Tiger Woods’ back is on fire again.
After hitting a perfect drive on the 18th hole at Riviera on Thursday, Woods hit a shot like a 25 handicap.
he flinched at his approach It went only 71 yards. That put him in a precarious position and led to a bogey. Woods ultimately signed with a 1-over 72 in the first round of the Genesis Invitational.
However, his lack of skill did not contribute to this horrible swing.
It was his back.
“My back was cramping up and I was cramping up on the last three holes,” Woods explained to Kira K. Dixon on Golf Channel after his round.
“It trapped me. [my back] It didn’t move. I didn’t rotate and put the hosel out first. ”
Woods has undergone numerous back surgeries throughout his career. These various surgeries forced him to be away from the field for months, and sometimes even years depending on their severity. His last back surgery occurred in early January 2021, about a month before his devastating car accident.
Woods later admitted he had a lot of work ahead of him Thursday night to get his body ready for Friday’s second round. He will begin the second round at 2:54 p.m. ET along with Gary Woodland and Justin Thomas.
As for his play beyond the Genesis Invitational, Woods is cautiously optimistic.
“I hope so and I hope I can play.” [once per month]” he told the media afterwards.
“There’s a little bit of pain, but that’s to be expected…When it comes to physical ups and downs, it’s just part of my body. It’s part of it. It’s okay, I accept it, I accept the challenge.”
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.
