By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tiger Woods returned to the PGA Tour and lasted only 24 holes, withdrawing Friday at the Genesis Invitational with an undisclosed illness after hitting his tee shot on the seventh hole.
PGA Tour rules official Mark Dusbabek said on the telecast that Woods had an illness, and that it was not related to his ankle or back.
Wood was 1-over par for the round and projected just outside the cut when he asked for a cart and was driven off the course by a rules official. He was walking slowly and looked drained of energy playing the front nine.
The 48-year-old Woods still managed to create quite a spectacle at Riviera. An ambulance and a ladder truck from the Los Angeles Fire Department were parked outside the clubhouse, presumably waiting for Woods. Photographers and media crowded next to a 6-foot high hedge when there was movement, raising cameras, except the trucks were leaving without Woods.
On the golf course, there was a steady stream of spectators headed for the exit. Justin Thomas and Gary Woodland, who had been playing with Woods, approached the ninth green surrounded by only a few hundred fans.
Woods had not played an official event since the Masters last April, withdrawing in the middle of the rain-delayed third round. He played the unofficial Hero World Challenge in December against a 20-man field with no cut, and the 36-hole PNC Championship with his son, Charlie.
Woods had said he hoped to play one tournament a month through the major season. He had said Thursday he was experiencing back spasms, which led to his shank on the final hole when he started the tournament with a 72.
Along with playing, Woods is the tournament host of the Genesis Invitational that is run by his TGR foundation.
Woods now has played six official tournaments since returning from a February 2021 car crash in Los Angeles that shattered bones in his right leg. He has pulled out of three of them — the 2022 PGA Championship after 54 holes, the 2023 Masters when he didn’t return Sunday morning to complete the third round.
His week in Los Angeles began with plenty of hype — the launch of his new apparel line with TaylorMade Golf and his first PGA Tour start of the year.
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