Tiger Woods has retreated From this week's Genesis Invitational At Torrey Pines, he says he's “not ready” to do so.
The announcement on Monday will take place less than a week after his mother, Kurchida, passed away. Woods gave no cause for her death when she issued the unfortunate news via social media on February 4th.
“I was going to tee up it this week, but I'm not ready. I did my best to prepare, knowing it was what my mother wanted. I still handle her loss,” Woods said in an X post.
“Thank you to everyone who reached out to me. I want to be in Tory later in the week and thank you for the continued kindness since my mother passed away.”
I was going to tee up it this week, but I'm just not ready. I did my best to prepare, knowing that it was what my mother wanted, but I'm still dealing with her losses.
Thank you to everyone who reached out to me. I'm in Tory later in the week and want to thank you for the continued support… pic.twitter.com/hp45tla3qq
– Tigerwoods (@tigerwoods) February 10, 2025
Kurchida was by her son's side. She attended her son's TGL match on January 27th. In this match, Jupiter's Link defeated Boston Common with overtime. The camera caught a hilarious interaction between Tiger and Kurchida during their pre-match warm-up.
“Hello, mom!” exclaimed Woods.
“I'm not going to smoke tonight! Do you get it?”
Woods took time out of the game to grieve the loss of his former loved one.
His father, the Count, passed away less than a month after he reached third place in his 2006 Master's Degree on May 3, 2006. Woods then took a six-week holiday and got his next start with Winged Foot at the US Open. He then missed the cut that week and did so in the major for the first time in his career.
But in typical Woods fashion, he won his third Open Championship at Royal Liverpool the following month. He ruled Whaleke and when he put it on the 18th Green, he was forced to put all his feelings out.
“I've never done that. You know me. I think it's just everything we've experienced recently. I bottle things a little and move, and in my own way. I think it's like someone who tries to deal with things, Woods said.
“After not winning Masters, I was pretty upset because I knew it was the last major he'd been trying to see. So it hurts a bit. And it's a shame he wasn't here to see it, to get this at the end.”
Woods' withdrawal from Genesis this week is very understandable given how close he was to his mother. He will be making his PGA Tour debut at this year's Masters, which will likely begin on April 10th.
Jack Mirco is a golf staff writer who plays SB Nation. Follow him with x @jack_milko.
