LOS ANGELES — It has been more than half a year since Tiger Woods last played golf, something that has been a rare sight since his car accident nearly two years ago.
However, the goal is the same as always.
“When I play, I play to win,” Woods said Tuesday.
Woods plays in the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club this week, marking his first time since the British Open last July. Woods would be on court this week anyway, having hosted the PGA Tour for years.
Woods missed the cut his last time in an emotional finish at St Andrews. This was one of only three events he attended in 2022. Woods finished 47th at the Masters last April. Oklahoma. He skipped the US Open completely.
Woods has insisted his days of playing a busy touring schedule are behind him since he sustained multiple injuries in his 2021 car accident in Southern California, which came just days after this year’s Genesis Invitational. Woods needed emergency surgery to save his life and almost lost his leg. He’s since endured a grueling rehab – which he described as “more painful than anything I’ve ever experienced” – and has only played golf occasionally.
While he said the plan is always to play at this event, Woods is admittedly rusty. He hasn’t run 18 holes in four straight days in quite some time – something that was once, and still is, a daunting task. The problem now is not so much his knee as his ankle.
“The leg is better than last year, but it’s my ankle,” Woods said. “Being able to recover it from day to day and still be putting stress on it in the meantime but at the same time have the recovery and also have the strength and development was a complicated little balance that we had to dance. But it’s gotten so much better over the past few months.”
Tiger Woods is playing his first competitive round of golf since the British Open this week at the Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles. (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR/Getty Images)
Tiger Woods is not ready to step into the role of ambassador
With Woods being the competitor he is, it makes sense that he thinks he could lift the trophy at the end of the week. With this week’s field, however, it won’t be an easy task.
Nine of the world’s top 10 golfers compete on the Riviera this week, including Scottie Scheffler – who retained his title at the WM Phoenix Open last week and reclaimed his place as No. 1 in the official world golf rankings.
But outwardly, at least, Woods believes he can claim career No. 83 victory here on the Riviera. Not only would that break Sam Snead’s tour record and make Woods the most successful golfer in history, but it would take place on the same course where Woods made his tour debut in 1992.
“I wouldn’t have sat down here if I didn’t think I could beat these guys and win the event. That’s my mentality,” Woods said. “When I wasn’t ready to win at that level I got very rusty, but I’ve come out of a rusty situation before and done well and I had to use a lot of those tactics in practice in the build-up high.”
After this week, no matter how things go, the 47-year-old is unlikely to serve again until the Masters in April. The end of his playing career is also in sight.
Whenever that day comes, Woods won’t be extending his playing days just to be on the pitch in some sort of ambassador role like some of the sport’s other greats have done. This week is a perfect example of that.
“There will come a time when my body won’t allow it anymore [compete] more, and it’s probably sooner rather than later,” Woods said. “But putting that transition in my head and playing the ambassador role and just trying to be out here with the boys, no.
“It’s not in my DNA… As a gamer, I’m tipping my hat and becoming a gamer, and from a gamer’s perspective, I’m here to get that W.”
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