-like signs” after Thursday's spherical.
“[He] I awoke this morning, they have been worse than the evening earlier than,” McNamara mentioned. “He had slightly little bit of a fever and that and it was higher within the warmup, however then when he obtained on the market and was strolling round and was taking part in, he began to really feel dizzy.
“Lastly, the medical doctors say he has – presumably some sort of flu and he's been dehydrated. He was handled with an IV bag and is doing a lot, significantly better and can be launched right here on his personal quickly.”
Woods walked out of the clubhouse alone and obtained right into a car to depart the course shortly after McNamara's feedback. An ambulance was known as to Riviera attributable to a “medical request”, however neither Woods nor anybody else was transported in that ambulance.
Woods posted a 1-over 72 to open the Genesis Invitational on Thursday. His first spherical was extremely inconsistent all through and he really blew what ought to have been a straightforward method shot on the ultimate gap. He mentioned he handled again spasms late within the recreation, which he attributed to the brutal again fusion process he underwent in 2017. He underwent a second ankle fusion process after pulling out of the Masters final 12 months, however mentioned each Wednesday and Thursday that his ankle was not bothering him.
It didn’t seem that Woods was in any bodily ache along with his again or leg Friday earlier than he retired.
“Not bodily in any respect, he's obtained a great again,” McNamara mentioned. “It was all medical sickness, dehydration, which is now the signs are reversing now that he obtained an IV.”
Patrick Cantlay was main the match at 10 underneath the week Woods retired, though Cantlay was solely midway via his second spherical. Woods was two pictures off the projected lower line, so he would have wanted a robust end within the again half of his spherical on Friday to make the weekend.
Woods has lengthy mentioned he hopes to play about one match each month in 2024, which might enable him to compete in all 4 main championships. In concept, that may imply Woods will attempt to compete in both the Arnold Palmer Invitational or the Gamers Championship subsequent month.
Cantlay flew forward of the remainder of the sector by Friday afternoon. He backed up his opening spherical 64 with a bogey-free 65 that moved him to 13-under on the midway level of the match. The Southern California native will enter Sunday with a five-shot lead over the remainder of the sector.