Tiger Woods withdraws from Genesis Invitational for a curious reason

Tiger Woods has officially withdrawn from the Genesis Invitational due to illness. The 48-year-old had just finished his sixth hole in the second round of the tournament before jumping on a golf cart with a PGA Tour rules official. He will not finish out the week in his first start of the 2024 PGA Tour season.

Woods looked spry and comfortable during his first-round 72 at Riviera Country Club, but something must've changed overnight. He returned to the golf course on Friday afternoon and didn't seem as upbeat. His warmup was slow and methodical, and he started to look uncomfortable on the course after back-to-back bogeys at No. 4 and No. 5. 

After making par at the sixth hole, Woods withdrew and hitched a ride back to the clubhouse. 

This week marked Tiger's first start since the Hero World Challenge in December. He seemed confident with his game and healthy for the first time since he underwent ankle surgery in April 2023, but something was off with him when he arrived at Riviera on Friday. 

The PGA Tour cited an illness as the reason for the withdrawal, but it's fair to wonder if Woods' ankle and back had anything to do with the decision. He was 2 over par and outside the cut line when he rode off the golf course.

With his WD at the Genesis Invitational, Woods has now withdrawn from three of his six PGA Tour starts since returning from the injuries he suffered in his 2021 car crash.