Tiger Woods Confirmed For Genesis Invitational Return

Tiger Woods will make his first PGA Tour start of the year at next week's Genesis Invitational, the 15-time Major winner has confirmed.

It will be Woods' first start on the US circuit since July's Open Championship at Royal Troon before he underwent a sixth back surgery.

Woods returned at the PGA Tour Champions' PNC Championship alongside son Charlie in December, where Team Woods lost out to Team Langer in a playoff. He has also played in two TGL matches for his Jupiter Links side in recent weeks.

This year's Genesis Invitational will not be played at Riviera Country Club as per usual due to the recent LA wildfires, with San Diego's Torrey Pines acting as a replacement venue.

The tournament will take place over Torrey Pines' South Course, which is the layout that hosts the weekend action at the Farmers Insurance Open as well as all four days' play in its previous US Opens.

Woods, who hosts the Genesis Invitational, has won at Torrey Pines eight times, including the 2008 US Open and seven Farmers Insurance Opens.

Next week's event, one the PGA Tour's $20m Signature Events, will be the 49-year-old's first start since the passing of his mother this week. Woods announced on Tuesday that Kultida had died, writing: “She was my biggest fan, greatest supporter, without her none of my personal achievements would have been possible.”

The 82-time PGA Tour could have potentially returned to competitive action at December's Hero World Challenge but admitted that he was not sharp enough. He has clearly been working hard on his body and game this year and feels ready to test himself against the PGA Tour's best.

The Genesis Invitational features a limited, but very strong, field and will be headlined by Woods as well as the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa. It is unclear if World No.2 Xander Schauffele will return to action yet, with the two-time Major champion currently nursing a rib injury.

The Tour's Signature Events are elevated above the full-field tournaments in terms of prize money and points but Woods has his own exemption into all of them.

In the memo released last year, the PGA Tour said: "An additional sponsor exemption will be created to recognize Tiger Woods in his own category as a player who has reached an exceptional lifetime achievement threshold of 80+ career wins."