Tiger Woods is back. The 15-time major he champion returns to competitive golf this week at the Genesis Open on the PGA Tour. Golf fans around the world are very excited to see the great man back on the golf course this week.
tiger woods returns
The Genesis Open kicks off Thursday morning at the Riviera Country Club in California, USA. The tournament has slowly become one of the biggest non-major tournaments on the PGA Tour, and this week he has a whopping $20 million in prize money across the field.
But this week’s story isn’t about Scotty Schaeffler’s return to number one or any other pressing news in the world of golf.This week is all about the return of Tiger Woods.
The Florida man has won a staggering 82 PGA Tour 1 golf tournaments since returning to the pros in 1996. Since then, Woods has won a staggering 15 majors, 82 PGA Tour events, 41 European Tour events, and 25 tournaments around the world. The man is the quintessential golf royalty.
The 47-year-old hasn’t played competitive golf since the 150th Open Championship in the summer of 2022. Woods missed the cut at St Andrews in July and he hasn’t hit a golf shot since.
Of course, he has made two appearances since then. Once at his event in doubles with his son Charlie, and his other at “The Match” with Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth. However, this week marks his official return to his PGA Tour competitive career.
We could see this swing all day long! 🤩 @TigerWoods is ready for his Riv. #TeamTaylorMade pic.twitter.com/qpjcCbUzYm
— TaylorMadeGolfEurope (@TaylorMadeTour) February 15, 2023
The Genesis Open is a field filled with extraordinary golfing talent. Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler and Justin Thomas are just a few of the star names in this star-studded field. Rahm is currently the +750 favorite, with Scheffler and McIlroy betting +1000 on his sportsbook, the best offshore.
Over the last 12 months, Tiger Woods’ limited competitive experience has kept him far from being a favorite of the best golf betting apps. The 47-year-old is guaranteed at a price of +12000 at select US sportsbooks.
But the fact that Woods is such an underdog doesn’t bother him one bit. At a press conference earlier this week ahead of the Genesis Open, Woods said the only reason he’s competing this week is because he believes he can win. I wouldn’t have competed.
“I’m excited to get out there and compete” @TigerWoods ready for @TheGenesisInv.pic.twitter.com/OULsrBUZCb
— PGA Tour (@PGATOUR) February 15, 2023
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At a press conference before the Genesis Invitational Open, Woods asserted that he was only participating because he believed he could win. The 15-time major golf champion claims he won’t compete unless he believes he has the ability to win the tournament.
“I’m here to get that W,” Woods said.
“If I’m playing, I’m playing to win. If I’m in an event, I’ll try to beat you. If I didn’t think I could beat them, I wouldn’t put myself out there.
It’s no exaggeration to say that Woods hasn’t lacked confidence before returning to competitive activity. Only time will tell how competitive the great guy really is on the Riviera this week. If you think Woods has a “tiger’s eye” in California this week, why not back him up with his bet on potential winning golf free?
“I’m here to get that W.”
You heard it – Tiger Woods is trapped.
📺: Golf Channel pic.twitter.com/psVTQdRFGL
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) February 14, 2023
After all, Tiger Woods hasn’t built a career like his, and hasn’t racked up the number of wins he’s earned by settling for mediocrity. As he made clear in his Genesis Invitational Open presser, he’s here to win. nothing else.
Only time will tell how competitive Woods will be on the Riviera this week. But one thing is for sure, it would be great to see Tiger Woods play big-time golf again.