Woods struggles on PGA return as Cantlay leads Genesis Invitational

Tiger Woods commenced his return to the US PGA Tour after a hiatus of over 10 months with a rather inconsistent performance. He carded a one-over-par 72, placing him eight strokes behind the first-round leader, Patrick Cantlay, at the Genesis Invitational.

Woods, participating in his first official tournament since undergoing ankle surgery in April, had a mixed performance at The Riviera Country Club.

Despite recording five birdies, he also had six bogeys, including an unexpected shank on his second shot from the fairway at the 18th hole.

Woods attributed some of his struggles to back spasms resulting from his previous spinal fusion surgery. However, he managed to salvage a bogey by skillfully punching an eight-iron through a pair of trees.

The extended break from competitive play, with only two "soft" tuneup events in December, seemed to have affected his sharpness on the course.

Woods described his performance as a combination of both good and indifferent moments, with inconsistent play preventing him from establishing a consistent rhythm.

On the other hand, world number seven Cantlay had an impressive round, carding eight birdies for a seven-under 64. This score gave him a one-stroke lead over Australians Cam Davis and Jason Day, as well as American Luke List.

Davis recovered from an early bogey to record seven birdies, while List and Day both had six birdies in their six-under 65s. Jordan Spieth, Will Zalatoris, and Tom Hoge shared fifth place with a score of five-under 66.

Cantlay expressed satisfaction with his performance, particularly his strong start. He birdied the first and second holes and added birdies at the fourth, sixth, and eighth to make the turn at five-under.

Additional birdies at the 11th, 13th, and 14th propelled him to eight-under and a two-shot lead. However, he encountered a setback with an unexpected bogey at the par-three 16th, where his tee shot hit a tree and fell significantly short of the green.

Despite this, Cantlay managed to salvage a bogey with a successful up-and-down from a greenside bunker.

He credited his solid putting performance, including birdie putts of 26 feet and 28 feet at the eighth and 14th holes, respectively, for his overall success on the greens. Cantlay, an eight-time PGA Tour winner, is aiming to secure his first title since 2022.

Cantlay expressed his exceptional putting performance, stating, "I putted exceptionally well. I made every putt I should have, including a few longer ones."

Cantlay also acknowledged the significant impact of Tiger Woods on the game of golf. He mentioned that the influence of Woods, both in terms of the massive crowds he attracts and the aggressive playing style of young professionals, is evident.

Cantlay believes that the younger generation of golfers has benefited from better information, increased motivation, and a desire to emulate Woods, resulting in an overall improvement in the quality of golf.

The tournament, organized by Woods for the charitable foundation he supports, is one of the tour's prestigious events, attracting top players and offering a substantial winner's prize of $4 million.

Scottie Scheffler, the current world number one, began his campaign with a solid three-under-par 68, placing him in a tie for 10th position.

On the other hand, Rory McIlroy, ranked second in the world, had a challenging round, finishing with a three-over 74.

His round included a double bogey at the 15th hole and a triple bogey six at the par-three 16th. However, McIlroy managed to bounce back with a birdie at the par-five 17th. Unfortunately, he closed his round with a bogey after missing the fairway at the 18th hole.