Has Tiger Woods Ever Missed Playing in the Genesis Invitational as a Pro?

The PGA Tour 2024 season is in full swing now! Fans are loving the thrill of watching their favorite pros compete for hefty purses. But one golfer who deserves to be in all those events is missing. That is none other than Tiger Woods! The 48-year-old is undoubtedly the best to touch the game. However, he has not competed since last year.

He did promise that he would make his season start at the Genesis Invitational. And well, the golfer is delivering the promise! As per the official announcement, the 15x major champion will be teeing it up at the event that he proudly hosts!

He has made a declaration with the date of Genesis Invitational etching closer. “Excited to be a playing host next week,” stated Tiger Woods. This statement must be enough to show that while fans miss Woods competing, the 48-year-old misses playing golf even more. And he cannot wait to return to the greens at the Genesis Invitational 2024.

But has the legendary golfer missed playing at the event so far in his professional career? Well, yes he has! He turned pro in 1996, and 2007 marked the first year where he missed the Genesis Invitational event. From 2007-2017, the golfer did not compete in the aforementioned event. He returned to the illustrious event in 2018 and sadly missed the cut that year. The golfer then again sat out of the event in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 season. He competed last year in the 2022-23 season and finished at T45.

The event seems to hold a special place in Woods’s heart but how did he get to host the event? Well, let us find out!

How did Tiger Woods start hosting his beloved ‘Genesis Invitational’?

In 2023, the 48-year-old stated he would be looking to play one event per month, starting in February. His fans automatically understood he was referencing the Genesis Invitational, the tournament he hosts. But how did he start hosting this PGA Tour event? And the answer to this question is in a 2020 announcement from Jay Monahan.

Before 2020, Tiger Woods used to host the AT&T National and the Hero World Challenge. While the latter is still thriving, the former has become defunct and is replaced by Genesis Open. The event was also upgraded to a 120-player invite-only status, reaching the level of events hosted by Jack Nicklaus and the late Arnold Palmer.

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On hearing this news, Tiger Woods felt it was beyond imagination to equal the status of Nicklaus and Palmer whom he grew up idolizing. Even Jay Monahan felt hosting the event would elevate its status.

PGA Tour Commissioner made a statement, saying, “In recognition of Tiger’s place alongside Jack and Arnold as a modern-day golf icon who hosts a home-based PGA Tour tournament, plus the common thread of doing exceptional philanthropic work through his TGR Foundation, elevating the Genesis Open is an important and deserved step toward further cementing Tiger’s legacy in our sport.”

Now this elevated event will mark the start of Tiger Woods’s 2024 season on the PGA Tour. Are you excited about the return of the 48-year-old? Let us know in the comments section below.

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