Worrying Tiger Woods fitness update given after what was seen on the driving range at the Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines

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The Genesis Invitational was dealt a blow ahead of the tournament with the news that Tiger Woods would not be ready to tee it up at Torrey Pines.

Unfortunately, it is difficult for there to not be a question mark over Tiger Woods‘ involvement at tournaments he is scheduled for. The 15-time major champion’s body has taken so much punishment over the years that it is simply remarkable that he is willing to keep trying to play on the PGA Tour.

However, it appeared that fitness may not be the reason for Woods not playing at the Genesis Invitational. He had played in both of Jupiter Links’ TGL matches so far, while he also played in the PNC Championship towards the end of 2024.

Sadly, Woods lost his mother earlier this month. So it was completely understandable when he decided that he was not able to play at Torrey Pines. Some expressed some hope that Woods may try and play at the Players Championship to get a tournament under his belt before the Masters.

How Tiger Woods looked on the range on Sunday at the Genesis Invitational

However, those expectations may have to be dampened for the time-being. Woods did attend Sunday at the Genesis Invitational as Ludvig Aberg went on to win his second PGA Tour title.

And speaking on The First Cut podcast, Mark Immelman suggested that he is pessimistic about the chances of Woods playing on tour before the first major of the year.

“He was out on the range before play, and he was walking with a noticeable limp,” he said.

“I’m not trying to dramatise, but you know, he hasn’t played in a while, and I’ve watched him at TGL and he looks okay, but you can certainly see how he’s favouring the one leg. And I looked at this and thought maybe it’s a little rougher than what he’s leading people to believe. I feel like he’s out for a bit still.”

What Tiger Woods said about his plans for playing in 2025

Perhaps it should not come as a surprise that Woods seemed determined to tell a different story. Speaking on CBS towards the end of the final round, Woods said he wanted to play more often this year.

Clearly, the competitor in the 49-year-old refuses to walk away. Most would have surely thrown in the towel had they been through what Woods has faced for more than 15 years.

And you would not be shocked to see him push himself through the pain barrier at Augusta National in April.

Hopefully Woods is carrying on because he believes that he can get his body to a place where he can be competitive again.