Tommy Fleetwood got off to a slow start with a one under par finish on day one of the Genesis Invitational in California.
Fleetwood finds himself tied in 28th along with some of the tour’s brightest stars such as Collin Morikawa, Rickie Fowler, Tony Finau and Xander Schauffele.
USA’s Patrick Cantlay sits atop the leaderboard at seven under par after an impressive first day which saw him play a consistent round as he recorded nine birdies across the Riviera Country Club course.
Fleetwood was able to cruise through a quiet day on the course. He started well with a birdie on the first hole which was a par five before two more birdies on the seventh and eighth holes which saw him finish the first nine in a promising position.
The Southport native was not able to continue his momentum as he suffered a bogey on the 11th hole as he recorded six shots on a par five to upset his first day run.
He was able to steady the ship by recording a par on every remaining remaining as he hopes to regain himself and build on the -1 across the four-day tournament. Fleetwood is yet to have a PGA Tour victory.
Tiger Woods also made his return to the PGA Tour following last April’s Masters where he withdrew in round three of the competition with an injury that required him to have ankle surgery soon after.
Woods had a rocky day on the course with highs and lows. He finished the day with five birdies and six bogeys which ultimately left him one over par.
He suffered a back spasm on the 18th hole which saw him shank the ball to the right of the fairway.
No one is immune to the dreaded shank.
Not even Tiger Woods. pic.twitter.com/6qJQY1W5yU
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 15, 2024
Woods said: “My back was spasming the last couple holes and it was locking up, but that’s just part of the deal, and I look forward to the challenge.”
McIlroy continues to disappoint on the PGA tour as he finished on a three over par 71 which leaves him tied in 49th place.
The Northern Irishman was three under par after 10 holes but capitulated on the tail end of the course as he suffered a double bogey on the 15th and followed that up with a triple bogey on the 16th hole, which left him three over par and tied in 64th place.
He will be hoping to grow into competition, as he so often does, but this lacklustre opening day leaves him with an uphill battle that may leave him outside the podium by the time of Sunday night’s finale in the Pacific Palisades in California.
The Genesis Invitational continues until Sunday night at the Riviera Country Club in California.
