Golf

Strong start by Rory McIlroy as Tiger Woods makes final flourish at Riviera

Max Homa and Keith Mitchell lead as Shane Lowry also shoots under-par round

Rory McIlroy Tiger Woods (R) talk come up the 18th at Riviera Country Club. Photograph: Caroline Brehman/EPA
Rory McIlroy Tiger Woods (R) talk come up the 18th at Riviera Country Club. Photograph: Caroline Brehman/EPA
Fri Feb 17 2023 - 06:02

Tiger Woods marked his return to competitive action with a closing trio of birdies as he carded 69 during the first round of the Genesis Invitational.

The tournament host was five strokes back from co-leaders Max Homa and Keith Mitchell at Riviera Country Club, after not having played an event without the use of a cart since last summer’s Open Championship, when he missed the cut at St Andrews.

Fans at Riviera got to see Woods play alongside close friends Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy, with the trio all birdieing the 18th.

McIlroy continued his mission to replace Scottie Scheffler at the head of the rankings. The 33-year-old shot an opening four-under 67 to be three strokes back, while Scheffler could only manage 70.

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Victory for McIlroy would see him overhaul the American regardless of the latter’s result, while outright third place would be good enough for the Northern Irishman unless Scheffler finishes in the top 25 or Jon Rahm wins or is outright second.

Woods’s legs held up on a day where he mixed five birdies with three bogeys on a mild California afternoon.

“I happened to actually hit some good shots finally and made a couple of putts,” Woods said. “Even though I had a little mishap at 10, I was able to fight back and get it going. It was a nice finish.”

He said his comfort level increased as the round wore on.

“There’s nothing like come game time just the feeling of the butterflies and trying to calm all that stuff down,” he said.

Rahm was third with a 65, one stroke behind the co-leaders, heading into the second round.

Woods admitted it was “a lot louder” than he expected, and he didn’t have time to bask in the fans affection as he tried to put together a solid round.

“I was trying to calm myself down all day, trying to figure out what the hell I’m doing out here because I haven’t played,” Woods said.

“I probably should have appreciated the fans more than I did, but there was so much going on in my head trying to get the ball in the correct spots and the correct feels just because I haven’t done this in a while.”

Shane Lowry shot the same score as Woods, a two-under 69 that featured two eagles, including one at his first hole. Séamus Power recovered well after a slow start to post a level par round of 71, with three birdies on the back nine