“Perfectly timed prep for Augusta” - Fans react to Tiger Woods confirming participation at Genesis Invitational at Riviera
Tiger Woods will be making his much-awaited debut on the 2024 PGA Tour season, at the 2024 Genesis Open. After withdrawing from the 2023 Masters to undergo surgery, he made his comeback at the Hero World Challenge last year, before playing at the PNC Championship with his son Charlie Woods.
When he first made his comeback in late 2023, Tiger Woods said that his plan for the 2024 season was to attend the major tournaments for the year, including the majors as well as the signature events. With anticipation high amongst fans, Woods has finally announced that he will be at the Riviera for his first tournament of 2024.
Needless to say, fans were ecstatic about the announcement, and many even said that this was just in time for Tiger Woods to start preparing for the Masters. One fan posted on X (formerly Twitter):
"Perfectly timed prep for Augusta, every 4 weeks will be fine."
"The GOAT is back!"
"What all the fans have been waiting for! Go get em tiger!"
Tiger Woods targets competing once a month for 2024 PGA Tour season
The 15-time major champion underwent intense rehabilitation over the last seven months to get back into playing shape. Woods said that he would be targeting competing once a week and getting back into the swing of things once again. Speaking via Golf Digest, Woods said:
“I think that if you asked me right now I'm a little sore, but once a month seems reasonable. I think that having a couple of weeks off to recover, a week to build up, there's no reason why I can't get into a rhythm. It's just a matter of getting in better shape basically. I feel like my game's not that far off, but I need to get in better shape."
The Genesis Open will mark the end of a triple header tournament, after the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the WM Phoenix Open. Being the third signature event of the year, the tournament will boast a prize purse of $20 million and will be held from February 15-18 at the Riviera Golf Course. The 2023 defending champion, Jon Rahm, will not be present at the tournament after his switch to the LIV Golf Series.