THE ANGELS.- Before playing his first PGA tournament in 10 months, the golf star Tiger Woods He stressed this Wednesday that he continues to face the competition with hunger and enthusiasm to achieve victories.
Woods, hampered by physical problems since his car crash of 2021, he will take up the clubs again starting Thursday at the Genesis Invitational, a tournament he organizes with his charitable foundation in Pacific Palisades, a luxurious neighborhood west of Los Angeles (California).
“A ‘W’ would be nice, right?” Woods responded Wednesday when asked what he would consider a successful week at Riviera Country Club.
On that same course, Woods made his PGA Tour debut as a 16-year-old high school student.
Despite being such a familiar setting, the Riviera Country Club remains the course on which Woods has competed on the most occasions without lifting the trophy.
“I hope to find a solution and be able to get into the fight and maybe get a ‘W’ at the end of the week,” he said.
Woods, 48, will experience a week of debuts in Los Angeles, as he will play with a new caddy and a new kit, after his historic sponsorship agreement with Nike ended in January.
The tournament will also be a physical test of Woods’ hopes of playing at least once a month this season.
The winner of 15 Grand Slam titles has not competed in a PGA event since the Augusta Masters in April 2023, which he abandoned in full competition.
Subsequently, the golfer underwent a new ankle operation as a result of the aftermath of the accident which, he said on Wednesday, has relieved his pain.
Tiger Woods is not fooled:
Tiger, who played two unofficial events in December, reiterated that his beaten physique will not allow him to play at his best level anymore, but even so he has not lost his enthusiasm for this sport.
“I still love competing, playing, being part of golf,” he stressed. “It’s the game of my life and I never want to stop playing.”
Woods will start the Genesis Invitational on Thursday forming a group with his good friends Justin Thomas and Gary Woodland.
The world number one, Scottie Scheffler, leads the group of favorites for the title, among which does not include the Spanish Jon Rahm, current champion, after he left the PGA this year to join the rival LIV Golf circuit.
FOUNTAIN: AFP
