Tiger Woods withdraws during Round 2 of Genesis due to illness

LOS ANGELES — Tiger Woods withdrew from the second spherical of the Genesis Invitational on Friday due to sickness.

Woods pulled out of the match after hitting his tee shot on the seventh gap at Riviera Nation Membership. He was taken off the course in a golf cart pushed by a match official. At one level, Woods put his head in his arms in frustration.

Rob McNamara, Woods’ good good friend and the chief vp of TGR Ventures, mentioned in an announcement that Woods started struggling flu-like signs Thursday evening. On Friday morning, they had been worse. He was handled by physicians at Riviera.

“He had a bit of little bit of a fever, and that was higher throughout the warmup,” McNamara mentioned. “However then when he bought on the market and was strolling and enjoying, he began feeling dizzy. In the end, the docs are saying he is bought probably some kind of flu and that he was dehydrated. He is been handled with an IV bag and he is doing a lot, significantly better.”

McNamara mentioned Woods’ again, which he had struggled with in Thursday’s opening spherical, was “positive.”

“It was all medical sickness, dehydration, which is now the signs are reversing themselves now that he is had an IV,” McNamara mentioned.

After Woods was carted off the course, two hearth vehicles and an ambulance from the Pacific Palisades Hearth Division arrived at Riviera simply earlier than 2 p.m. PT after a 911 name was made as a result of no IVs had been obtainable on website, sources advised ESPN. First responders spent greater than half-hour inside earlier than exiting and leaving the property.

At 3:43 p.m. PT, Woods exited the boys’s locker room at Riviera, promptly entered a automotive pushed by his safety guard and left the grounds.

Woods battled again spasms in Thursday’s opening spherical and appeared to be having points together with his again once more Friday. The 15-time main champion has undergone 5 again surgical procedures throughout his profession.

Woods was making his first begin in an official PGA Tour occasion since he withdrew from the rain-delayed third spherical on the Masters in April. He was 1 over after six holes within the second spherical Thursday and a couple of over for the match. The reduce ended up being 1 over.

It was a disappointing end result for Woods, who was enjoying in his first official PGA Tour occasion in additional than 10 months, one which he hosts and one which advantages his basis. As Woods, 48, neared the tip of the entrance 9, a pair hundred followers had been ready for him on the ninth inexperienced. He by no means arrived. After information broke that Woods had withdrawn, followers began heading towards the exits.

Gary Woodland mentioned Woods “did not look proper” earlier than the group even teed off Friday.

“Clearly he wasn’t himself,” mentioned Woodland, who was paired with Woods and Justin Thomas for the opening two rounds. “It sucks. Every thing is best with him there. For him, first match again, and he could not end the best way he needed to. That sucks for all of us.”

Woodland described Woods as quieter than ordinary throughout the second spherical, even on a day when all three gamers within the group had been making an attempt to make the reduce.

“He was positively making an attempt to battle via it,” Woodland mentioned. “I hope he is all proper.”

The 39-year-old Woodland, who’s returning to kind after present process surgical procedure to deal with a mind lesion in September, acquired a sponsor’s exemption from Woods for this yr’s match.

“I would not be right here if it wasn’t for him,” Woodland mentioned. “I hope he will get again. His recreation appeared proper. His placing was good, pace is up for positive. So his recreation’s going to be in a great place.”

It was an all-too-familiar feeling for Woods. Since returning to skilled golf after he suffered severe accidents in a automotive wreck outdoors Los Angeles in February 2021, Woods has withdrawn or missed the reduce in 4 of his six begins. His two finishes had been a tie for Forty fifth within the 2023 Genesis Invitational and a solo forty seventh within the 2022 Masters.

“My ankle would not harm anymore as a result of no bones are rubbing anymore,” Woods mentioned Wednesday. “However then once more, it is completely different. Different elements of my physique need to take the brunt of it. Identical to my again is fused so different elements of my physique have taken the brunt of that. I’ve two completely different physique elements that at the moment are fused. Yeah, different elements of the physique need to adapt.”

Friday marked the primary time he is pulled out of a match earlier than finishing 36 holes because the 2019 Northern Belief. It is solely the fourth time in his profession that he did not full at the very least two rounds in a match.

On Thursday, Woods mentioned he hoped to play at the very least one match a month if his physique would permit it. The Genesis would presumably be adopted by the Gamers Championship in March, Masters in April, PGA Championship in Might, U.S. Open in June and The Open in Scotland in July.

ESPN’s Paolo Uggetti contributed to this report.