Tiger Woods will not be part of a news conference on Wednesday at Riviera Country Club because he has been "advised by doctors to limit all activities'' due to his ongoing back spasms, according to a statement released by the Genesis Open on Tuesday.
Woods' foundation runs the tournament at the course in Pacific Palisades, California, and as tournament host, he was scheduled to conduct a news conference, which was pushed from Tuesday to Wednesday and now has been canceled. It was announced Tuesday night that back spasms will keep Tiger Woods from holding his scheduled press conference for the Genesis Open, a tournament run by his foundation. Gregory Bull/AP Photo
It is unclear if Woods ever made the trip from his home in Florida to Southern California. His agent, Mark Steinberg, could not be reached. Tournament officials were unaware if Woods was at or near the tournament, which is not far from where the Tiger Woods Foundation is based. Editor's Picks Tiger drops next two events due to back spasms On his website, Tiger Woods said he will miss next week's Genesis Open and The Honda Classic, which is set to start Feb. 23. He will determine his next event after his back is reassessed.
On Friday, Woods, 41, withdrew from the Genesis Open and next week's Honda Classic due to the back spasms that forced him out of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic on Feb. 3. Woods had shot an opening-round 77 in the European Tour event, his second of 2017. He missed the cut a week earlier at the Farmers Insurance Open.
Woods returned to competition in December at the Hero World Challenge, which his foundation also runs. It was the first time he competed since the second of two back surgeries in 2015, a period of 16 months.
The plan for Woods originally was an ambitious start to 2017, with four tournaments in five weeks, including this week's event at Riviera, where he played in his first professional event as an amateur in 1992 as a 16-year-old high school student.
"My doctors have advised me not to play the next two weeks, to continue my treatment and to let my back calm down," Woods said in a statement on Friday. "This is not what I was hoping for or expecting. I am extremely disappointed to miss the Genesis Open, a tournament that benefits my foundation, and The Honda Classic, my hometown event."