LOS ANGELES — Tiger Woods had to withdraw from the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Friday due to what his agent described as “flu-like” symptoms.
The 48-year-old Woods, playing in his first official PGA Tour event since withdrawing after the second round of last year's Masters, played six holes in the second round at Riviera and hit a strong tee shot on the par-4 seventh hole. . At that point, officials called for help, and Woods was placed in a cart and taken to the clubhouse by rules officials.
In a brief interview with a PGA Tour spokesperson, TGR Senior Vice President Rob McNamara said, “He started feeling flu-like symptoms last night. When he woke up this morning, his symptoms were worse than the night before. I was feeling a little unwell,” he said. I had a fever and was getting better while warming up, but when I went outside to walk or play, I started feeling dizzy.
McNamara said doctors determined Woods had the flu and may be dehydrated. Mr McNamara said he was treated with an IV and “his condition has improved considerably. He will soon be released here on his own.”
At 3:45 p.m., Woods emerged from the clubhouse and was taken away in a courtesy vehicle.
After Woods' road drive, an ambulance and firetruck were parked in front of Riviera's clubhouse, and a large media presence gathered. However, the emergency vehicle ultimately left without the patient at around 2:40 p.m. Pacific Time.
At the time of WD, Woods was 1 over for the round and 2 over for the tournament. He was outside the bubble in terms of qualifying, but was projected to be even par at the time Woods stopped playing.
The withdrawal followed a series of health problems for Woods to continue his playing career. Since his car accident in February 2021, he has played in just six tournaments, but ended up withdrawing from three of them (2022 PGA Championship, 2023 Masters and 2024 Genesis). At Riviera, he made his first start since August last April, before undergoing surgery to stabilize his ankle.
