The Genesis Invitational’s host, Tiger Woods, last competitive round there ended with a premature exit, and now, two years later, a far more significant health concern casts a long shadow over his potential participation in the very tournament.

‘Woods’s absence is the result of a grueling recovery from two major surgeries last year. The first was to recover his left Achilles tendon, which he tore in March 2025 while he was training. And then in October, Woods underwent an operation to replace a disc in his lower back. This was his seventh back surgery. Though the doctors have cleared him for hitting short and mid iron play, he needs time to be ready for competitive play.

Woods’s absence from the Genesis Invitational is becoming a familiar story, as he has now missed the event four times in the last six years. The most recent, other than this year, was 2025. He had committed to play last year, but he withdrew, citing that he wasn’t ready to play, as his mom, Kultida, had just passed away a few weeks earlier.

His 2024 Genesis appearance also ended dramatically. He had to drop out of his second round because of influenza, after carding 2 over par. Surprisingly, he started hosting the event in 2020, but he has never won it.

Do you know that in the last five years, Tiger Woods has only played in a full 72-hole tournament four times? The last time he played in a tournament was at The Open Championship at Royal Troon in July 2024, when he missed the cut.

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Earlier this year, Woods noted that hopefully he’ll be able to play at the end of the season here and there. That doesn’t sound like someone who has set a clear date to come back. So, for now, Riviera will go on without him. Fans will once again see someone else win the trophy at the event that Tiger Woods built.

While absent from the field, Tiger Woods makes a key Genesis Invitational call

Tiger Woods announced Sahith Theegala as the 2026 Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption winner, underscoring that his role extends beyond playing. Woods explained the choice with a statement rooted in legacy.

“During Charlie’s playing days, all he wanted was an opportunity to compete with the best players in the world so he could showcase his game, and Sahith shares those same characteristics. I am proud to welcome Sahith to the field.”

The exemption itself has a long history. Every year, it is given to a deserving minority golfer in honor of trailblazer Charlie Sifford. Theegala, who won the PGA Tour in 2023 and is now ranked in the top 100 in the world, fits that story because he went from being a great amateur player to a well-known Tour pro.

Theegala will share the course with a field that includes major winners Keegan Bradley, Collin Morikawa, Shane Lowry, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Jason Day, alongside Viktor Hovland and Cameron Young, a lineup that reflects just how much weight the Genesis carries on the Tour.

After last year’s play was shifted to Torrey Pines because of the fire, the Genesis Invitational is returning to its home this year. Every February, the golf world eagerly awaits the $20 million showdown. Being one of the most important events on the PGA Tour, it has an elite field of 72 golfers: 18 of the top 20 and 41 of the top 50 golfers. How the 2026 Genesis Invitational turns out remains to be seen.