Ill Woods put on drip as McIlroy and Power make Genesis cut
Rory McIlroy and Seamus Power made the cut in the Genesis Invitational but Tiger Woods’ official PGA Tour comeback was cut short when he withdrew with “flu-like symptoms” early in his second round and was put on a drip.
Woods, who was making his first official start since the 2023 Masters, was one-over through six holes and had just hit his tee shot on the par-four seventh hole when he called it a day.
He was driven back to the locker room by a rules official, occasionally putting his head in his hands.
His friend Rob McNamara, EVP of TGR Ventures, explained that the 15-time major winner (48) had felt unwell overnight.
“So he started feeling some flu-like symptoms last night,” McNamara said. “Woke up this morning, they were worse than the night previous.
“He had a little bit of a fever and was better during the warm-up, but then when he got out there and was walking and playing, he started feeling dizzy.
“Ultimately, the doctors are saying he's got some - potentially some type of ‘flu and that he was dehydrated.
“He's been treated with an IV bag and he's doing much, much better and he'll be released on his own here soon.”
Gary Woodland, who played with Woods for the first two days and made his first cut since undergoing brain surgery last year, said he felt bad for the host.
“No, I saw it, he obviously wasn't himself, just didn't look right,” Woodland said after a 72 left him alongside Power on level par. “Saw that before the round started. It sucks.
“Obviously everything's better with him there and for him for his first tournament back and he couldn't come out and finish the way he wanted to, that sucks for all of us.”
He added: “He just didn't look right, just didn't look right. He was quieter. Obviously, it's cut day; we're all trying to play well, especially the whole group's trying to focus and pick ourselves up and play well.
“I feel bad for him; he wasn't right. He definitely was trying to fight through it and I hope he's all right.”
As Woods left Riviera Country Club, world number seven Patrick Cantlay followed his opening 64 with a bogey-free, six-under 65 to lead by five strokes on 13-under from Luke List and Australian Jason Day, who shot 69, and Canada’s Mackenzie Hughes, who shot 65.
Another Canadian, Corey Conners, was a shot further back after also shooting 65.
They have their work cut out to catch Long Beach native Cantlay (31), who played the course a few dozen times when in college at UCLA and was sensational on the greens, gaining nearly seven strokes on the field with the putter over the first 36 holes, making just one bogey.
“Yeah, putting great and leaving the golf ball in the right spot, which is really key around here,” Cantlay said.
“It's a golf course I'm really comfortable on and it's in the best shape I've ever seen it.
“Yeah, it's been great to play this week.”
He added: “I like when the greens are really fast, they're as fast as I've ever seen them and I've made a bunch.”
The cut for the top 50 and ties fell at one-over par with McIlroy 11 strokes off the lead in a tie for 31st on two-under after a bogey-free, five-under 66.
The world number two started the day ten strokes off the lead after he dropped five shots in his last four holes, running up a double bogey at the 15th and a triple bogey six at the 16th in a horror finish to an opening 74.
As Power carded a three-under 68 to share 42nd on level par, McIlroy shot his second-lowest round in 28 spins around the classic Pacific Palisades venue.
He birdied the first and third to turn in 33, then eagled the 11th from just nine feet before picking up a two-putt birdie at the 17th.
It was his lowest round at Riviera since he shot a second-round 63 en route to a tied-for fourth in 2019 and he was impressive on and around the greens, scrambling for par seven times from seven attempts.
At two-under, he’s a whopping 11 strokes behind Cantlay but just three strokes outside the top 10 with 36 holes to play.
It was also an important round for Power, who two-putted the first for birdie before following in a 20-footer at the third by hitting his approach to 18 inches at the seventh.
He dropped his lone shot of the day the 15th but birdied the par-five 17th and hit 12 greens in regulation compared to just three in his opening 74.
As for Cantlay, the Californian made just one bogey over the first 36 holes.
He eagled the first, then birdied the eighth, 11th, 15th and 17th to lead the field by five shots.
Asked if he’d prefer to lead or chase, he said: “Oh, I’ll take leading, yeah, by as many as I can get.”
List and Day shot 69s to get to eight under before being joined in the early lead by Canadian Hughes, who shot 65.
Conners also shot 65 to sit alone in fifth on seven-under, six behind the leader.
Xander Schauffele and Tom Hoge were a shot further back alongside Will Zalatoris, who gave one of two cars he won for making a hole-in-one at the 14th to his caddie, Joel Stock, as he shot a 70.
Jordan Spieth was disqualified for signing for a wrong score.
He signed for a three at the par-3 fourth hole and a second-round 72, when in fact he made four on the hole and shot 73.
The PGA Tour reported his round had ended poorly moments earlier as he got caught up in the right rough and made a double-bogey six at the difficult finishing hole at Riviera.
