“Winning is the goal.”
‘Golf Emperor’ Tiger Woods (48, USA) said this at a press conference on the 15th, one day before the opening of the PGA Tour Genesis Invitational. He showed confidence even though he hadn’t played on the tour in a long time. Through this tournament, Woods will return to the tour seven months after participating in the Open Championship last July. Woods was in a group with Rory McIlroy (34, Northern Ireland) and Justin Thomas (30, USA) in the first and second rounds of this tournament held at the Riviera Golf Club (par 71) in Pacific Palisades, California, USA.
Woods is the host of this event. He gathers sponsors and is responsible for running the tournament. However, Woods’ participation in this tournament is due to his competitive spirit as a player. At a press conference, Woods said, “I thought a lot while watching the record set by LeBron James (39, LA Lakers).” On the 8th, James, a superstar representing the NBA, set a new record for the most points in NBA history.
Woods could break the record for most wins on tour with just one more win. Woods, who has a total of 82 victories on the PGA Tour, is tied for first place with Sam Snead (1912-2005) in this category. Woods hasn’t won a Tour win in over three years since the Zozo Championship in October 2019. However, Woods said, “He has overcome my rusty situation and he knows where to focus and practice because he knows the course well. If he thought he couldn’t win, he wouldn’t have participated in this tournament,” he said confidently. Also, “My hero Arnold Palmer (1929-2016) competed in the Masters even at the age of 50. I’m not even 50 yet.” 슬롯사이트
In February 2021, Woods, who seriously injured his right shinbone in an overturned Genesis car accident he drove, went through rehabilitation for more than a year and competed in three major competitions last year, but all were far from winning. Even in this Genesis Invitational Power Ranking, Woods’ name is not visible. The power ranking is a ranking that predicts the winner of the tournament, and is announced up to 15th.
All 1st to 3rd places in the world rankings will participate in this event. Scotty Scheffler (27, USA), who reached the top at the WM Phoenix Open, which ended on the 13th, and regained the world No. 1 spot, will challenge for two weeks in a row. Schaeffler ranked 3rd in the power rankings for this tournament by the PGA Tour. McIlroy, whose world ranking fell one notch to 2nd place due to a sluggish tie for 32nd at the WM Phoenix Open, is set to recover his pride. McIlroy’s power ranking is 7th.
Yon Ram (29, Spain), who is ranked 3rd in the world ranking in the top 10 in all six competitions he has participated in this season, including two victories, is also one of the candidates for the championship. Ram’s power ranking is second. The PGA Tour put Max Homa (33, USA, 12th), the winner of this tournament in 2021, at the top of the power rankings. Six Korean players, including Lim Seong-jae (25), Kim Si-woo (28), and Kim Joo-hyung (21), will participate in this event.
