Tiger Woods returned to the golf course to compete in his first tournament of the season at the Genesis Invitational at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, where he made his pro debut in 1992.
Woods played all four rounds, finishing one under par for the tournament (tied for 45th).
It was just the second time he had officially competed in a PGA tournament since a car accident in February 2021 left him with severe leg injuries, although it is a non-major.
He shot his best round in years on Saturday but noted that he is still a long way away. He is nonetheless progressing in his recovery.
“It’s progress,” Woods told reporters in a press conference following the tournament. “It was definitely a little more difficult than I probably let on. My team has been fantastic in helping my body recover day by day and getting me ready to play every day.”
John Rahm won the tournament with a 17-under par for the weekend. He was able to outlast Max Homa by two strokes and reclaim the world’s No.1 golf ranking with the victory.
“It’s always been a tournament I wanted to win,” Rahm told ESPN. “I’ve been able to match a very small aspect of [Tiger’s career]. And hopefully I can keep doing a lot of great things this year to put my name up there to one of his years.”
This is the 44th week Rahm will be ranked atop the golf world. Among active golfers, only Woods, Rory McIlroy, and Jason Day have spent more time ranked No.1.
“Please understand and respect how good this guy is,” Woods told the crowd during the trophy presentation, according to ESPN. “He’s just getting started.”
The next PGA Tour event on the schedule is the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, from February 23 to 26.
Woods will not be participating in that tournament. He told reporters present that he is primarily concentrating on the four major tournaments this season.
“My intent last year was to play in all four majors,” Woods said after the tournament.
“I got three of the four. Hopefully, this year I can get all four and maybe sprinkle in a few here and there. But that’s it for the rest of my career. I know that and I understand that. That’s just my reality,” he added.
The next major on the PGA schedule is the Masters in early April.