Tiger Woods to make 2024 debut at the Genesis Invitational
By Jack Bantock, CNN
(CNN) — Tiger Woods will make his first competitive start of the year at the Genesis Invitational next week, the 15-time major winner announced on social media Wednesday.
The 47-year-old – restricted to a limited schedule after suffering serious leg injuries in a car accident in 2021 – has not featured at a PGA Tour event since playing the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas in December, but will return for the event he hosts at Los Angeles’ Riviera Country Club on February 15.
Organized by the Tiger Woods Foundation and classed as one of the PGA Tour’s Signature Events, offering increased prize purses and FedEx Cup points, many of the circuit’s biggest stars are set to feature, including all of the world’s top 10 ranked players, except new LIV Golf recruit Jon Rahm.
That includes world No. 6 Wyndham Clark, who played just 54 holes before being crowned the winner of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last week as heavy storms in California saw organizers end the tournament early.
Woods, chasing his first PGA Tour win since his record-equaling 82nd triumph at the Zozo Championship in October 2019, said he was “excited” to compete in an Instagram post announcing his participation on Wednesday.
After undergoing ankle surgery in April, Woods finished 18th out of a 20-player field in his first tournament in eight months at the Hero World Challenge, before pairing with his son Charlie to play the PNC Championship in Florida later in December.
The duo finished tied-fifth out of 20 teams formed of past major or Players Championship winners and a family member at the Ritz-Carlton Club, six shots behind the winning pairing of Bernhard Langer and his son Jason.
Woods, who will be making his first competitive appearance since ending his 27-year partnership with Nike in January, has said he is aiming to play in one tournament a month this year.
The Players Championship, dubbed ‘the fifth major,’ tees off in March, while The Masters begins the major calendar in April.
The-CNN-Wire
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