Tiger Woods set to make season debut at Genesis Invitational

Seventy golfers will play the Genesis Invitational beginning Thursday at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California, but tournament host Tiger Woods is the one rightfully at the center of everyone's attention.

Woods is making his PGA Tour season debut, playing his first official tournament since withdrawing from the Masters 10 months ago. He underwent ankle surgery in mid-April and has been ramping up for his latest comeback, while making time for things like caddying for his son at junior events.

With Woods, there's been more change than ever. A new apparel partnership: He parted ways with Nike and announced his "Sun Day Red" brand with TaylorMade. A new caddie: Veteran Lance Bennett is carrying his bag this week after Joe LaCava took a full-time gig with Patrick Cantlay. Some new responsibilities: Woods became a player director on the PGA Tour policy board last summer amid crucial negotiations with Saudi Arabia.

If one thing hasn't changed amid all that, it's Woods' drive to succeed.

"I haven't ever won this event," Woods said. "I played in this event since ‘92 and the years I've played, I still have never won this event. Hopefully, I can figure something out and get myself in there in contention and maybe get a ‘W' at the end of the week."

Woods has made 15 starts at the Genesis, the most he's made at any tournament without a victory. He tied for 45th last year.

Walking 72 holes has been his issue over the past few years, but the 15-time major champion said he can still hit the ball flush.

"I don't have the same speed I used to have, I don't have the ability to practice the same amount of hours, but I still do work on making sure that I can hit the ball on the middle of the face," he said, and added that "If I can do that consistently, one of the reasons I don't have a choice right now, my body day-to-day, week-to-week just looks kind of different."

This is the third signature event of 2024, leading to the smaller, more star-studded field. There will be a 36-hole cut for the top 50 players plus ties, along with anyone within 10 strokes of the lead.

For the third time this season, Jon Rahm will not be on hand to defend a tournament title from 2023, as he's now making hay on the LIV Golf circuit. Max Homa finished second last season and also lifted the trophy in his native Southern California in 2021.

"This is one of my favorite places in the planet, it's my favorite tour stop," Homa said. "It's cool getting to come to an event that's really close to your hometown and feel like you're almost— it's not a vacation but kind of like a little homecoming for me."

The 2024 season thus far has been dominated by lesser-known players, other than Wyndham Clark, last year's US Open champ. The six players to win a tournament thus far, Chris Kirk, Grayson Murray, then-amateur Nick Dunlap, Frenchman Matthieu Pavon, Clark and Canadian Nick Taylor— all came in at 100-1 odds or longer.

That streak could end this week with 23 of the top 25 players in the Official World Golf Ranking vying for victory. Woods, for what it's worth, is 100-1 to win at BetMGM and 130-1 at DraftKings.

"Trying to get used to the new feels of the body. That's always the challenge," Woods said. "And the challenges of trying to get tour-ready. ... We have our work cut out for us and look forward to it."