Following his 82nd PGA Tour victory, Tiger Woods returned to the game on Monday when he participated in the Pro-Member event at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Florida.
During Monday’s Seminole Pro-Member in Florida, Rory McIlroy gained the upper hand over his business partner and close friend Tiger Woods.
Pro-Am participants included a who’s who of golf and business, with seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady sharing the main stage with Woods and McIlroy. While McIlroy got to play with his father, Gerry, Woods was paired with Seth Waugh, CEO of the PGA of America.
Even though neither pair was able to win the tournament outright, the McIlroy team managed to defeat Woods and Waugh, finishing one shot ahead of the all-American pair in a tie for 22nd place on the net (after handicaps) leaderboard.
On the net side of the competition, Erik Van Rooyen and John Pinkman emerged victorious, while Mackenzie Hughes and Frank Edwards recorded the highest gross score. But after yet another setback last month, it must have been nice for Woods to return to the golf course.
At the Genesis Invitational, the 15-time major champion made his first PGA Tour start of the year. However, as has frequently happened in recent years, his tournament was cut short. This time, illness rather than injury was the reason for Woods’ forced withdrawal from the second round in Los Angeles in February.
After missing nearly eight months of golf in 2023 due to an ankle injury, Woods appeared to be at ease with it until he became ill with influenza, forcing him to withdraw after just six holes into the second round. Seen being driven in a golf cart from the course to the clubhouse, the tournament host looked visibly ill.
Following the withdrawal, an ambulance showed up on the scene, but Woods drove off a short while later. After that, Woods used social media to give his fans an update on his health, leaving those who were watching to worry about his prospects on the PGA Tour once more.
We now know that his illness was influenza, so I would like to confirm that I had to withdraw from the Genesis Invitational,” he tweeted. I’m feeling better and getting some rest. I hope the players have a successful weekend. I want to express my regret for being unable to attend and my gratitude to Genesis and all of the supporters.”
Woods had previously announced that he planned to play in one PGA Tour event a month starting in February. It is expected that March’s chosen tournament will come at next week’s Players Championship, whilst he will no doubt be targeting the Masters at Augusta National in April. It remains unknown as to whether his illness will impact his upcoming plans.
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