The Big Cat is back.
Tiger Woods returned to PGA Tour action on Thursday as the 15-time major champion made his 2024 debut at the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club just outside of Los Angeles. Woods will do double duty as the tournament host of the $20 million signature event, which his TGR Foundation organizes.
The 82-time PGA Tour winner played both the Hero World Challenge and PNC Championship in the winter, but fans hadn’t seen Woods on the course in an official event since he withdrew from the 2023 Masters. In 14 previous starts at Riv, Tiger has one runner-up finish (1999) and just three top 10s. He finished T-45 last year.
Check out shot-by-shot analysis of Woods’ opening round 1-over 72 below.
Pre-round thoughts
It’s easy to get excited when Tiger returns to competition, but it’s time we start to temper those feelings. His wins at the Masters and Zozo Championship in 2019 were incredible, but that was five years and a handful of operations ago. At times we’ve seen the old Tiger come out to play, but he simply hasn’t been able to string together four rounds consistently. I’m not saying he’ll never win again or that he can’t compete, after all, this is Tiger Woods we’re talking about. He doesn’t play if he doesn’t believe he can compete. Let’s just see how he fares before we lob lofty expectations.
Tiger has arrived 🐅⁰⁰He’s set to make his 2024 season debut @TheGenesisInv. pic.twitter.com/pSkRMJKnI9
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 15, 2024
Hole 1 - Par 5
And we’re off! Tiger takes driver here on No. 1 and like a finely sliced piece of ham just overcuts it a bit as his opening tee shot finds the rough down the right side of the fairway. Not a big miss, and the rough at Riv isn’t too penal, so it’s not the worst start. Tiger had 107 yards to the pin from the rough but didn’t have the lie to go flag hunting early. His approach took a wicked hop and bounced off the back of the green into the rough. Time to get tasty with a wedge if he wants an early birdie. Yummy indeed, Tiger pitched this one inside five feet to set up the early score. That’s a birdie at the first for the Big Cat.
TIGER ON THE DAY: 1-under through 1.
Hole 2 - Par 4
Riviera’s opening two holes are a handshake followed by a slap in the face. The first hole is an easy birdie and the second is a beast of a par 4. It’s long and narrow tee-to-green with a bunker guarding the right side of the fairway in the landing zone off the tee. Get up to the green and it’s narrow with a bunker guarding the left, not to mention the green slopes pretty heavily back-to-front. Have fun, boys.
Tiger. Driver. 307 yards down the middle of the fairway. Could’ve have placed this one any better. After a great drive the rust with the irons shows as he misses the green to the right. Let’s see how the wedge game is Part II. Like most things in life, the sequel wasn’t as good as the original as he blows this pitch past the hole. Didn’t make clean contact and now has 15 feet to save par. Like a card game in Las Vegas, no dice and that’s going to be a tap-in bogey. Gives the birdie right back.
TIGER ON THE DAY: Even through 2.
Hole 3 - Par 4
Similar to the first tee and like a bad dinner he overcooked this one again and missed right. From the right rough he again can’t get clean contact and drops this one in the bunker guarding the front of the green. Really went for this one with the splash out and almost holed out from the sand but runs it by about six feet.
Hole 4 - Par 3
First par 3 of the day and Tiger hit a gem. A cute little fade put his ball on the front edge and then he let the green do the rest of the work as it rolled out to inside 20 feet for a bounce-back birdie. More like 15 feet for the Cat and he purred this one into the bottom of the cup. No pars through four holes.
TIGER ON THE DAY: Even through 4.
Hole 5 - Par 4
The fairway on the 5th hole is split near the landing zone by some rough so Tiger lays back with a 3 wood off the tee and sends it down the left side of the fairway. He’ll have right around 150 yards to the back left pin, should be able to get something pretty close. This was pretty. Hit a tight fade and dropped this one inside 10 feet for another birdie look.
“It went right,” said Tiger, who had a rare misread on the green and didn’t pair the pasta with the sauce to get this one in the hole. That’s his first par of the day.
TIGER ON THE DAY: Even through 5.
Hole 6 - Par 3
One of the most unique greens on the PGA Tour schedule, the par-3 6th hole has a bunker in the middle of the green, which shouldn’t come into play with the front right pin location. Tiger avoids the trouble and leaves his tee shot about 15 feet short of the pin. He’s just on the green and will have another look at birdie. So far, his irons seem pretty good a third of the way through his round. Walked this one in as he curled the putt into the hole to get back in the red.
TIGER ON THE DAY: 1 under through 6.
Hole 7 - Par 4
Laid back off the tee again with 3 wood and again is in the short grass. Looks really balanced and comfortable off the tee. Inside 140 yards from the fairway and this one is a bit longer than Tiger would’ve liked. He’ll have his first lag putt of the round from about 43 feet. Let’s test the pace and touch now. The touch is just fine. Hit a good but not great putt and then cleaned up the par save with ease. So far, so good.
TIGER ON THE DAY: 1 under through 7.
Hole 8 - Par 4
MASHED POTATOES! 317 yards down the right side of the fairway. Tiger jumped on this one off the tee. He’s got something cooking with the irons here early as his approach goes beyond the back hole location but checks up inside 20 feet. Had a pretty good look from birdie but left his putt on the amateur side and missed low and left. Easy par. What was that old MTV dating show? Next.
TIGER ON THE DAY: 1 under through 8.
Hole 9 - Par 4
Tiger’s high fade is b-e-a-ufitul off the tee here at No. 9. I’m talking Margot Robbie levels of beautiful. 304 yards right down the middle of the fairway. Given how great his approaches have been today this is rather average from Tiger. He’s on the green to the right of the back left pin, a little more than 20 feet from the hole. Let’s see what the flatstick has to say. Not much apparently because this birdie putt was nowhere near the hole. Cleans up the knee-knocker for par to make the turn at 1-under 34. Not too shabby.
TIGER ON THE DAY: 1 under through 9.
Hole 10 - Par 4
Oh no. Oh no. Oh no no no no no. Drivable par 4 and Tiger went full at this one and landed his tee shot on the green. The only problem with that is you can’t hold the green with driver as this one kicks into a bunker guarding the right side of the green. It’s not only in the trap, it’s towards the back edge of the bunker which will make for a gnarly stance and out.
Wow. He was in absolute prison and had to just chip out to the short grass and couldn’t even go for the green. His third chip onto the green ran a good eight feet past the cup. His short game has been the least consistent so far, but ask any pro and they’ll touch you touch and the short game are the last to come back after a long delay. Oof. Dead pull with his par putt and this one didn’t scare the cup. Another bogey, ending a streak of some really great golf.
TIGER ON THE DAY: Even through 10.
Hole 11 - Par 5
Tiger slings a drive down the middle of the fairway with a little left-to-right action. Supreme confidence in that club today. This FedEx approach airmailed the green long and left and found the gallery of fans standing and watching. The lie wasn’t bad in the rough but he blew his flop shot, which he landed back in the rough and watched as it just kicked onto the fringe surrounding the green. He still has a birdie putt but it should be a lot closer. Well, I forgot he’s Tiger Woods for a second. He didn’t need it to be any closer as Tiger curled the putt in with class to get back under par.
TIGER ON THE DAY: 1 under through 11.
Hole 12 - Par 4
The first “Oh, Tiger” of the year! Fore right off the tee for the Cat on this one and he’ll be chasing his tail to try and make par from here. Trees are in his way and the pin is guarded up front by a bunker. He hit one real high and tried to cut it onto the green but instead found the bunker. Not a bad day for a trip to the beach. Popped this one out and it was tracking well until it started to leak a little left. Not a bad effort but Tiger isn’t thrilled. Powered this putt through the break and missed, which means that’s another bogey. Back-and-forth.
TIGER ON THE DAY: Even through 12.
Hole 13 - Par 4
Find you a player who can miss it right and left. Tiger hated this one as he lost it to the left in a cluster of trees. Tiger hammered this approach down the left side of the rough and missed the green a little long. Could be a tricky up-and-down to save par. From some thick rough Tiger hit an absolute beauty of a flop inside five feet. Might be his shot of the day. What a save.
TIGER ON THE DAY: Even through 13.
Hole 14 - Par 3
Tiger’s tee shot ends up right where I’d be at a wedding: the middle of the dance floor. Nothing flashy here, just a solid strike to set up a two-putt par. Gave his birdie putt a real ride and left a bit more meat on the bone than he would’ve liked. No issues here as Tiger saves his par and moves to the final stretch.
TIGER ON THE DAY: Even through 14.
Hole 15 - Par 4
Not a bad swing from Tiger here but it just runs out of the fairway and into the rough. From 203 yards out Tiger caught it just a bit heavy and found the bunker short of the green. Not great. Another shot he catches a little heavy as he pops this one up and onto the green inside 10 feet. He definitely wanted that closer, just didn’t get the proper contact. His putt moved at the last second and set up a brutal bogey.
TIGER ON THE DAY: 1 over through 15.
Hole 16 - Par 3
Good, not bad effort here from the Cat as he finds the green. Irons have definitely faltered down the stretch, and doesn’t seem as in-tune as he was for the majority of the front nine. With 33 feet to go, Tiger have his uphill putt a ride but it wasn’t enough as it misses low and left. Saves his par and takes it to the penultimate hole.
TIGER ON THE DAY: 1 over through 16.
Hole 17 - Par 5
Birdie chance for the Big Cat here on the par 5 and he takes the first step with a bombed drive down the left side of the fairway. That’s 324 yards, folks. He’s 48 years old and held together by plates and bolts. From 285 yards out Tiger runs this one up and onto the green to set up an eagle attempt. What a shot. His eagle putt from 75 feet had plenty of juice and skated 6 feet past the cup. Love to see that he went for it and committed. Speaking of going for it, Tiger paced this birdie putt into the cup with ease and bounces back to even par.
TIGER ON THE DAY: Even through 17.
Hole 18 - Par 4
Closes out his round with a bomb of a fade down the right side of the fairway. Useful, useful shot. Oh no. That’s a vicious shank. Acute angle shot. From the fairway. Hate to see it (but also love to see it because hey, Tiger’s kind of like us). The club twirl release was beautiful, where his ball wound up was not. This guy is awesome. He escaped from absolute prison among the trees and cleared a bunker to run his approach up the fairway and onto the green to set up a 15-footer to save par.
