Woods to make PGA Tour return at Riviera

[February 08, 2024]  (Reuters) -Tiger Woods will make his first competitive start of 2024 at next week's Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club, the 15-times major winner said on Wednesday.
 
Woods, who will serve as a player-host for the Feb. 15-18 PGA Tour event that benefits his foundation, announced his decision on social media.  

 Dec 17, 2023; Orlando, Florida, USA; Tiger Woods smiles before he plays his shot from the first tee during the PNC Championship at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo

The Genesis Invitational is one of the PGA Tour's eight Signature Events this year and features both a halfway cut and $20 million purse, including $4 million for the winner.

This will mark Woods' first official PGA Tour start since last year's Masters, where he withdrew before the third round and later had fusion surgery on his right ankle.

After sitting out most of 2023, Woods marked his return to professional golf at the end of November in an unofficial PGA Tour -- the Hero World Challenge -- which featured a limited field and no cut.

Two weeks later, Woods competed with his son Charlie at the PNC Championship, which is a 36-hole event featuring two-player teams made up of a major champion and a family member.

When Woods announced in January that he had ended his decades-long partnership with Nike, he closed his statement with the words "See you in LA!", which suggested he was planning to play the Genesis Invitational.

Last year at Riviera, Woods went one under par through four rounds and finished in a share of 45th place.

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in TorontoEditing by Toby Davis and Ed Osmond)

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