20 February 2024 , 15:29
366
0
Tiger Woods has been backed to add a record-breaking 83rd PGA Tour victory to his CV at some point this season, despite his ongoing battles with fitness.
Woods made his first appearance of the campaign at the Genesis Invitational last week, but has often been the case in recent years, his comeback was cut short. After a carding a one-over-par 72 in last Thursday's opening round at Riviera, his week came to an end just six holes into round two after he opted to withdraw.
After beginning Friday's play with a birdie, two bogeys and three pars, the 15-time major champion called quits on his week, after he was carted off the course due to struggling with illness.
READ MORE: Tiger Woods left in awe as "truly special" performance wins Genesis Invitational
On the back of his withdrawal, an ambulance arrived at the event but Woods opted to later depart by car. He later revealed that his decision to pull out came after struggling with influenza. "I would like to confirm that I had to withdraw from @thegenesisinv due to illness, which we now know is influenza," he said on social media. "I am resting and feeling better."
Bubba Watson shares details of horror knee injury ahead of LIV Golf debut
The illness was the latest setback for Woods and his body, who has battled a whole host of injury issues in recent years on the back of a car crash in Los Angeles in February 2021. There were concerns that he would not return to action at all on the back of his accident three years ago, but he made a remarkable comeback at the 2022 Masters.
Tiger Woods withdrew from last week's Genesis Invitational (Getty Images)Since then though Woods has featured just six times on the PGA Tour, withdrawing on three occasions including last Friday. Despite this a fellow former champion in Dame Laura Davies believes the former world No. 1 still has what it takes to become the PGA Tour's most successful PGA Tour player of all time outright.
"The way we saw him driving it on Thursday, he was scrappy, he dropped five shots - very un-Tiger-like - and he'd already dropped a couple [on Friday]," Davies told Sky Sports. "If he can drive it like that all the time, we know his irons will come around.
"They have been a little bit loose. Putting's been great; he's still holing those very important five, 10-footers. A lot of them were for pars yesterday and he made them. I think, if he is going to be fit - and it looked like the signs for that are good with his body - then I think we've got lots to look forward to. Without a doubt he will win this year - if he stays fit."
Woods himself believes he can become a champion again before he finally bringing an end to his PGA Tour playing days. Further doubt grew over his future following yet another withdrawal, but whilst on site in Los Angeles last week, the man himself revealed his love for the game makes it hard to call it quits.
"I still love competing, I love playing, I love being a part of the game of golf," Woods said. This is the game of a lifetime, and I don't ever want to stop playing. I love being able to compete, I love being able to enjoy different conversations from across time. This game, I love that, and I don't ever want to lose that."