No one knows better than his fellow pros how much Tiger Woods loves high-level competition, so when he posted on social media that he will tee it up at The Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles this week, they were uniformly excited for him.

News of his intentions rippled across TPC Scottsdale as players worked to complete their second rounds at the frost-delayed WM Phoenix Open on Friday afternoon.

“That’s great,” Jason Day said after signing his card. “That’s awesome. That’s actually really good news. I’m actually really happy about that. It’s good that he’s out, he can walk and it’s nice to be able to see that. So, yeah, I’m excited to see him (this) week. That’s going to be fun.”

It’s not that Woods hasn’t played any golf lately; he just hasn’t walked. He teed it up twice in unofficial events in December, at the PNC Championship with son Charlie (they finished T8) and in The Match as Woods and Rory McIlroy took on Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas. (Spieth/Thomas won.) Woods got around in a golf cart both times.

He hasn’t played an official PGA TOUR event since The Open Championship last July, and this will be his first non-major TOUR start since he suffered severe injuries to both legs in a single-car accident in February 2021. Plantar fasciitis, a foot ailment, knocked him out of the unofficial Hero World Challenge – a tournament he also hosts – in the Bahamas in December.

Woods grew up in Cypress, California, 40 miles from Riviera, and made his PGA TOUR debut there as a high school sophomore in 1992, missing the cut. He has never won the Genesis, finishing runner-up in 1998 and ’99, but is on record saying he loves Riviera.

Still, his plan to play the Genesis came as a surprise, as Riviera CC is not an easy walk.

“I imagine we’ll be carrying him down the hill on 1 and up it on 18, which no one would mind,” said Max Homa, a Southern California native who won the 2021 Genesis Invitational. “But it’s awesome. I’m really glad he’s back. I think we’re privileged any time he plays now.”

Woods, 47, has won 82 times on the PGA TOUR, which is tied with Sam Snead for the most ever. He won the Masters Tournament in 2019, proving that he’s still capable of beating the best when he’s healthy, and captured the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP for win No. 82 later that year.

As with Day, Jon Rahm was happy to hear of Woods’ imminent return.

“He’s playing Riv?” Rahm said. “Nice. I didn’t know. Great to hear. After all, he’s gone through. It’s incredible that he keeps trying. Spoke to him at Bahamas. Everything he had on his leg and then you add the plantar fasciitis. I really feel for him in that sense.

“But I know he’s going to keep doing everything he can to still try to win more tournaments,” Rahm added. “Possibly get that 83rd win. Hopefully, obviously in his mind a major, right? It’s a true honor for all of us. Any time Tiger can be present on the golf course playing makes the tournament even better. I’m hoping he can play comfortably and I’m hoping he can play well.”

Added Tom Kim, an avowed Tiger fan: “I think it’s great for the game. … Hopefully, I can kind of work myself up and kind of hopefully play with him if I get the chance.”

Although Woods has never won The Genesis Invitational, he has won multiple times at the approaching Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, THE PLAYERS Championship, and Masters Tournament. Will he play in them, too? Nobody knows, maybe not even him, and for now, players were just excited to see him at the Genesis.

“I’m stoked to see him back out there,” Homa said. “Yeah, he’s always remarkable. You never know what he’s going to do. It will be fun to watch him play some golf.”

LAHORE: National golf star Ahmed Baig maintained his dominance on the final day to win the Pakistan Open golf title here on Sunday.

During the course of these four rounds, despite strong opposition from several giants of the game, Ahmed Baig showed ample sparkle to clinch the Pakistan Open title.

During the final round on Sunday, the day was controlled by Ahmed Baig with tee shots of precision oriented backed by flawless approach, mostly within five to six feet of the flag stick. He fetched five birdies on holes 3, 5, 8, 16 and 18. He encountered one bogie on the 11th hole too. His championship scores were 72, 68, 66 and 68 and a total aggregate of 274, 14 under par. With the champions trophy, he pocketed the winners prize money of Rs 919,000 out of the total prize money of eight million rupees.

The second position holder Matloob Ahmed, the number two ranked golf professional of the country, managed to win the runners up position with four rounds scores of 72, 75, 65 and 71 and a total aggregate of 283, five under par.

Other contenders who ended up well are Muhammed Alam of Lahore Garrison with a score of 284, four under par. He secured the third position. Fourth position went to M. Munir (Rawalpindi Golf Club) with a score of 287, one under par followed by Khalid Khan (Peshawar) and M Shahzad (Garrison) bunched together at a score of 288. Following them are three professionals at a score of 289. They are Ansar Mehmood (Margalla Greens), Waheed Baloch (Karachi) and M Nazir (Rawalpindi). Three more professionals ended up with a score of 290. These competing professionals are M Saqib, Abdul Zahoor, Talat Ijaz.

Senior Professional Category Results; Muhammed Akram (Gymkhana) first; M Tariq (Islamabad) second Muhammed Akhter (Islamabad), third Scores of M Akram and M Tariq were level and they went into a sudden death playoff. Akram won on the third hole.

Best Junior Professional of this championship is Jawad Ahmed of Peshawar. M Sahil also of Peshawar is second and Rehan Babar of Lahore Garrison is third.

The Singhs became the first pair to shoot below 60 in both rounds, as they claimed a two shot victory

In their 16th appearance at the PNC Championship, both Vijay and Qass managed to make it over the line, with the father-son duo posting two consecutive rounds of 59, becoming the only pair to ever do so in the tournament’s history, to secure their maiden title.

Heading into the final day, the main talking points surrounded both Charlie and Tiger Woods, and Justin and Mike Thomas, with the latter leading by two shots at Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Orlando from Team Woods and Team Singh.

Being a Scramble format, there were plenty of opportunities for teams to go low and, after 12 holes, it was defending champions John Daly and John Daly II who actually led, with the pair carding 11 birdies in 13 holes.

Despite eagling the last hole, a run of pars through the middle of the back nine stalled any momentum, with their 24-under-par total becoming the target for those chasing down the Americans.

Many predicted that Team Thomas and Team Woods would be battling it out for victory, but their disappointing back nines led to Team Singh ramming home the advantage and, with an eagle at the 14th, a birdie or two would almost guarantee the title.

Throughout the day, you could say that Qass had been the main provider and, at the 16th, a near holed wedge from Qass put them one up with one hole remaining.

At the last, it was Vijay who showed his class, with the three-time Major winner holing a crucial 10-foot birdie putt at the last to give themselves a two shot lead over Team Daly, and a three shot lead over Team Thomas.

Having to hole his approach shot at the last to force a playoff, Justin Thomas was unable to convert from the fairway, as the trophy landed in the hands of Team Singh for their first victory in 16 years.

MIAMI – The Saudi-backed LIV Golf League will stage 2023 tournaments in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Tucson, Arizona and at The Greenbrier in West Virginia, LIV Golf chief executive officer Greg Norman announced Wednesday.

The upstart series, which has split the elite golf world by luring away top stars from the US PGA Tour and DP World Tour, completed its inaugural season of 54-hole events in October.

LIV Golf s US stops next year will include The Gallery Golf Club at Tucson on March 17-19, Cedar Ridge Country Club in Tulsa on May 12-14 and The Greenbrier, a former US PGA venue, on August 4-6.

“LIV Golf s expansion to new US markets adds to the growing excitement for the league launch in 2023,” Norman said. “These championship courses will contribute to the transformative season ahead for players, fans and the game of golf.”

Two weeks ago, LIV Golf announced 2023 events would be played in Mexico at Mayakoba s El Camaleon in February, at Sentosa in Singapore in April and at Real Club Valderrama in Spain in June.

LIV Golf, bankrolled by oil-rich Saudi Arabia s giant Public Investment Fund (PIF), has also announced an event next April in Adelaide, Australia.

Reigning British Open champion Cameron Smith of Australia, two-time major winner Dustin Johnson, six-time major champion Phil Mickelson, four-time major winner Brooks Koepka are among the LIV Golf stars who departed the PGA for record prize money offered by the rival series.

Other major winners who jumped to LIV Golf include Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed, Henrik Stenson, Louis Oosthuizen, Graeme McDowell, Martin Kaymer and Charl Schwartzel.

LIV Golf will announce a full schedule and playing lineups next year for 12 four-man teams next year to compete in a 14-tournament schedule for a record $405 million in prize money.

SYDNEY: A new short-format golf event modelled on cricket’s Indian Premier League will debut in Australia next year with 10 city-based teams, including the Bangkok Blades, Dubai Kings and New York Tigers, it was announced Tuesday.

The Ultra Golf Championship, designed to turbocharge the sport, is played over nine holes with four-player teams that include a marquee captain.

No names have been announced, although local reports said world number two Scottie Scheffler of the United States and Australian world number three Cameron Smith were being targeted.

The unique scoring system will reward risk-taking, with 10 points for a hole-in-one, eight for an albatross, six for an eagle, four for a birdie, and two for a par.

There will also be four feature hole opportunities that must be used, including a longest drive, power-play, alternate-shot and best-ball, where more points can be accumulated. Teams will play seven rounds and a final series over four days.

The concept is the brainchild of Deke Smith, with the Australian PGA serving as a promoting partner and sanctioning body.

“For more than five years, we’ve been working on the UGC as a short-formed, strategic and tactical golf tournament,” Smith said in a statement released through the Australian PGA.

“We are appealing to a wider fan base, giving people a new way to consume their golf, sport and entertainment, and we think that it’s a great way to grow the game of golf.

“We see this concept appealing to a younger audience because we will see a result in two hours of golf. We see parochial sports fans getting behind their own city team.”

Along with Bangkok, Dubai and New York, others teams locked in will represent Delhi, London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Shanghai, Seoul and Tokyo.

“We know once this world-first format has some of the best players in the world showcasing it on TV next year, Ultra Golf Championship will become a part of all golf fans’ life,” said PGA Tour of Australia tournaments director Nick Dastey.

“This is an event we are passionate about, and it continues to align with our innovation in the game in Australia.”

It will debut at a yet-to-be-announced course next December with Smith planning to turn it into a global series, with “some really high net worth (individuals) behind it”.

We are already in (negotiations) with five or six really key players from around the world,” he told The Australian newspaper.

“Again, the feedback from these guys has been amazing. They love it, they see it is different.

“People around the world have seen what has happened with cricket and that short-form game. To be perfectly honest, we have modelled it off the Indian Premier League.”

LAHORE-Parkha Ejaz of Defence Raya lifted the coveted trophy in the 5th PGA Ladies Amateur Golf Championship that concluded here at Royal Palm Golf and Country Club Golf Course on Sunday.

Up against adversaries like Hamna Amjad (zero handicap), Rimsha Ejaz (handicap 1), Aania Farooq (handicap 2) and Suneya Osama (handicap 3), Parkha (handicap 1) played extremely well and achieved a spirited score of gross 74 on Sunday and that added to her first two-round scores of 76 and 72 gave her a championship aggregate of 222, giving her a winning edge over Hamna Amjad, who ended up the championship at a score of 223. Aania Farooq of Karachi Airmen Golf Club finished third with an aggregate of 234.

The winner net in A category for competitors in handicap range 0-14 was Bushra Fatima (Lahore Garrison), while second was Zebunnisa (Royal Palm) and third was Amina Tiwana (Royal Palm). The winners in handicap category 15-24 were Shabana Waheed, first gross, Dr Rubab Haider, second, and Nida Arfeen, third. The winner net was Momina Tarrar followed by Rabia Tiwana and Nida Haq.

In handicap category 25-36, the winner gross was Minaa Zainab while Samina Ishtiaq was second and Huma Bilal third. The net winner was Shazia Imran, Saqiba Batool second and Salbia Murtaza, third. Aleesa Almas Rashid displayed outstanding golfing skills, utilizing her international exposure, as she recently participated in Sarawak Int’l Junior Championship 2022, a trip initiated and executed by Dr. Asma Afzal Shami, in Malaysia, to clinch the junior girls 11-14 years title.

The junior girls 10&U title was claimed by Aminah Ali Khan and young ladies 14-21 years title went to Yasmin Zaman Khan.

In the senior ladies category, the gross winner was Shahzadi Gulfam and net winner was Ayesha Hamid. The longest drive was hit by Parkha Ejaz and the nearest to the pin by Minaa Zainab. The inter association team match was won by Punjab Golf Association.

Tiger Woods has been more willing to make equipment adjustments in recent years. But if there’s one piece of gear he’s rarely touched, it’s the golf ball.

Going all the way back to Woods’ time with Nike in the early 2000 — when he made the switch from a wound ball to solid construction — he’s historically played a softer ball with more spin in an effort to work the ball both directions and get the necessary zip around the green.

It’s a golf ball recipe that’s served Woods well for more than two decades, but according to Bridgestone Golf, all signs point to the 15-time major winner altering the recipe and switching away from the Tour B XS and into the Tour B X for at least The Match and PNC Championship.

“These are more of an exhibition-type situation, and I think that’s factoring into his decision,” Elliot Mellow, Bridgestone’s golf ball marketing manager, told GOLF.com. “So he’ll be a Tour B X player at least for the next few events. He’s been looking at distance and the greenside spin is where it needs to be.”

In the run-up to the next edition of The Match, which pits Woods and Rory McIlroy against Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, Woods began testing the Tour B X on his at-home simulator and noticed an uptick of nearly 10 yards of additional carry, which amounts to roughly one less club into the hole on approach shots. (The Tour B and Tour B XS are both three-piece balls geared for swing speeds over 105 mph, but the firmer X is built to lower flight and spin.)

From there, Woods tested the ball around the green, to ensure it still had the necessary shot-game spin, before taking it to the Bahamas for on-course testing in the wind.

“The real test was [in the Bahamas during Hero week] where it hit it into different winds and liked the ball flight,” Mellow said. “The comments we’ve heard from Tiger and his team is that it’s really cool that if he’s looking for something different, we don’t have to go out and build him a specific ball. He can just go to something we’re already making that’s on the retail shelf.”

Indeed, Woods plans to play the same retail Tour B X found on retail shelves. The only thing that would differentiate Woods’ ball from the retail model is the addition of a “TIGER” side stamp — but even that’s up in the air.

Mellow confirmed they’re currently in the process of making Woods enough balls with his usual side stamp and 1 play number for both events.

Tiger Woods has not played competitive golf since July and missed the Hero World Challenge last week with a foot injury; former world No 1 to use a cart when he plays alongside Rory McIlroy against Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth in The Match

The former world No 1 has not played competitive golf since July and missed the Hero World Challenge event in the Bahamas last week because of an injured right foot.

However, he will be aided by the use of a cart when he teams up with Rory McIlroy to compete against Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth in the 12-hole competition at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida.

The event will use a best-ball format, with the best individual score winning each hole.

“I can hit golf balls. It’s just hard getting from point A to point B, so [the cart] will certainly help a lot,” said Woods, who is still struggling with plantar fasciitis in the foot – tissue inflation that causes pain in the heel.

“Being in a cart is a totally different deal. That’s something I’ve done at home quite a bit. When I was trying to gear up and be able to play in the Hero and see if I could actually do it, the walking part was the challenge, it wasn’t actually swinging.

“I’ve got to get this plantar to heal and that just takes time. It’s not something that happens overnight. It’s going to take a lot of rest and healing and unfortunately, treatment. It’s a tough road.”

The last time the public saw Woods, who suffered significant injuries to his right leg and foot during a February 2021 car crash, play was at The Open at St Andrews, where he missed the cut.

He has played in two other events in 2022, placing 47th at the Masters and withdrawing from the PGA Championship after the third round.

“I can tell you one thing,” Woods said. “I have the No 1 player on my team, so I’m good.”

McIlroy had praise for Woods, too. “He’s probably the best iron player that’s ever lived … probably the best golfer that’s ever lived. Period.

“I think if he can just get it out in the fairway, and get some looks in the fairway, I think we’re going to have a really good chance.”

“If you told myself and JT in 2012 in college that we would be playing against these two in a match, that would be a really, really cool thing,” he said.

“We want to win it because of how much these two inspired us. It’s a unique and really cool opportunity for us to try to take down a couple of the greats, a couple of the greatest that ever played.”

KARACHI: Five Pakistani junior golfers made the cut at the end of the second day of the 22nd Sarawak International Junior Golf Premier Cup held at Miri, Malaysia, from Nov 29 to December 1.

The five golfers were Irtaza (age 16) and Arooba (age 17) in Cat A; Ramin (age 13) and Daniyal (age 14) in Cat B; and Musa (age 10) in Cat C.

There were 13 golfers from Pakistan competing in the event. Arooba Ali, Amina Tiwana, Jasia Tasawar and Irtaza Hussain competed in Category A (ages 15 to 17). Bushra Fatima, Ramin Amin, Daniyal Durrani, Abdullah Amir and Wajahat Anwar were placed in Category B (ages 13 to 14). Sara Amin, Aleesa Rashid, Musa Khan and Zalmay Amin participated in Category C (ages 12 and under).

The group of 13 junior golfers, none of whom had ever participated in an international golf tournament, was put together by Munazza Shaheen, Ace Junior Golf League’s (AJGL) founder president.

The invitation for the event was extended to Dr Asma Shami, former chairperson ladies golf PGF, by Rabea Htul, ex president of Malaysian Ladies Golf Association.

As LIV Golf lawyers make some startling revelations in court, Cameron Smith has made his mark on the all-Australian team he leads.

Cameron Smith has put his stamp on the All-Australian team he’ll captain in this year’s LIV Golf league by renaming it “Ripper GC”.

The British Open champ was lured to LIV by Greg Norman in a reported $140m deal with the chance to have a 25 per cent stake in the all-Australian team.

While LIV missed out on luring Adam Scott to join the breakaway tour, Smith will captain a team that includes great mate Marc Leishman and countryman Matt Jones, who remains embroiled in a legal fight in the US after being banned from playing on the PGA Tour.

Having splashed nearly a billion dollars of money from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to start the new league, LIV’s revenue was “virtually zero” during its first season, it’s since emerged.

Documents filed by LIV lawyers in the US acting for Jones and other players against the PGA Tour revealed the stark state of affairs for Norman and his colleagues.

“The tour has damaged LIV’s brand, driven up its costs by hundreds of millions of dollars and driven down revenues to virtually zero,” the documents tendered to the court state.