Why was emergency services called for Tiger Woods at Riviera? All we know so far
Tiger Woods' withdrawal from the 2024 Genesis Invitational continues to grab the golf world's. After the initial shock, new details have come to light, drawing the attention of fans.
Such is the case when, upon Tiger Woods' withdrawal without finishing the second round of The Genesis Invitational, two fire trucks and an ambulance responded to a 911 call at Riviera Country Club. According to many fans, it's a bit of a disproportionate response to a case of influenza.
However, ESPN reported that the presence of the three Pacific Palisades Fire Department units at Riviera was because the facility did not have the IV needed by Woods to treat the symptoms that forced him to withdraw from the tournament.
According to ESPN, the two trucks and ambulance stayed only about 30 minutes at the facility, after which they left. Woods walked out a short time later to the car that transported him away from Riviera.
Later, Tiger Woods posted on the social network X (formerly Twitter) that his withdrawal from the Genesis Invitational was due to the intense symptoms of the influenza that afflicted him. Woods also assured that he was receiving the appropriate treatment and that he was already feeling much better.
Tiger Woods withdrawals at the Genesis Invitational
This is not the first time Tiger Woods has withdrawn from The Genesis Invitational. Eighteen seasons ago, in 2006, Woods withdrew from what was then known as the Nissan Open.
As a curious fact, his two withdrawals from this tournament during his career have been for the same cause or, at least, for a very similar cause. In 2006, it was reported that Woods withdrew due to the flu.
In that edition, Woods had a first round of 69 while his second round was a 74. This allowed him to make the tournament cut, although his position on the leaderboard was far from the contenders.
In the 2024 edition, Woods played his first round in 1-over 72. That day he claimed to have been suffering from back spasms during the last three holes, so, initially, it was thought that his withdrawal the following day would be related to this ailment.
However, it was later reported that it was due to flu-like symptoms, which were later diagnosed as influenza.