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Mark Schlabach
Tiger Woods said he’s still processing his mother’s death and won’t play in this week’s Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, California, he announced on X on Monday.
The Genesis Invitational, which benefits Woods’ TGR Foundation, had announced on Friday that the 15-time major champion was in the field and intended to play. Thursday’s opening round would have been nine days since Woods’ 80-year-old mother, Kultida Woods, passed away.
I planned to tee it up this week, but I’m just not ready. I did my best to prepare, knowing it’s what my Mom would have wanted, but I’m still processing her loss.
Thanks to everyone who has reached out. I hope to be at Torrey later in the week and appreciate the continued… pic.twitter.com/HP45Tla3QQ
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) February 10, 2025
“I planned to tee it up this week, but I’m just not ready,” Woods said in a statement on X. “I did my best to prepare, knowing it’s what my Mom would have wanted, but I’m still processing her loss.
“Thanks to everyone who has reached out. I hope to be at Torrey later in the week and appreciate the continued kindness since my Mom’s passing.”
Woods, 49, would have been making his first start in an official PGA Tour event since he missed the cut at The Open at Royal Troon Golf Course in Scotland in July.
Woods had microdecompression surgery on the lumbar spine to relieve pain in his lower back in mid-September, which is believed to be his sixth back procedure in the past 10 years.
During his past season, Woods played four rounds in just one official PGA Tour event, finishing 60th at the Masters Tournament. He had to pull out of the second round of the Genesis Invitational because of illness, then missed the cut at the PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open.
Woods has won eight times at Torrey Pines, including the 2008 U.S. Open. The Genesis Invitational was moved to Torrey Pines from Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California, because of the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles.