PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — As much as this might be second nature for many of my fellow colleagues who cover golf, I’m willing to admit something — this is the first time in my life I have ever watched Tiger Woods play golf. In person, that is.
So of course, being at the Genesis Invitational this week has been exciting. Tiger is back! What’s not to love, right? Well, waking up early, for one. But that’s what I had to do on Wednesday morning to get the full Tiger experience and watch him tee off for the pro-am. Start time: 6:30 a.m.
The lyrics from the popular Missing Persons song “nobody walks in L.A.” are true around Riviera Country Club, and to get to the course on Wednesday took a 4 a.m. wake-up call (plus coffee). After arriving in the media parking lot, it was a short shuttle to the course to catch Woods on the range.
The 15-time major champ usually elects for these early morning pro-ams. If you want to walk with Woods — you better be a morning person.
Under the humming cover of generators and flood lights, Woods, decked out in warm gear and a stocking cap, was the lone player on the range on Wednesday morning. Caddie Joe LaCava and a couple other members of his team looked on. He diligently went through his bag, but the hardest part was keeping his hands warm. It was about 30 degrees, and the sun was just starting to peek its head up.
The good news? Even with the conditions, Woods’ ball-striking was solid and under control.
It was a windy morning, and the conditions were not easy, but as far as his driver and irons are concerned, Woods was as solid as almost any other player I saw so far this week. His short game, however, showed signs of rust. That’s not necessarily surprising, though, as that feel takes time to come back after long layoffs. Plus, he has new grass conditions to get used to, quite different than what he sees at home in Florida. The miss in most cases was short of the target, and he seemed timid with his speed.
But Woods also grew up on this coast, not that far from here. As he’s reminded us over his career, he just needs his reps.
Woods has more to battle than just his playing partners this week. His surgically repaired leg has kept him off the course for much of the past couple of years, and plantar fasciitis in his right foot took him out of the Hero World Challenge in December. His foundation hosted that event, just as it hosts this one. Thursday will be his first official PGA Tour event since the Open Championship in July.
Woods said the plantar fasciitis is still an issue, but it’s at least better. On Wednesday he seemed to have no issues walking tee to green or around some of the undulating areas, but he still has 72 holes to play. He hasn’t walked 18 holes for four days in a row this year, and the last time he walked 72 holes in tournament play was the 2022 Masters.
“I didn’t know if I was able to play again [after the leg injury] and I played three majors last year,” Woods said on Tuesday. “Yes, when you get a little bit older and you get a little more banged up you’re not as invincible as you once were. That’s just a reality of all of us.”
Wednesday looks to be the coldest day of the week out here, which is good news for Woods. He’s said before it takes his body longer to warm-up in these conditions. Woods’ late Thursday and early Friday tee times should offer a nice window for weather, too, and if he works his way around the course like he did this morning, and his short game keeps up, he might get 72 holes in sooner rather than later.
