Tiger Woods will return to competitors on Thursday for the primary time since July in one other take a look at for a physique that has repeatedly been rebuilt however is, not less than in Woods’s judgment, nonetheless hard-wired to contend.
Woods, 47, will enter the Genesis Invitational, on the Riviera Nation Membership west of downtown Los Angeles, not having performed a standard golf occasion because the British Open final summer time at St. Andrews in Scotland, the place he missed the minimize. Earlier in 2022, he withdrew from the P.G.A. Championship after three rounds and completed forty seventh on the Masters Match.
However Woods, who is anticipated to play alongside Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas on Thursday and Friday, insists that he’s ready for the Genesis, which he hosts however has by no means gained, practically two years after the Los Angeles-area automotive wreck that almost value him a leg. Extra just lately, he has confronted a bout of plantar fasciitis, however he has instructed that the automotive crash’s penalties nonetheless loom far bigger.
“It’s extra my ankle, whether or not I can get well from day after day,” Woods mentioned on Tuesday. “The leg is healthier than it was final 12 months, but it surely’s my ankle.”
He want to win the Genesis, in fact, the place he made his PGA Tour debut in 1992, when he was a 16-year-old novice. (It was then generally known as the Los Angeles Open.) A lot of this week’s look, although, appears to be about fine-tuning his plan to arrange for the Masters, a significant match that can start on April 6 at Augusta Nationwide Golf Membership in Georgia.
“I’m not going to be taking part in a full schedule so I’ve bought to have the ability to choose and select my occasions and what number of occasions I’m going to play,” Woods mentioned. “I alluded to final 12 months it’s going to be most likely the majors and perhaps a pair extra. Would I prefer to play extra? Sure. Will it permit me to? I don’t know. I’ve to be sensible about that.”
The Genesis subject is a sturdy one, partly as a result of it is likely one of the PGA Tour’s new “designated occasions,” leaving most of the tour’s high gamers unable to skip it.
In addition to McIlroy and Thomas, individuals will embrace Scottie Scheffler, who reclaimed the world No. 1 rating from McIlroy over the weekend after his victory on the Phoenix Open; and Jon Rahm, a former world No. 1 who has already gained two tournaments this 12 months. Max Homa, who gained the Genesis in 2021, might be searching for his third victory since September.
However final 12 months’s Genesis victor, Joaquin Niemann, might be absent: He has since defected to LIV Golf, the circuit financed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund.
The best way to Watch the Genesis Invitational
The primary two rounds might be broadcast on Golf Channel on Thursday and Friday from 4 p.m. to eight p.m. Japanese time. Woods is scheduled to tee off at 3:04 p.m. on Thursday and 10:24 a.m. on Friday.
For the ultimate two rounds, on Saturday and Sunday, the Golf Channel will broadcast from 1 p.m. to three p.m. after which CBS could have protection from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday after which 3 p.m. to six:30 p.m. on Sunday.
ESPN+ will stream protection of all 4 rounds.
Tee instances for high teams on Thursday
All instances are Japanese.
10:24 a.m. — Jon Rahm, Patrick Cantlay, Viktor Hovland (No. 10)
10:35 a.m. — Tony Finau, Billy Horschel, Adam Scott (No. 10)
10:46 a.m. — Max Homa, Tom Kim, Xander Schauffele (No. 10)
10:57 a.m. — Will Zalatoris, Cameron Champ, J.B. Holmes (No. 10)
3:04 p.m. — Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Tiger Woods (No. 1)
3:15 p.m. — Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa (No. 1)
3:26 p.m. — Justin Rose, Hideki Matsuyama, Shane Lowry (No. 1)
3:37 p.m. — Sam Burns, Ok.H. Lee, Cameron Younger (No. 1)
Tee instances for high teams on Friday
10:24 a.m. — Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Tiger Woods (No. 10)
10:35 a.m. — Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa (No. 10)
10:46 a.m. — Justin Rose, Hideki Matsuyama, Shane Lowry (No. 10)
10:57 a.m. — Sam Burns, Ok.H. Lee, Cameron Younger (No. 10)
3:04 p.m. — Jon Rahm, Patrick Cantlay, Viktor Hovland (No. 1)
3:15 p.m. — Tony Finau, Billy Horschel, Adam Scott (No. 1)
3:26 p.m. — Max Homa, Tom Kim, Xander Schauffele (No. 1)
3:37 p.m. — Will Zalatoris, Cameron Champ, J.B. Holmes (No. 1)