What Kind of Game Will Tiger Woods Have at Riviera?

Woods's game showed positive signs two months ago, but Riviera will present a new set of challenges.

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While Tiger Woods's commitment to the Genesis Invitational was something all knew he wanted to do, going through with it came as a bit of a surprise. There had not been much indication that he was ramping up his game and fitness to compete, and tournament organizers—even though the event is run by Woods's foundation—seemed as in the dark as everyone. The PGA Tour was unsure if Woods was going to play at Riviera this week.

So the golf world cheered when Woods put out his succinct tweet saying "I'm ready to play an ACTUAL PGA Tour event next week."

Woods was referencing a few things. His golf of late was reserved for exhibitions—the 12-hole "Match" in December followed by the 36-hole PNC Championship, where he rode a cart while competing with his son Charlie a week prior to Christmas.

Complicating matters was a case of plantar fasciitis, which Woods said developed in the days leading up to the Hero World Challenge in late November. He had planned to play the other event hosted by his foundation in the Bahamas but pulled out on the Monday of tournament week.

Woods said the ailment was related to the issues his faces with his right foot and ankle, badly injured in the February 2021 car crash that is now nearly two years in the past; it occurred two days after the completion of the Genesis Invitational, where Woods arrived for weekend hosting duties.

Now he’s back in the tournament for the first time since 2020—when he finished 68th.

And just what kind of Tiger are we going to see?

There were plenty of good signs from his game when he played the PNC Championship. Woods has said on several occasions that he has no trouble hitting the shots. It’s getting to them that is the issue.

That does not promise to be any easier at Riviera. The temperatures will be on the cool side, with the forecast calling for high temperatures in the low 60s and lows in the 40s. Woods is scheduled to play a Wednesday morning pro-am round and one of the first two rounds he will have a morning tee time. Not great. Heat is Tiger’s friend.

Throw in his frustrations at Riviera. While Woods has won numerous times at Torrey Pines and also at Pebble Beach, he’s always struggled on the poa annua of Riviera. It is one of the game’s great mysteries, as Woods grew up in the area and would seemingly thrive.

Riviera is where Woods first played in a pro event—in 1992 and 1993 he played as an amateur and missed the cut both times. Since then, he’s had 13 starts at the event without a victory—the most he's played any tournament without a win.

His best chance came in 1998 when he lost a playoff to Billy Mayfair, but that event was not played at Riviera. It was contested at Valencia Country Club and remains the only time Woods has lost a playoff on the PGA Tour.

After withdrawing due to illness during the 2006 event, Woods did not return until 2018—missing the cut. He tied for 15th in 2019 during his run-up to the Masters victory, then was clearly hurting in 2020 when he was well down the leaderboard.

That was Woods's last event prior to the coronavirus pandemic, and he never found much success the rest of the year. The accident occurred when he was recovering from back surgery.

So that adds another interesting wrinkle: this will be Woods’ first regular PGA Tour event (non-major) since the 2020 Zozo Championship. Woods was defending the title he won in 2019, although it was played at Sherwood Country Club because the tournament was moved from Japan.

Woods played the final round with Phil Mickelson, shooting 74 to Lefty’s 78 as both players were well out of contention.