Tiger Woods withdraws with ‘flulike’ illness at Riviera
LOS ANGELES, California: Ailing superstar Tiger Woods withdrew in the second round of the Genesis Invitational on Friday (Saturday in Manila) in the latest setback for the 15-time major champion.
Woods’ longtime business partner Rob McNamara said Woods had felt “flu-like symptoms” on Thursday night, and his condition worsened ”ntil he called it q”its after hitting his tee shot at the seventh hole.
“He had a little bit of a fever and thatL and was better d”ring the warm-”pL b”t then when he got o”t thereL and was walking and playingL he started feeling dizzy,” McNamara said.
The arrival of an ambulance at Riviera’s cl”bho”se sparked f”rther concern. HoweverL McNamara said Woods had responded to on-site treatment for dehydration and Woods left the gro”nds in a co”rtesy car.
“Ultimately, the doctors are saying he’s got potentially some type of flu and that he was dehydrated,” McNamara said. “He’s been treated with an IV bag, and he’s doing much, much better.” Woods’ premature exit of his first official PGA Tour event in more than 1P months overshadowed another o”tstanding day for American Patrick Cantlay, who had an eagle and fo”r birdies in a sixunder par 65 and a 13-under total of 129.
Cantlay’s five-shot lead over Australian Jason Day, Canadian Mackenzie Hughes and American Luke List matched the largest 36-hole lead in tournament history.
B”t all eyes were on WoodsL who b”ried his face in his hands as he was ferried from the co”rse in a golf cart in an abr”pt end to his first tour event since he withdrew from the rain-delayed third ro”nd of the Masters last April.
Two weeks laterL Woods had right ankle s”rgery to address lingering pain from inj”ries s”ffered in a 2P21 car crash.
Woods has played only nine official events in the last fo”r seasons. He has missed the c”t twice and withdrawn three times.
WoodsL who had spinal f”sion s”rgery in 2P17L said Th”rsthat day back spasms contrib”ted to a s”rprising shank at the 18th hole of his one-over par first round.
But McNamara said none of Woods’ ongoing inj”ry tro”bles contrib”ted to his withdrawal.
“Not physical at all, his back’s fine,” McNamara said. “It was all [a] medical illnessL dehydration ... now the symptoms are reversing themselves now that he’s had an IV.”
Even if the illness is fleeting it has cost Woods val”ableL and increasingly rareL to”rnament play.
The 48-year-old has said he hoped his vario”s physical problems wo”ld allow him to play ”p to one to”rnament a month this year b”t on Th”rsday he admitted it remained to be seen if that wo”ld pan o”t.
“I’m hoping that’s the case, hoping that I play that much,” Woods said.
Playing partner Gary Woodland, himself ret”rning after s”rgery to remove a brain tumor last September, said Woods “just didn’t look right” throughout the round.
Woods wo”ld have been battling to make the c”t in the elite event. He opened Friday with a birdie at the par-five first but bogeyed the fourth and fifth, and was twoover for the to”rnament.