Tiger Woods pays unique tribute to his 1992 PGA Tour debut at Riviera ahead of WD from The Genesis Invitational

Tiger Woods arrived for the second round of The Genesis Invitational 2024 on Friday wearing a red, navy and white-striped polo. Interestingly, the 48-year-old’s shirt from the Sun Day Red’s ‘Beginnings Collection’ resembled the shirt he wore in his PGA Tour debut as a 16-year-old at The Riviera Country Club.

According to the Sun Day Red’s Instagram post, the short worn by Woods is named ‘Cypress 92 Polo.’ The brand dubs the shirt a “not to Woods’ past” and a “modern take on an iconic moment.” The ace golfer styled the shirt with a Dynam Classic Pant and a Hybrid Tour Glove. The brand confirmed that the special Friday look was a homage to his debut at Riviera in 1992.

According to Sun Day Red, the unique design of the shirt aims to embody "the essence of (Woods') journey.” It is pertinent to note that the new shirt isn’t the exact copy of the old one. The debut shirt from 92 had a lighter blue shade and had a white collar. The collar on the new shirt is navy. Despite the differences, the two look almost identical.

Woods was a sophomore in high school during the 1992 Nissan Open. The then 16-year-old had to get permission from his school to compete in the competition held at Riviera. Despite having a highly anticipated debut, Woods missed the 36 holes cut after registering rounds of 72-75.

Interestingly, the golfer was dubbed “not competitive at this level” by critics after his debut. Three decades later, the golfer is an 82-time PGA Tour winner, has 15 Majors and is the tournament host for the weekend.

For the unversed, Tiger Woods announced his brand on Feb 12, just weeks after his split with Nike. The Genesis Invitational is the first event where the legendary golfer wore the brand’s clothes.

---

Tiger Woods withdraws from The Genesis Invitational 2024

In a shock update, Tiger Woods withdrew from The Genesis Invitational 2024 on Friday. The ace golfer’s return to the official PGA Tour circuit was cut short after he pulled out during the second round, citing flu concerns. He withdrew after his drive on hole 7.

Woods carded a 1-over 72 in the opening round of the competition on Thursday. Making his first PGA Tour official round since April 2023, the golfer seemed happy on the field. However, following his opening round, the 48-year-old complained about suffering a back spasm, which also led him to make an errant shot on the last hole.

The veteran golfer was taken off the course in a golf cart on Friday. He was visibly frustrated and put his hands on his head while heading out of the field. Rob McNamara, the executive vice president of TGR Ventures, later stated that Tiger Woods had shown flu-like symptoms on Thursday night, which seemingly worsened on Friday.