Tiger Woods withdrew from the Genesis Invitational six holes into the second round.
Woods revealed on Saturday it was influenza that caused him to call it a day on Friday at Riviera Country Club, and not anything physical with his back or leg.
“I am resting and feeling better. Good luck to the players this weekend. I’m disappointed not to be there and want to thank GenesisUSA and all the fans for the support,” he said in a post on social media.
Two fire trucks and an ambulance appeared on the scene, sparking speculation about Woods’ health, but these vehicles eventually drove away after several minutes.
Reporters and players were hunting for details and as the PGA Tour reports, the 15-time major champion was driven out of the country club’s grounds at 3.43 pm local time, two hours after exiting the tournament.
“He had a little bit of a fever and was better during the warm-up, but then when he got out there and was walking and playing, he started feeling dizzy,” Vice president of TGR Ventures and close friend of Woods Rob McNamara said.
“Ultimately the doctors are saying he’s got some – potentially some type of flu and that he was dehydrated. He’s been treated with an IV bag and he’s doing much, much better and he’ll be released on his own here soon.”
“Not physical at all. His back is fine. It was all medical illness, dehydration, which is now, the symptoms are reversing themselves now that he’s had an IV.”
The 48-year-old was 1-over-par when he played his final shot of the day, which was a tee shot on the par-4 7th hole.
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He also shot 1-over-par in the first round and after playing the final hole where he shanked his approach shot from the middle of the fairway, Woods attributed this to back spasms.
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An assumption could’ve been made that physical injury had got the better of the 82-time PGA Tour winner again, who has never tasted victory at the Genesis Invitational.
“I saw it, he obviously wasn’t himself, just didn’t look right,” Woods’ playing partner Gary Woodland said.
“He was quieter. Obviously, it’s cut day, we’re all trying to play well, the whole group’s trying to focus and pick ourselves up and play well. I feel bad for him. He definitely was trying to fight through it, and I hope he’s all right.”
Watching Tiger Woods withdraw from tournaments has become an all too familiar experience in recent years, as he’s looked to come back to the PGA Tour time after time after suffering severe injuries in a car crash at the start of 2021.
He pulled out of the PGA Championship at Southern Hills in 2022 after three rounds to protect his surgically repaired leg. Woods also withdrew from the Masters in 2023 for physical reasons, which led to him having surgery later that month.
Although it is illness that has forced his decision to stop playing on this occasion, it is another withdrawal on Woods’ record which won’t fill golf fans with hope to see him play more events in 2024.
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