Tiger Woods returns to action at the Genesis Invitational, live on Sky Sports, with the 15-time major champion having made changes to his caddie, clothing and schedule ahead of the new season.
Woods has played a limited schedule in recent years since sustaining career-threatening injuries in a car crash in February 2021, with the former world No 1 undergoing ankle surgery after withdrawing mid-round at The Masters in April and not returning until December’s Hero World Challenge.
He finished 18th in the 20-man field in the Bahamas before partnering his son in the PNC Championship later that month, a 36-hole team event, with the 48-year-old now making his first competitive start of 2024 at a tournament which benefits his foundation.
Woods took the final tournament exemption at Riviera Country for the latest PGA Tour Signature Event, with the sporting world watching on with interest to see how he performs in just his seventh appearance at an event offering world ranking points since The Masters in November 2020.
What can we expect from Woods?
There has been little information about Woods’ fitness and form since his two starts in December, where he had set his sights on challenging for a record-breaking 83rd PGA Tour title in 2024 after seeing signs of encouragement.
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“I think that given the fact that I’m able to practice and do the things that I know I can do, and prepare, I know that I can still do it [win],” Woods said after the PNC Championship. “I can still hit the golf ball.
“It’s just a matter of prepping and get enough reps in and get enough work in and being right physically, and endurance capability of it. I haven’t had the leg good enough where I’ve been able to compete and play a lot of rounds. I’ve had a lot of procedures over the years, and that’s just part of it.
“I know if I can practice, I know I can still do it. I can still hit the golf ball. I can still chip. I can still putt. Granted it’s also putting it all together for 72 holes. That’s the challenging part of it.”
Woods said then he felt physically better than when he made his PGA Tour comeback at last year’s Genesis Invitational, adding: “I’ll be able to walk and play. We’ve been working out hard, been able to recover. It has been nice to knock off a lot of the rust and some of the doubt that I’ve had because quite frankly I haven’t hit a shot that counted in a long time.”
What will Woods be wearing?
Woods has launched his new apparel line with TaylorMade, following the end of his 27-year relationship with Nike and will tee off wearing the “Sun Day Red” brand.
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The brand is named after his traditional choice of colours for the final round of tournaments and the logo is a tiger emblem, made up of 15 stripes to represent the number of majors he has won.
SDR, replaces Nike’s TW Collection as Woods’ official clothing brand and worn for all 82 of his PGA Tour victories, with the iconic ‘swoosh’ synonymous with some of the most memorable moments in his career.
“It’s the right time in my life,” Woods said at the launch in Los Angeles. “It’s transitional. I’m not a kid anymore. I want to have a brand I’m proud of going forward. Sunday red – it’s me.
“It started with mom [Kultida]. She thought being a Capricorn that my power colour was red, so I wore red as a junior golfer and I won some tournaments. Lo and behold, I go to a university that is red, Stanford is red. We wore red on the final day of every single tournament, and then every single tournament I’ve played as a professional I’ve worn red. It’s just become synonymous with me.”
Who will be Woods’ caddie?
Woods has been without a full-time caddie since Joe LaCava switched to Patrick Cantlay in May, having been on the bag since 2011 and there for his memorable Masters victory in 2019.
Rob McNamara, Woods’ longtime business partner and vice president of TGR Ventures, caddied for him at the Hero World Challenge in December, while his daughter looped for him at the PNC Championship.
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Woods has yet to decide on a full-time caddie, although has reportedly taken on veteran caddie Lance Bennett – who has previously worked with Matt Kuchar, Sungjae Im and various LPGA Tour players – for this week’s return in Riviera.
Bennett has been working this season with Belgium’s Adrien Dumont de Chassart, a two-time winner on the Korn Fery Tour last season, but is available this week with De Chassart not in action.
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How does Woods’ 2024 schedule look?
Woods said last year he was targeting ‘a tournament a month’ in 2024, having played just four majors and one full-field PGA Tour event since his car crash in 2021, which would represent his busiest schedule in several seasons.
The world No 893 is expected to play once on the Florida Swing ahead of the major season, likely The Players, with Woods then expected to be back in action at The Masters from April 11-14 as he chases a sixth Green Jacket.
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The PGA Championship from May 16-19 takes place at Valhalla – the venue where Woods lifted the Wanamaker Trophy in 2000 as part of the ‘Tiger Slam’ – while Woods would currently need an exemption from the USGA to compete in the US Open at Pinehurst.
Woods holds an exemption at The Open until he is 60 and will almost certainly be at Royal Troon this July, with his schedule for the remainder of 2024 then dependent on how he has performed elsewhere during the year.
How can I watch Woods’ return?
All four rounds of the Genesis Invitational are live on Sky Sports, with early coverage from 3.30pm on Thursday ahead of full coverage from 8pm. Stream the majors, PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour and more on NOW.
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Source : Sky Sports
