Tiger Woods withdraws from Genesis Invitational due to 'illness'

Tiger Woods abruptly withdrew from the Genesis Invitational on Friday, February 16.

Woods, 48, cited “an illness” as the reason for his departure on day two of the tournament New York Post reported. The athlete is seen in photos sitting in a golf cart as he is driven off the course by a rules official “after hitting his tee shot into the middle of the fairway on the seventh hole.”

After the first day of the tournament, the athlete complained of having back spasms, tellingly reporters during the tournament: 'The last three holes were convulsive and it stuck with me. … Didn't move, didn't rotate.”

It looked like Woods was looking forward to continuing the tournament before he left.

“Off the tee at 11:54am for round 2,” he wrote via Instagram on Thursday, February 15. Two days earlier, Woods showed his followers his lavish Rolex watch with the caption, “It's time! Thursday at 9:25 a.m. and Friday at 11:54 a.m. PT at Riv.

The event, hosted by Woods' foundation, took place at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles and will run through Sunday, February 18. The tournament marked Woods' first return to the green at a PGA event since the 2023 Masters, from which he withdrew after the third round due to his plantar fasciitis.

Related: Tiger Woods' ups and downs through the years

A living legend. Tiger Woods has been called one of the best golfers to ever play the game, but his journey into the spotlight has been a rollercoaster ride full of highs and lows. The California native was a child prodigy, making his very first TV appearance on The Mike at the age of 2 […]

Woods is slowly returning to the PGA after undergoing surgery on his right leg following injuries from a car accident in February 2021.

Woods was injured in a single-car crash in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, Us Weekly confirmed at the time. “Mr. Woods was extricated from the wreckage … by Los Angeles County firefighters and paramedics and then transported by ambulance to a local hospital for his injuries,” according to a statement from the LA County Sheriff's Department.

In April 2023, Woods' team confirmed via X that the golfer underwent ankle surgery “to address his post-traumatic arthritis resulting from his previous talus fracture.”

Although his injuries were traumatic, Woods' caddie, Joe LaCava, told the press New York Post that the golfer was still a serious contender.

“He still has the power, the swing speed, the shots and the length to compete,” LaCava said that same month. “The injury is devastating, but if he could get a cart, he could compete tomorrow.”