Tiger Woods To Play In The Genesis Invitational Next Week

15-time Major champion Tiger Woods will tee it up in a full tournament next week for the first time since last year's Open

Tiger Woods takes a tee shot during the second round of the 2022 PNC Championship in Florida
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Tiger Woods has confirmed that he will return to PGA Tour tournament action next week at the Genesis Invitational at Riviera CC.

The 82-time PGA Tour winner has not been seen in competitive full tournament action since missing the cut at St Andrews last July, but said on social media that he will be back next week.

Woods hasn't featured in a regular PGA Tour event for 844 days, with the ZOZO Championship in October 2020 the last time he pegged it up in a non-Major.

Woods has only been seen on the course when playing in The Match exhibition event and also the PNC Championship alongside his son Charlie, where they finished T8.

When discussing exactly when and where Tiger Woods will play golf in 2023 the Genesis was always up there, with it being an event he hosts and less than 50 miles away from where he grew up in California.

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Woods is also a huge admirer of Riviera, where he made his debut while still at high school in 1992, and he has played 14 times in the Genesis on various courses over the years.

It was also during the Genesis in 2021 when Woods suffered the horrific leg injuries that effectively ended his full-time career and pushed him into something of a semi-retirement.

He will now just be targeting the Majors and a select few other tournaments he feels he can play while still struggling to get around the golf course - as he's continued to insist that it is walking that is more of a problem than swinging a golf club.

Woods has used a cart for his two appearances in December, but will not be using one on his return to PGA Tour action - like he did in his appearances in three Majors last year.

The 47-year-old stunned the world when he made the cut at The Masters, before being forced to withdraw from the PGA Championship and struggling around St Andrews when missing the cut.

It was a tough watch at times watching Woods clearly in pain hobbling around the course, but he's been working like only he can to get strong enough to walk four rounds - and feels he's string enough to tackle Riviera in his eagerly-anticipated comeback.

Paul Higham
Contributor

Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website.  Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush.