Tiger Woods withdraws from Genesis Invitational amid mother’s death

Tiger Woods has withdrawn from this week’s Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines, saying he’s “just not ready” to do so.

Monday’s announcement comes less than a week after his mother, Kultida, passed away. Woods did not give a cause for her death when he delivered the unfortunate news via social media on Feb. 4.

“I planned to tee it up this week, but I’m just not ready. I did my best to prepare, knowing it’s what my Mom would have wanted, but I’m still processing her loss,” Woods said in a post on X.

“Thanks to everyone who has reached out. I hope to be at Torrey later in the week and appreciate the continued kindness since my Mom’s passing.”

Kultida was by her son’s side to the very end. She attended her son’s TGL match on Jan. 27, in which Jupiter Links defeated Boston Common in overtime. Cameras even caught a hilarious interaction between Tiger and Kultida during pre-game warmups.

“Hi, Mom!” Woods yelled.

“Not gonna suck tonight! Okay?”

Woods has taken time away from the game to grieve the loss of a loved one before.

His father, Earl, passed away on May 3, 2006, less than a month after he tied for 3rd at The 2006 Masters. Woods then took six weeks off, making his next start at Winged Foot for the U.S. Open. He subsequently missed the cut that week, doing so at a major for the first time in his career.

But in typical Woods fashion, he bounced back at Royal Liverpool the following month to win the Open Championship for the third time. He dominated Hoylake, and when he putted out on the 18th green, he could not help but let all of his emotions out.

“I’ve never done that. You know me. So it’s just, I guess, all the things that we’ve gone through of late, and I guess I’m kind of the one who bottles things up a little bit and moves on, tries to deal with things in my own way. I just wish he could have seen it one more time,” Woods said then.

“I was pretty bummed out after not winning The Masters, because I knew that was the last major he was ever going to see. So that one was that one hurt a little bit. And finally to get this one, and it’s just unfortunate that he wasn’t here to see it.”

For Woods to withdraw from this week’s Genesis Invitational is quite understandable, considering how close he was with his mother. He will likely try to make his PGA Tour debut at this year’s Masters, which begins Apr. 10.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.