LOS ANGELES – Justin Thomas removed his hat and waited for Tiger Woods to look in his direction.
He was wearing a knowing smirk.
Rory McIlroy drained a final birdie putt of his own and walked toward Woods.
He was laughing.
Full-field scores from The Genesis Invitational
It wasn’t just that the super-group and close friends had enjoyed each other’s company for five hours.
It wasn’t just that they’d thrilled the crowd with a trio of final-hole birdies.
No, it was because Tiger freakin’ Woods – in his first competitive appearance in seven months, still hobbling, still hampered – had birdied the last three holes in the fading daylight to fire a 2-under 69 at the Genesis Invitational.
Because, well, of course he did.
“He did what he always does,” McIlroy said.
We have only a small sample size since Woods returned to competition last April at the Masters. Just nine rounds, none of them particularly noteworthy. But if there’s been a common thread, it’s that he has tailed off toward the end of his rounds and tournaments.
At the Masters, Woods shot 78-78 on the weekend.
At the PGA, after fighting to make the cut, he carded a third-round 79 and withdrew.
At The Open, he began with a 78, mustered only four birdies and finished eighth-worst in the entire field.
It wasn’t entirely unexpected, of course, what with his reconstituted right leg that makes walking painful. But it was an ominous sign, prompting the question: How much better, physically, at age 47, could he actually get?
No, he won’t ever get close to 100% again; both Woods and armchair doctors seem to agree on that. But that doesn’t mean he won’t try every conceivable option to inch toward that goal.
The problem is that he has undergone “so many surgeries” over the past two years, he said, that his leg “keeps changing.” And so his team of trainers and physiotherapists has needed to adapt, too. He’s swapped out his shoes. Changed his socks. Used different tape jobs and wraps. Altered his angles and padding.
“Everything is a moving target,” he said. “Look at where we were last year, and it has completely changed and it will continue to change.
“Unfortunately, that’s my issue – that this leg will never be what it once was. So we have to adapt to it, and my team’s been incredible.”
In the run-up to Riviera, Woods admitted that he hasn’t walked 18 holes for four consecutive days. He doesn’t yet know how his ankle will respond to the constant pounding, or if the plantar fasciitis that knocked him out of the Hero World Challenge in December will flare up again.
The longer Woods stayed on his feet Thursday, the more his soreness intensified. Just like last year, the proof was on the scorecard: After making the turn in 34, he made a sloppy bogey from short of the 10th green, then dropped another shot on 12. He knew his recent trend, and he was determined not to let his play taper off again.
“I was chastising myself pretty hard coming off of 12,” he said, “saying, Hey, we’ve got to really get this going.”
Then came the dart into 16.
And the 23-footer for birdie on 17.
And, finally, his best hole of the day: After rifling a 317-yard drive up the hill on the home hole – slightly past McIlroy – Woods stuffed his approach to 7 feet and poured in the putt.
Cue the grin from Thomas.
Cue the laugh from McIlroy.
It felt familiar and, yet, somehow, unexpected.
“It’s all there,” McIlroy said. “Everyone saw: Off the tee, his iron play, his short game seems pretty sharp, he putted nicely for the most part. I think when you haven’t played a competitive round of golf in six or seven months, you’re going to be a little rusty. But he didn’t show a ton of rust out there, which is great.”
Now, though, comes the recovery.
After signing for his opening 68, Thomas headed down the hill to beat balls. McIlroy (67) was going there, too, after his media obligations.
“I said, ‘I’ll be right there right behind you,’” Woods said with a laugh.
That was a joke. Of course he wouldn’t be. Those post-round range sessions are over, for good.
What Woods had ahead was several hours of ice and treatment.
“Just hit repeat throughout the whole night,” he said.
His second-round tee time was in about 14 hours, at 7:24 a.m. local time, when it’s supposed to feel like 44 degrees. That’s a quick turnaround for any player, but especially one with his maintenance schedule.
“Get ready, get warmed up tomorrow, get a big sweat going on,” Woods said. “Then stay warm and get off to a good start on 10.”
After all, he knew better than anyone: His work had just begun.
