Tiger Woods officially kicked off his 2023 year by starting the first round of the Genesis Invitational on Thursday afternoon at the Riviera Country Club in California.
Greeted by a large crowd on the first tee, Woods started his round alongside Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas. The 47-year-old golfer, who is looking for his 83e victory on the PGA Tour, took advantage of the par 5 of the 1is hole to register the birdie.
After committing a bogey on the 4th hole, Woods recovered on the 8th by placing his approach two feet from the cup before completing with an easy birdie to get back under par.
Woods is playing his first tournament since last July, where he was unable to avoid the cut in the 150e British Open played on the fairways of the historic St. Andrews Golf Club.
Since then, Woods had only participated in a 12-hole exhibition match and a tournament alongside his son, the PNC Championship, which he was able to play using an electric cart last December.
Woods hadn’t played in a regular season PGA Tour event since the Zozo Championship in October 2020.
Max Homa scored three consecutive birdies to take control of the tournament with a 64 (-7) card. The American is one stroke ahead of Spaniard Jon Rahm, who birdied eight times in the first 18 holes.
The round is still ongoing and the final rounds will be broadcast on RDS on Saturday and Sunday.