Tiger Woods eagles the first hole as he tees it up with NFL quarterback Josh Allen and MLB outfielder Aaron Hicks in the Pro-Am ahead of return to action at the Genesis Invitational
The 15-time major winner will tee it up at the Genesis Invitational at Riviera
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Tiger Woods prepared for his return to the course alongside NFL quarterback Josh Allen and MLB star Aaron Hicks Wednesday ahead of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club.
Woods was accompanied by some fellow athletic talent in the form of the Buffalo Bills signal caller and Angels outfielder as they played in the Pro-Am Wednesday ahead of the Genesis Invitational this week.
Riviera is the site of Woods’ PGA Tour debut – all the way back in 1992 when he was just a 16-year-old amateur – but the 82-time winner on the Tour has yet to win at the LA course.
But he will look to buck that trend this week, beginning when he tees off alongside pal Justin Thomas and Gary Woodland at 12.25pm ET Thursday.
And the 15-time major winner looked to be in good form to finally clinch a win at the Pacific Palisades course as he opened his practice round by draining a 15-foot putt for eagle at the first, according to Adam Schupak.
Tiger Woods played in Wednesday’s Pro-Am ahead of the PGA Tour’s Genesis InvitationalWoods was accompanied by some fellow athletic talent in quarterback Josh AllenThe pair also played alongside Los Angeles Angels center fielder Aaron Hicks (center)
The legend left even his playing partner Allen in awe with the gob-smacked quarterback caught exclaiming, ‘My god,’ after one of Woods’ tee shots.
The Genesis Invitational will mark his first full-field event on the PGA Tour since the 2023 Masters, when he was forced to withdraw following the third round.
Woods suffered a reaggravated ankle injury at Augusta last April which saw him undergo surgery two weeks later.
Ahead of the tournament in the Bahamas, Woods revealed his intention to play a tournament a month throughout 2024.
The icon did not tee it up in January, resisting the temptation of Torrey Pines and forgoing the Farmers Insurance Open on January 24-27, but the Genesis Invitational will mark the start of the year of the Tiger.
Woods said the Hero World Challenge when outlining his plan for the year that it would likely start with the Genesis, which like the event in the Bahamas, is hosted by the 15-time major winner and benefits his TGR Foundation.
It’s also one of the three Tour events that Woods competed at in 2023, as he teed it up just outside Los Angeles for his first professional event since missing the cut at the 150th Open at St. Andrews the year before.
Woods also competed in the PNC Championship for a fourth time with his son Charlie in December.
This week’s tournament also marks the first time fans will see the icon compete in his new clothing brand, Sun Day Red.
Woods launched the clothing line under the umbrella of TaylorMade earlier this week just over a month on from confirming his split from Nike, following 27 years with the sportswear giant.
He gave fans a glimpse of his new attire when he wore the new designs during Tuesday’s practice round and Wednesday’s Pro-Am.
Woods, playing alongside Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen in the Pro-Am, wore a black sweater with the brand’s logo, a tiger emblem, stitched underneath the collar in white with a matching cap.
The tiger logo is made up of 15 stripes – one for every major he’s won – while the brand’s name is inspired by Woods’ color of choice for every final round he plays.
As well as new clothing, Woods will also have a new man on the bag in veteran Tour caddie Lance Bennett.
Woods’ longtime looper Joe LaCava, who began carrying his bag in 2011, parted ways with the legend to start carrying Patrick Cantalay’s club after injuries forced Woods into a long period of time away from the course.
Woods had friend Rob McNamara on the bag for the Hero World Challenge but with his first full-field event this week, he has turned to a more experience caddie.
Bennett has caddied since 2003, including a lengthy stint with Matt Kuchar and spans with Sungjae Im and Davis Riley.
