Tiger Woods explains his brutal shank at Genesis Invitational

Of course, Woods hit a beautiful recovery shot. He managed to finesse his next shot through some trees and onto the green, where he saved bogey.

Tiger had a valid reason for the shank. The 48-year-old told reporters afterward that he dealt with back spasms toward the end of his round on Thursday.

“Well, my back was spasming the last couple of holes,” Woods said. “It was locking up, so I came down and it didn’t move. I presented hosel first and shanked it.”

Tiger has had multiple back surgeries during his career. He said he deals with back spasms at home because his spine has been fused together, though they have not been an issue during competitive rounds in recent years. Woods has had plenty of other injury issues that have impacted his play, however.

Following the bogey on 18, Tiger finished with a 1-over 72 that left him tied for 49th. He entered Friday eight shots behind leader Patrick Cantlay and will have some work to do in order to make the cut.