Posted by The US PGA Tour announced on Friday that golf legend Tiger Woods had withdrawn from the Genesis Invitational midway through the second round due to sickness.
Woods, who is the tournament host at The Riviera Country Club, was seen being driven off the course in a golf cart shortly after he teed off on the seventh hole.
After pulling out of the Masters last April in the third round, the 15-time major champion was participating in his first-ever US PGA Tour tournament.
He underwent ankle surgery two weeks later to treat residual pain in his right foot as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident in 2021.
There was no sign that any of the several ailments that Woods claims to be affected by every round had a role in his withdrawal on Friday, despite his statement on Thursday that back spasms were a contributing factor in his unexpected shank at the 18th hole in his one-over-par opening round.
Woods would have had a difficult time qualifying for the elite event.
He birdied the first hole on Friday, a par-five, then bogeyed the third and fifth.
He gave up at the seventh hole while he was in the fairway.
It’s a disappointing blow for 48-year-old Woods, who expressed hope that his numerous physical issues would enable him to play a restricted schedule of one tournament each month during the unofficial Hero World Challenge in December.
He acknowledged that the jury was still out on whether or not his plan would work out and whether it would allow him to compete after his first competitive round in over ten months on Thursday.
Woods stated, “I’m hoping that’s the case, hoping that I play that much.” Regarding the physical ups and downs, those are merely a natural aspect of my body.
In the past four seasons, Woods has only participated in nine sanctioned events. Twice he has withdrew and twice he has missed the cut.