PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — Tiger Woods suddenly withdrew from the Genesis Invitational on Friday at Riviera Country Club in the middle of his second round with what he described as “an illness.”
Woods, whose foundation hosts the tournament, was driven off the golf course on a golf cart by a rules official after hitting his tee shot into the middle of the fairway on the seventh hole.
He was 2-over par and on the outside of the cut line, which ended at +1, at the time. Patrick Cantlay, who is at 13-under, holds a five-stroke lead after two rounds.
Woods, who appeared to wince after he hit the tee shot on the seventh hole, was playing in an official full-field PGA Tour event since the 2023 Masters, after which he underwent surgery to fuse bones in his right foot that was injured in his 2021 car crash.
two rounds.
Woods’ business partner Rob McNamara issued a statement about 90 minutes after Woods was driven off the golf course, saying, “He started feeling some flu-like symptoms last night. Woke up this morning, they were worse than the night previous. He had a little bit of a fever and that, and was better during the warm-up, but then when he got out there and was walking and playing, he started feeling dizzy.
“Ultimately the doctors are saying he’s got some … potentially some type of flu and that he was dehydrated. He’s been treated with an IV bag and he’s doing much, much better and he’ll be released on his own here soon.’’
There was an ambulance waiting outside of a service entrance of the clubhouse for some 45 minutes ready to take Woods away until an official came out of the clubhouse and said the Los Angeles Fire Department official: “He’s not coming out.’’
Moments later, ambulance officials loaded an empty stretcher into the vehicle and they left the grounds.
McNamara clarified that Woods’ issues on Friday have nothing to do with the structural issues he’s been dealing with since his back and foot were surgically fused.
“Not physical at all,’’ McNamara said. “His back’s fine. It was all medical illness, dehydration, which is now the symptoms are reversing themselves now that he’s had an IV.’’
Woods, who was playing alongside Gary Woodland and Justin Thomas, curiously used one of the portable toilets while playing the fifth hole, which is unusual, and he went back in after finishing the fifth hole before teeing off on the sixth.
He shot a 1-over-par 72 in Thursday’s first round, a round that was low-lighted by his uncharacteristic shanked 8-iron approach shot on the 18th hole, which led to a closing bogey.
Woods, health pending, is next expected to play at the Players Championship next month and then the Masters in April.
