Woods thrills Genesis crowds with birdies on final three holes
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PACIFIC PALISADES, CA - FEBRUARY 16: during the first round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on February 16, 2023 in Pacific Palisades, California. (Photo by Keyur Khamar/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – Tiger Woods raised his hand to the crowd, then lifted his putter in the air as chants of “Ti-ger! “Ti-ger!” rained down from the hillside.
The tournament host had worried about disappointing the dedicated fans who’d stayed until the late afternoon, after the sun had set behind the canyon walls and the temperature started dropping. But those were unfounded concerns after Tiger Woods holed his 8-foot birdie putt on Riviera’s 18th hole. Playing his first competitive round since July and on a course that confounded him throughout his career, Woods finished his first round of The Genesis Invitational with three consecutive birdies to shoot 69.
Justin Thomas, standing just off the 18th green, could only smile and shake his head. The player Thomas had idolized since he was a kid had amazed him once again. McIlroy was similarly bemused.
“He did what he always does,” McIlroy said.
Earlier this week, Woods reiterated that ceremonial golf holds no appeal. He was emphatic that he still competes to win, even though the simple act of walking is a challenge after the car accident that nearly cost him his right leg. There is still enough innate talent stored in those hands and sufficient upper-body strength to play golf at the highest level, but his body’s willingness to comply is a daily mystery.
Thursday was a good day. He was able to outdrive playing partners Thomas and Rory McIlroy on occasion Thursday – leading McIlroy to say he was going to decrease his driver’s loft before the second round -- and plot his way around one of the PGA TOUR’s most historic courses, one that rewards the precise iron play that has always been a hallmark of his game.
“This golf course is set up where you can kind of scoot it, get it around,” he said, “and I was able to do that all day today.”
Tiger Woods' Round 1 highlights from Genesis
Riviera’s first tee will always be a sentimental site for Woods. It is where he started his first TOUR event three decades ago, and just as they did in 1992, fans crowded around the small patch of grass perched 75 yards above the fairway and filled the balconies of Riviera’s Spanish revival clubhouse to see him. Back then, they were craning for a glimpse of golf’s next phenom. Now they are hungering to watch the last act of a legendary career while they still can.
This was just Woods’ 10th competitive round in the past two years.
He began Thursday with a birdie on the short par-5 opener thanks to a deft up-and-down. He made bogey three holes later but knocked his approach to the eighth hole stiff to get back to 1 under. A sloppy bogey on the short 10th hole, where he hit driver into a fairway bunker and hit a chip shot into another sand trap, was followed by a bogey on 12. Even now, those mistakes that still rankle Woods. He chastised himself walking down the 13th hole and said he just hoped to get back into red figures.
“Just happened to get three in a row coming in,” he said.
Finishing strong was difficult for him last year, as the game’s greatest closer struggled to maintain his stamina for all 18 holes. But he was able to summon the strength Thursday. It started when he hit his tee shot to 5 feet on Riviera’s shortest hole, the 166-yard 16th, before knocking his second shot over the green on the par-5 17th. He compensated for a mediocre chip by holing the 20-footer. Then, on 18, he hit his 150-yard approach to 8 feet.
Friday brings its own challenges. He will start the second round a couple shots inside the cut line and tied with the likes of Xander Schauffele and Will Zalatoris, but his 7:24 a.m. tee time comes only some 14 hours after he finished the first round. Last year, he played in the late-early portion of the draw in all three of the tournaments he competed in. That allowed him the maximum amount of time to recover between rounds. In Thursday’s post-round interview, Woods said copious amounts of ice would be used Thursday night to reduce the inflammation and trauma that follows walking four miles on his battered legs. Then there would be Friday’s pre-dawn alarm to prepare his body for another round.
But that was an afterthought for a few minutes Thursday evening as Woods was feted by adoring fans grateful for another day where he was able to display some of the skills that made him an 82-time winner.
“There will come a point in time where I can't do this anymore,” he said, “but right now I feel like I still can.”
Sean Martin is a senior editor for the PGA TOUR. He is a 2004 graduate of Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo. Attending a small school gave him a heart for the underdog, which is why he enjoys telling stories of golf's lesser-known players. Follow Sean Martin on Twitter.