Tiger Woods failed to finish the first round of the Genesis Invitational 2024 at even par due to a wild mishit on the par-5, 18th, the final hole of the day.
Making his first official PGA Tour start in 10 months, Woods made five birdies and six bogeys on Thursday to finish the round at 1-over 72. He was at T49 after the day's play was concluded. The ace golfer could have finished a bit higher if it were not for a disastrous bogey on the 18th.
Woods started well on the 18th at Riviera as his tee shot landed on the right fairway, just 180 yards away from the hole. However, he shanked his approach shot, and it went to the right into the trees instead of the green. The ball finally ended up settling on the slope near the tree.
Fans online had fun reacting to the wild shank by the ace golfer and had witty takes on Woods' rare mishit. Here's a look at some of the reactions:
"Well that's new," one fan wrote.
"I can finally relate to Tiger," another commented.
"Wow 😳 yes indeed. Apparently not. I actually can’t recall Tiger ever shanking a shot in his career. I watched Jon Rahm do it three times last week on LIV in the final round. Seen Scottie Scheffler a couple times. So yep no one is immune indeed overall. Wowzers," another fan chimed in.
"Difference is I do this 3-4 times a round, he does it once every 3-4 years," one fan commented.
Here's a look at some more reactions:
"It was locking up" - Tiger Woods says he suffered a back spasm during the last two holes at the Genesis Invitational, Day 1
Speaking at the post-round interview of the Genesis Invitational on Thursday, Tiger Woods reflected on his wild mishit on the final hole of the day.
"Oh, definitely, I shanked it," he said. "Well, my back was spasming the last couple holes and it was locking up. I came down and it didn't move and I presented hosel first and shanked it."
When asked about the last time he shanked on the PGA Tour, Woods stated that it had been a while, adding that he might have hit some flop shots around the greens in the past but not from the position he was at on the final hole on Thursday.
The 15-time Major champion will begin his second round of the Genesis Invitational on Friday at 2:54 pm ET. He is grouped alongside Justin Thomas and Gary Woodland. Thomas was also at T49 after shooting 1-over 72 in the first round, while Woodland shot 1-under 70 and was placed joint 28th.
Patrick Cantlay shot 7-under 64 to take the early lead after day 1 at Riviera. He is one stroke ahead of Jason Day, Cam Davis, and Luke List.