Tiger Woods 'excited' for first official PGA Tour event in 17 months
— -- PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. --? Tiger Woods was back at Riviera Country Club on Monday, the place where it all began.
As a 16-year-old thin-as-a-1-iron amateur, he made his PGA Tour debut here in 1992, missing the cut and learning he had a long way to go in order to compete with the game's elite.
Now 79 PGA Tour victories and 25 years later, his Tiger Woods Foundation is hosting the newly named Genesis Open at the historic course -- where Woods will play for the first time in more than 10 years when the tournament commences on Feb. 16.
"To come full circle and have an opportunity to run this event is really special moment in my life,'' said Woods, who will make the tournament one of three in four weeks that he is playing to start 2017.
The first is this week's Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego, where Woods will play his first official PGA Tour event in 17 months. From there, he will go to the Omega Dubai Desert Classic -- a 12-time-zone difference -- for next week's European Tour event.
After a week off, it's back to Los Angeles for the Genesis Open, then back to his Florida home for the Honda Classic.
It is a busy start to the year for someone who has played just one tournament going back to the 2015 Wyndham Championship due to multiple back surgeries.
"It is a concern, no doubt about it,'' said Woods, 41. "But I'm also looking forward to it. I sat out long enough. My body is in a pretty good state where I feel I can handle the workload. But I still have to go out and do it.
"I'm excited about getting started on the season. I've missed playing, I've missed competing. I'm coming back to one of my favorite venues [Torrey Pines]. I'm looking forward to it. And then to come back to Riviera, it's setting up to be a pretty special year.''
When someone began a question by noting that Woods has won at Torrey Pines "seven or eight times,'' he was quick to set the record straight. "Eight times,'' he said. "One of them was as a junior, so it's actually nine.''
The last of Woods' eight professional victories at Torrey Pines came in 2013. He also won the last of his 14 major titles when the 2008 U.S. Open was played at Torrey Pines.
But in his last two appearances, Woods missed the 54-hole cut in 2014 and withdrew with lower back pain during the first round in 2015. He did not compete last year as he was recovering from the back surgeries.
Woods raised hopes for a successful return last month in the Bahamas, where he led the 18-player Hero World Challenge Field with 24 birdies but finished 15th.
Since then, Woods said he has played "four or five days a week'' and "I want to keep building, keep progressing and getting used to playing tournament golf again,'' he said. "I've played a lot at home, but it's different than being out here at tour level and playing against these guys and the flow of playing tournament golf. I've been away from it for a very long time.?
"I need to have my health at a state where I can prepare and get my game ready to play at an elite level. When I feel that way, I know I can shoot scores and win golf tournaments.''
