Tiger Woods’ PGA Tour return is in sight after the 15-time major winner confirmed his participation at next week’s Genesis Invitational.
The prestigious Signature Event – hosted by Woods – will be played at Torrey Pines with Riviera Country Club still recovering from the devastating Los Angeles wildfires.
Torrey hosted the Farmers Insurance Open in January, an event which was hit with 18 withdrawals after the San Diego course was named as the new venue for the Genesis.
Woods has not played since the 2024 Open Championship and underwent yet another back surgery during the off-season. However, Tiger has been competing in the TGL and racking up some impressive numbers, particularly with his driver.
Clearly, Woods feels ready to compete at a venue where he has had success in the past.
Why Tiger Woods was angry at 2013 Farmers Insurance Open
Woods has won eight times at Torrey Pines with his most famous victory coming during the 2008 US Open. Woods beat Rocco Mediate in a 19-hole playoff after the pair finished level after the regulation play.
Woods’ most recent win came during the 2013 Farmers Insurance Open after he finished four shots clear of Brandt Snedeker and Josh Teater. A 65 in the second round put Woods in control and allowed him room to make some uncharacteristic errors coming down the stretch.
The 15-time major winner was actually quite frustrated with how he finished the tournament. What’s more, Woods was scathing of the pace of play during the final round.
“I started to lose my patience out there a little bit with the slow play. A little over three hours to play nine holes and two more after that,” Woods said.
“I was telling David, I started losing my patience out there. It was just so slow. We played just over three hours and nine holes, and three of them were par threes. It’s like, come on, you know. I started losing my patience a little bit, and that’s when I made a few mistakes.”
What Tiger Woods said about his 2013 Farmers Insurance Open win
Despite his evident frustration, Woods was pleased with his overall performance at Torrey Pines that week.
“Well, I drove the ball beautifully all week. As I was explaining that, my short game has been coming around. It came around at the end of last season, and you’re not going to hit every par‑5 in two, but you need to get up and down, and I did that this week,” Woods added.
“My short game was back to how I know it can be. My shots that I hit, especially out of these nasty little lies, hit some really good ones this week. And that allowed me to save some pars, save some birdies, and move my way up the board, and basically, that’s what I did.”
Woods’ return is undoubtedly a big boost for the PGA Tour after what has been a difficult start to the season. Slow play and broadcast issues have marred the beginning of the season.
However, Woods teeing it up next week will no doubt increase interest and hopefully boost viewing figures.
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