Tiger Woods’ PGA Tour comeback ended prematurely after he pulled out of the Genesis Invitational in California during his second round.

The 48-year-old is still adapting to ankle fusion surgery, having undergone treatment in April last year after withdrawing from the Masters during the third round and he did not compete again until the Hero World Challenge in December.

The 15-time major champion, tournament host this week, finished Thursday’s opening round at the Riviera Country Club on one-over par.

But the American could not back that up a day later as he withdrew after six holes due to illness.

Woods started in fine form, producing a birdie on the first, but back-to-back bogeys arrived from the fourth and he called it a day after a third par of the day on the sixth left him one over for his round.

Tiger Woods revealed a back spasm had caused him to shank the final hole of his return to a first PGA Tour event of 2024 at the Genesis Invitational in California.

Woods, 48, is still adapting to ankle fusion surgery, having undergone treatment in April last year after withdrawing from the Masters during the third round and he did not compete again until the Hero World Challenge in December.

The 15-time major champion finished Thursday’s opening round at the Riviera Country Club on one-over par after shanking his second shot on the 18th from the fairway over into the trees on the right.

Woods eventually sunk a two-putt bogey to make a five, and afterwards revealed he would need some treatment to get himself back out on the course again on Friday.

“My back spasmed on it,” Woods said in his post-round interview to the Golf Channel when asked about the shank on the 18th hole.

“It’s been spasming the last three holes, and it just locked up on me. Didn’t move, didn’t rotate, and present hosel first.”

Woods, who previously said he expects to participate in one event per month this year, added: “We have got some treatment ahead of us and some work to do, to be ready for tomorrow.

“But that’s just part of the deal, and (I) look forward to the challenge.”

Former world number one Woods hit eight fairways, 10 of 18 greens, and took 30 putts in the opening round.

“My round was good and a little bit indifferent,” said Woods, who had opened with an up-and-down birdie on the par-five first.

“I struggled with the speed of the greens, even though I made a few.. and was stressing out on the short game, I had maybe like five pars today.”

Patrick Cantlay was the early leader with his round of 64, one shot ahead of Australians Cameron Davis and Jason Day, alongside Luke List. Jordan Spieth was among the group two adrift at five-under.

Tiger Woods believes the PGA Tour does not need to strike a deal with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) in a move which could end golf’s civil war.

PGA Tour players will benefit from equity of more than £1.1billion after the US-based circuit secured an investment deal with Strategic Sports Group (SSG).

The deal also allows for a future “co-investment” from the PIF, which bankrolls the breakaway LIV Golf league, but Woods has joined Jordan Spieth in suggesting that may no longer be necessary.

An initial “framework agreement” between the PIF, PGA Tour and DP World Tour was announced on June 6 last year and had a deadline of December 31, but that was subsequently extended.

“Ultimately we would like to have PIF be a part of our tour and a part of our product,” Woods said in a press conference ahead of the Genesis Invitational, his first tournament of 2024.

“Financially, we don’t right now, and the monies that they have come to the table with and what we initially had agreed to in the framework agreement, those are all the same numbers.

“Anything beyond this is going to be obviously over and above.”

Asked if he had a sense of what PIF’s ultimate goal was, Woods added: “From what their representatives have discussed with us, yes and no, because that changes and that evolves from a few months ago to what it is currently now.

“I don’t know if it’s good or bad, it’s an ongoing, fluid process.”

Woods was one of six PGA Tour player-directors who voted unanimously in favour of the deal with SSG, a consortium of US-based investors which includes Boston Red Sox and Liverpool owner John Henry.

“The consortium that they have at SSG, the partners that have come together to be a part of this group is quite remarkable to be honest with you in the sports industry,” the 15-time major winner said.

“They’re unbelievable leaders. At the time that we need great leadership going forward, I think this elicits that.”

Tiger Woods says he is pain-free ahead of his latest return to professional golf but admits his body is still adapting to ankle fusion surgery.

The 15-time major champion underwent treatment in April last year after withdrawing from the Masters during the third round and did not compete again until the Hero World Challenge in December.

Former world number one Woods is on Thursday set to play his first PGA Tour event of 2024, at the Genesis Invitational in California.

The 48-year-old, who previously said he expects to participate in one event per month this year, continues to enjoy the sport and wants to play for as long as possible.

“My ankle doesn’t hurt any more,” he told a press conference. “The bones aren’t rubbing any more.

“But then again it’s different, other parts of my body have to take the brunt of it, just like my back is fused and so other parts of my body have taken the brunt of that.

“I have two different body parts that are now fused. Other parts of the body have to adapt.

“As far as the love, I still love competing, I love playing, I love being a part of the game of golf.

“This is the game of a lifetime and I don’t ever want to stop playing.”

Nick Taylor believes it may be too late to change the unruly behaviour of spectators at the WM Phoenix Open.

Taylor birdied three of his last four holes in regulation and both holes of a play-off with Charley Hoffman to win his fourth PGA Tour title in dramatic fashion on Sunday.

However, the 35-year-old’s victory was somewhat overshadowed by ugly scenes at TPC Scottsdale, with Zach Johnson and Billy Horschel exchanging angry words with fans on the final day and one man arrested after jumping over the ropes and diving into a greenside bunker on the 16th.

Tournament officials were also forced to shut spectator gates earlier than planned after being overwhelmed by the turnout and sales of alcohol were temporarily halted.

“From the videos that I’ve seen, those instances are unfortunate, but I don’t think it’s a standalone, it’s been like that for a bit,” Taylor said in a press conference ahead of the Genesis Invitational.

“But I think the cat’s probably out of the bag. I don’t know how much they can change. I think it’s a week where the classic line is that I can do this for one week but multiple weeks, probably not.

“It’s a shame when only a very small percentage of fans are like that, it gets exposed a bit, but the majority of the fans are great, they’re just trying to watch some good golf and cheer.

“[Bad behaviour] needs to be cut out. I don’t know how they’re going to be able to do that.

“I think this year again with the weather [delays], everybody getting in the same area waiting around, it was probably a perfect storm to cause some of that a little more, but I’m not sure how they would reel it back to be honest.”

Taylor revealed he has surprisingly never met Genesis Invitational host Tiger Woods, who will also make his first competitive appearance of 2024 at Riviera Country Club.

The 15-time major winner underwent ankle surgery in April last year after withdrawing from the Masters during the third round and did not compete again until the Hero World Challenge in December.

Woods finished 18th in the 20-man field in the Bahamas, but the 48-year-old said he was pleased with his progress and believes it is realistic to compete in one tournament a month this season.

Neither of the last two winners of the Genesis Invitational are in the field this week, Joaquin Niemann (2022) and Jon Rahm (2023) having subsequently joined LIV Golf.

Rahm’s victory 12 months ago was his third of the year and fifth in his last nine worldwide starts, the Spaniard’s 10th PGA Tour title eclipsing the tally of his compatriot and idol Seve Ballesteros.

Tiger Woods has launched his new apparel line with TaylorMade following the end of his 27-year relationship with Nike.

Woods will tee off in the Genesis Invitational on Thursday wearing the “Sun Day Red” brand, named after his traditional choice of colours for the final round of tournaments.

The logo, a tiger emblem, is also made up of 15 stripes, the number of majors the 48-year-old has won.

“It’s the right time in my life,” Woods said at the launch in Los Angeles.

“It’s transitional. I’m not a kid any more. I want to have a brand I’m proud of going forward.

“Sunday red – it’s me. It started with mom [Kultida]. She thought being a Capricorn that my power colour was red, so I wore red as a junior golfer and I won some tournaments.

“Lo and behold, I go to a university that is red, Stanford is red. We wore red on the final day of every single tournament, and then every single tournament I’ve played as a professional I’ve worn red. It’s just become synonymous with me.”

Woods will make his first competitive appearance of 2024 at Riviera Country Club – in a tournament which benefits his foundation – as he continues his latest comeback from injury.

The former world number one underwent ankle surgery in April last year after withdrawing from the Masters during the third round and did not compete again until the Hero World Challenge in December.

Woods finished 18th in the 20-man field in the Bahamas, but said he was pleased with his progress and believes it is realistic to compete in one tournament a month this season.

Nick Taylor rode a late surge to secure his fifth PGA Tour title in the second hole of a playoff against Charley Hoffman at the WM Phoenix Open.

The Canadian birdied three of his final four holes on Sunday to force the playoff against America’s Hoffman, who soared to the top of the leaderboard with a fourth-round score of 64.

After each man birdied the first extra hole, Hoffman left his birdie attempt short, leaving the window open for Taylor to sink a birdie putt from 11 feet and clinch the title.

It closed out what had been a frantic final day with Zach Johnson and Billy Horschel earlier exchanging angry words with spectators.

Johnson was filmed remonstrating with fans at TPC Scottsdale and could be heard telling them “I’m sick of it” before demanding they “just shut up”.

It was not apparent from the clip, which was posted on social media, what prompted the former US Ryder Cup captain to lose his temper.

In a separate incident, Horschel was seen remonstrating with a spectator for calling out while one of his playing partners, qualifier Nicolo Galletti, was about to hit a shot.

“Buddy, when he’s over a shot shut the hell up man,” Horschel shouted.

“He’s trying to hit a damn golf shot here – it’s our f****** job.”

The WM Phoenix Open is easily the best attended tournament in golf, but the behaviour of some fans has again attracted more attention than the golf itself.

One man was arrested after jumping over the ropes and diving into a greenside bunker on the par-three 16th, where he proceeded to perform ‘snow angels’ in the sand.

Tournament officials were forced to shut spectator gates earlier than planned after being overwhelmed by the turnout and sales of alcohol were temporarily halted.

Former BMW PGA Championship winner Byeong Hun An took to social media to brand the event a “shit show” which was “totally out of control on every hole”.

He added: “Played here multiple times over the years and it was fine until today.”

Zach Johnson and Billy Horschel exchanged angry words with spectators as tempers frayed on the final day of the WM Phoenix Open.

Johnson was filmed remonstrating with fans at TPC Scottsdale and could be heard telling them “I’m sick of it” before demanding they “just shut up”.

It was not apparent from the clip, which was posted on social media, what prompted the former US Ryder Cup captain to lose his temper.

In a separate incident, Horschel was seen remonstrating with a spectator for calling out while one of his playing partners, qualifier Nicolo Galletti, was about to hit a shot.

“Buddy, when he’s over a shot shut the hell up man,” Horschel shouted.

“He’s trying to hit a damn golf shot here – it’s our f****** job.”

The WM Phoenix Open is easily the best attended tournament in golf, but the behaviour of some fans has again attracted more attention than the golf itself.

One man was arrested after jumping over the ropes and diving into a greenside bunker on the par-three 16th, where he proceeded to perform ‘snow angels’ in the sand.

Tournament officials were forced to shut spectator gates earlier than planned after being overwhelmed by the turnout and sales of alcohol were temporarily halted.

Former BMW PGA Championship winner Byeong Hun An took to social media to brand the event a “s***show” which was “totally out of control on every hole”.

He added: “Played here multiple times over the years and it was fine until today.”

Canadian Nick Taylor is leading the field at the Phoenix Open, one shot ahead of American Sahith Theegala.

Play closed on Saturday night due to darkness at TPC Scottsdale Stadium, with the two only managing to finish six holes of their third round.

The pair battled it out on Saturday, with the Canadian finishing the day at 13 under after Theegala briefly overtook Taylor thanks to a second-round 64.

Theegala then bogeyed his first two holes of the third round but pulled off a birdie on the fourth hole to stay within one stroke of Taylor and the top spot.

Further delays due to frost may be on the cards, which could force play pushed over into Monday.

Canada’s Nick Taylor has matched the TPC Scottsdale Stadium course record at the Phoenix Open to head into the weekend tied for the lead with America’s Andrew Novak.

Taylor finished his first round with an 11-under 60 on Friday, thanks to weather delays that saw the first round spill over into the tournament’s second day.

Returning to the course later on Friday to start his second round, Taylor began on shaky ground before pulling it together with two birdies on the back nine to card a one-under 70.

That puts him equal with Novak at the top of the leaderboard on 12-under.

Due to inclement weather, more than half of the field still needs to finish the second round on Saturday, although more rain is forecast.

Ireland’s Shane Lowry is two shots off the lead held by American Sahith Theegala after a weather-hit opening day at the Phoenix Open.

Theegala hit seven birdies and a bogey in a six-under-par 65 and leads by one from compatriot Andrew Novak after the first day at Scottsdale.

Novak had only completed nine holes with around half of the field needing to complete their first rounds on Friday after a rain delay of more than three hours around lunchtime.

Theegala, who had played 14 holes before the break, said: “The weather was, it was not good, those last four holes felt great.

“I played great and that’s all I can do, really.”

Lowry, 36, who is tied third with S H Kim, started with six birdies and a bogey in his first nine holes, adding one bogey on the way home to finish with a 67. He said the weather made conditions “really bad towards the end”.

“We came back out, the wind was not blowing as strong but the ball was going nowhere, and it was cold and kind of tough,” he said.

England’s Matt Fitzpatrick dropped two late shots after the resumption to fall back to two-under- par, alongside Scotland’s Martin Laird and one ahead of European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald.

Tiger Woods will make his first competitive appearance of 2024 in next week’s Genesis Invitational.

The 15-time major winner announced on social media that he was “excited to be a playing host” at Riviera Country Club – in a tournament which benefits his foundation – as he continues his latest comeback from injury.

Woods underwent ankle surgery in April last year after withdrawing from the Masters during the third round and did not compete again until the Hero World Challenge in December.

The 48-year-old finished 18th in the 20-man field in the Bahamas, but said after rounds of 75, 70, 71 and 72 that he was pleased with his progress

“I think I’ve come a long way,” Woods told NBC.

“From being a little bit rusty to playing four days and knocked off a lot of rust which was great, and just the physicality of actually playing and competing again – I haven’t done this in a while.

“It was nice to get out here with the guys, have some fun and compete. I wish I would have played a little cleaner but there’s always next time.”

Asked about his pre-tournament prediction that he could be able to play one competition a month in 2024, Woods added: “If you ask me right now I’m a little bit sore.

“But once a month seems reasonable. It gives me a couple of weeks to recover, a week to tune up. Maybe I can get into a rhythm. That’s what the plan was going into next year and I don’t see why that would change.”

Europe captain Luke Donald insists Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton have not been “judged” for their decision to join LIV Golf and place their Ryder Cup futures in jeopardy.

Hatton and Rahm won both of their matches together in Rome last year, the fiery characters earning the nickname of “Team Angry” as they helped Donald’s side to a convincing victory over the United States.

As things stand, both will be eligible to qualify or receive a wild card for Europe’s defence of the trophy at Bethpage in 2025 as long as they remain members of the DP World Tour, which requires them to play in four regular tournaments per season.

They will also earn points towards qualification through major championships, but face fines and suspensions for playing in LIV tournaments without the required “conflicting event” releases from the DP World Tour.

Asked ahead of his appearance in the WM Phoenix Open if he had spoken to Rahm and Hatton, Donald told a pre-tournament press conference: “I haven’t seen too many of the guys.

“We still have a group WhatsApp chat and we’re all participating in that chat that we created for Rome.

“There’s nothing adverse or anything within that chat. Everyone understands each individual wants to do the best for themselves and I don’t think anyone is judging Tyrrell or Jon’s decision.

“Jon is someone who decided that was the best choice for him. A lot of guys have decided that going to LIV is the choice that they were comfortable with. I’m not here to judge that.

“There’s been a lot of talks about the World Rankings and should LIV guys get it. Again, I think sometimes there are consequences to certain decisions and I think a lot of these guys knew that going into it.

“Do I see them (on the team)? It’s really hard for me to answer that question now. What I did so well in my captaincy last year was just control what I can control.

“We’re seven months out probably until qualification starts. We have all this talk about being potential deals with the PGA TOUR, with DP World Tour, with the PIF (Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia).

“I have no idea what’s going to happen and for the next seven months I don’t really need to know what’s going to happen because qualification for the Ryder Cup won’t start until then.”

As soon as Rahm’s decision to join the Saudi-funded breakaway was announced, Rory McIlroy said the rules on qualification for the European team would have to be changed to allow the Masters champion to compete at Bethpage.

The four-time major winner subsequently acknowledged that was not strictly accurate and Donald confirmed that he had monitored the form of LIV players who had remained eligible to make the team in Rome.

“Even going back to last year, there was a couple of guys playing on LIV that maintained their membership and I kept an eye on everyone that was eligible for me to be able to pick,” Donald said.

“The guys that decided to resign their membership, yeah, at that point I couldn’t pick them, but at this moment those are the rules and so far I’m sure Jon, I’m sure Tyrrell, they want to be a part of it and they will hopefully adhere to whatever the rules are that allows them to play in the Ryder Cup.”

Wyndham Clark has been declared the winner of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am after extensive wind and rain forced the PGA to cancel the final day of play.

The 30-year-old American was six shots behind before hitting a 12-under-par 60 on Saturday to take the lead on the third day.

He finished on 17-under par, one shot clear of Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg and two shots ahead of France’s Matthieu Pavon after 54 holes.

Strong wind and rain had postponed the final round to Monday, but a statement from the PGA Tour late on Sunday said after consulting the Monterey County emergency authorities and out of an “abundance of caution” for spectators and players, there would be no further play.

In a press conference call on Sunday, Clark said: “It’s pretty surreal right now.

“It’s maybe not the way you dream of winning.

“With that said, a lot of us yesterday had, not that we knew, but we definitely had this outside shot and thinking that maybe this is our last round.”

It was Clark’s third win in nine months after winning his first major at the US Open last year.

American Wyndham Clark shot a course record 60 to take the lead heading into the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am.

The US Open champion made five putts of at least 25 feet in his 12-under-par round with two eagles, nine birdies and one bogey, eclipsing the previous record of 62.

Clark, who had a lengthy eagle putt at the last to break 60, said he had a “really good feel on the greens”.

He said: “I was just, ‘See ball, hit ball, try to hit it where I wanted to’.

“So in my mind I was like, ‘All right, let’s just get us to where we’re putting,’ because the hole seemed like a bucket today.”

Clark’s round does count as a course record on the PGA Tour, despite the players being able to clean and place balls on the fairways.

Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg continued his strong tournament with a five-under-par 67 to sit one shot off the lead with France’s Matthieu Pavon a further shot behind as he chases a second successive victory on tour.

Justin Rose shot a 66 to move to 11-under par – six off the lead – but Rory McIlroy is a further none strokes adrift after a 69.

The final day’s play could be determined by weather with strong winds and rain threatening to delay or cut short play.

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