Scottie Scheffler says it is "very special" to join golf greats Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus as the only players to hold the Masters and Players Championship titles at the same time.

Scheffler won the Players' Championship at Sawgrass on Sunday by five strokes, re-claiming the world number one ranking in the process.

The 26-year-old American's dominant victory comes after winning last month's Phoenix Open, along with last season's PGA Player of the Year after collecting his first four tour titles.

Scheffler has won six of his past 27 events, but joining Woods and Nicklaus in a rare group meant a lot to him.

"It's quite a special group of people," Scheffler told reporters, before joking: "We could add all our majors and Players together and I have two now and they have a lot more than that.

"But any time you can get mentioned in the same breath as Tiger and Jack it's very special. I'm very grateful for that."

Scheffler's career-best form comes with his Masters' defence a month away, and he described how his game has matured over the past 18 months.

"I'm just comfortable with where my game is," Scheffler said. "I feel like I'm improving. I'm definitely learning more and the more you can get into contention and be in the moments. I would say that's probably the most valuable thing is knowing what you feel like and being able to prepare for it.

"I am a bit more comfortable knowing what I need to do. I think before Phoenix [in 2022] I had this idea that I had to play perfect on Sundays and hit nothing but good shots and that's not necessarily how golf is played. Very rarely do I hit it exactly how I want to and maybe only a couple times a tournament. Most of it is just managing your way around a golf course.

"Going into the Masters, it's going to be a fun week… but by the time we tee it up Thursday everybody starts at even par so it probably doesn't have much of an effect."

The American went on a run of five birdies around the turn at Sawgrass, picking up shots at each hole from eight to 12, on the way to a 69 that took him to 17 under, finishing five shots clear of Tyrrell Hatton. Scheffler broke 70 in all four of his rounds.

"I played really well the whole week, really solid," Scheffler said. "I had some times throughout week where I didn't feel like I was swinging my best or playing at a 100 per cent, and then I would just kind of wait and pick my moments, and fortunately, I got kind of hot in spurts in each of my rounds, whether it was the back nine on the first round or eight-through-12 this afternoon.

"I just found a way to choose my moments and get hot here and there and had four just really solid rounds."

Scheffler's dominance at the notoriously challenging Sawgrass was an ominous sign for the Masters at Augusta National.

"I get excited for a good hard test," he said. "I feel like that I can find a way to make pars and hang in there.

"This week I think I had five bogeys for the whole week. Around this place that's really, really hard to do and that's probably what I'm most proud of is just playing so solid. I think I just like the challenge of kind of harder golf courses."

The Floridian fairways and greens of Sawgrass are in a splendid state ahead of the Players Championship, but the same can hardly be said for professional golf as a whole.

Riven by conflict and division, the turbulence of the last year is reflected by who is absent this week. The defending champion, Cameron Smith, for starters.

A defector to LIV Golf, drawn in by a staggering signing-on fee of reportedly $100million, Smith traded his parking spot and right to practise at Sawgrass, his local course, for the Saudi bounty.

It would be difficult for anybody to turn down such riches, so rather than sit in judgement of the 29-year-old Australian it is a timely moment to look at where the sport finds itself, with the PGA Tour battling to retain talent.

Notorious LIV? Mo money, mo problems

Is the LIV tour really the black-hearted enemy to golf that some would portray it as? It obviously would say not, and its tour chiefs, headed by CEO Greg Norman, have mounted passionate defences of the splinter series that has put up huge sums to draw in many of the world's elite.

Golf can be a short-lived career for stars at the highest level, so young players may see an opportunity to make quick money and instantly set themselves up for life.

Those at the opposite end, who have made phenomenal money already but are perhaps seeing diminishing returns, have been handed opportunities to cash in on their big profiles for a late-career pay day. Look to the likes of Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood in this regard.

Would those in the middle be quite so tempted? The PGA Tour would hope they might show loyalty after being well served, so it will have particularly hurt to see the likes of Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed and Bryson DeChambeau make the leap across.

Norman has argued LIV is "unlocking potential", claiming in a News Nation interview in January that golf "has been stuck in a box for 53 years". 

Australian Norman also took criticism for declaring that "we've all made mistakes", when he defended the Saudi regime last year, responding to the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The fact LIV is bankrolled by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) has sparked suggestions golf is being manipulated for sportswashing purposes, and those claims are not going away.

How has the PGA Tour responded?

When the weapon in a fight is money, you have to find more of it to keep the troops happy.

The PGA Tour has hiked up prize funds at eight key events this season. Among these is The Players, where it has leapt from $20m last year to a $25m purse this week.

That announcement came last June. As recently as last week, though, the PGA Tour confirmed it would introduce designated events with limited fields and no cuts from 2024, in what it hopes is a compelling move to fend off more LIV defections.

Tour commissioner Jay Monahan described the eight 'no-cut' events for 2024 as "can't-miss tournaments", with players able to earn places through the regular tour season.

LIV Golf reacted to the announcement by stating on Twitter: "Imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Congratulations PGA Tour. Welcome to the future."

The PGA Tour insists there are striking differences, with the opportunity for players to earn spots through year-round competition, rather than being guaranteed a place week-in, week-out.

Tiger Woods has spoken of this being a "very turbulent" period for golf, but he remains committed to the PGA Tour, with the 47-year-old American said to have turned down an offer of around $700m to $800m.

Rory McIlroy is firmly opposed to LIV taking over, too, and the PGA Tour has kept a host of household names – the likes of Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay – while others have slipped away.

Looking at the no-cut events, McIlroy has said major sponsors "want a guarantee that the stars are there", and blue-chip investment will be essential if the PGA Tour is to keep raising prize pots.

"If that's what needs to happen, then that's what happens," the Northern Irishman added.

What next? Will others jump ship?

The LIV tour has expanded to become a 14-event season, running from last month's opening tournament in Mayakoba, Mexico, through to the November finale in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Eight of those events will take place in the United States, including the March 17-20 Tucson tournament.

It has a US TV deal now, with CW Network. The major sport networks have not picked it up yet, but this marks a significant stepping stone.

By next year, it may even be awarding ranking points, although that is far from certain to come to pass.

There will be LIV players allowed to compete at the Masters next month, and they are set to be able to compete at all four majors, while remaining exiled from the PGA Tour and Europe's DP World Tour, and quite possibly the Ryder Cup.

Chile's Mito Pereira and Colombian Sebastian Munoz have moved across from the PGA Tour this year, and the question is whether any more notable names will also be tempted.

Cantlay, who was rumoured to be considering a switch to LIV last season, said the no-cut PGA Tour step would "make the Tour stronger and put an emphasis on those weeks".

What about this week? It's a mess, isn't it?

Smith's absence is a tough one for the Players Championship to swallow. Organisers have been unable to herald the champion's return, and Smith would sooner be involved than on the outside, but he made his choice and this is the consequence.

In fact, last year's top three are all LIV-ing it up these days, with Anirban Lahiri and Paul Casey consequently not involved this week either.

Smith lives just down the road, and he told Golf.com he would "definitely be watching on TV", hinting he could even turn up to watch.

"I grew up my whole childhood watching the event and yeah I'd love to get out there," Smith said.

"I don't know how it would kind of be received, but getting out there and watching, walking around in the crowd, might be pretty funny."

In a serious, big-bucks business, there would be a sense of pantomime to that happening, and it seems unlikely Smith will roll up. But then this all seemed unlikely two years ago, and here we are.

Tiger Woods will not take part in The Players Championship next week after failing to enter the tournament before Friday's deadline.

The 82-time PGA Tour winner finished tied for 45th at the Genesis Invitational in February, with that his first appearance since The Open last July.

However, after competing in his first standard PGA Tour event since October 2020, Woods confirmed he will mainly focus on being ready for this year's four majors.

That means skipping the PGA Tour's flagship tournament, which gets under way on Thursday at TPC Sawgrass, with Woods not part of the 144-player field announced on Friday.

The list includes 43 of the world's top-50 players, including top three Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy.

Woods, who continues to be hampered by mobility issues caused in a career-threatening car accident in February 2021, had been eligible due to winning The Masters in 2019.

The two-time Players Championship winner is expected to next be in action at The Masters in early April.

Tiger Woods got some backing on Tuesday from two-time LPGA major winner and Solheim Cup captain Suzann Pettersen when asked about his controversial tampon stunt at the Genesis Invitational.

Woods received backlash after cameras caught him handing a tampon to playing partner Justin Thomas after out-driving him.

The 15-time major champion apologised when asked about the motive behind the joke, saying he did not intend to cause offence.

"If I offended anybody in any way, shape or form, I'm sorry," he said. "It was not intended to be that way. 

"It was just – we play pranks on one another all the time, and virally, I think this did not come across that way, but between us it was different."

Speaking to the media after being named the European Solheim Cup captain for the next two editions of the event, Pettersen said she knows Woods, and believes his "boyish" humour had no malice.

"I know Tiger quite well," she said. "I don't know Justin Thomas as well, but I know kind of Tiger's humour, and that's a very probably boyish joke between the two of them and I don't really take it too personal.

"I think that was supposed to be a gag between the two of them and unfortunately some cameras caught it in the heat of the moment. I don't know, I don't think he meant to be offensive in any way.

"I'm pretty easy on stuff like that. I'm sure it was meant as a joke, not as a harassment to women in general."

Pettersen's vice-captain, Dame Laura Davies, acknowledged that the joke was sexist, but said "it's just banter on a golf course".

"I think it's misplaced jokes, a laddy kind of joke," she said. "Maybe he misread the situation – I personally am not offended by it.

"People seem to be looking for things to worry about. It's a shame it happened. We are talking about this rather than them entertaining thousands of people – I'm sure Tiger meant no harm by it. 

"I can't believe there was any malice in it. It was really poorly judged, I am sure he would regret he did it now. He will be disappointed that he has been shown to be a bit sexist with what he did. 

"It's just a bit of fun, it's just banter on a golf course. When Tiger does it, unfortunately, everything gets magnified."

Jon Rahm remains the hottest player in golf after securing the Genesis Invitational title on Sunday with a final score of 17 under.

The win was his fifth from his past nine worldwide starts, and his third PGA Tour title of 2023 after going back-to-back at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and The American Express in January. He also won the Spanish Open in October, and the DP World Tour Championship in November.

He led by three strokes coming into his final round at Riviera Country Club, and he remained with a multi-stroke lead after posting a two-under front nine. But things went haywire on the home stretch, with bogeys on 10 and 12 briefly handing Max Homa a one-stroke lead.

Homa would bogey the 13th, tying things up at 15 under, before Rahm pulled away again with a 45-foot birdie putt on 14, and a tap-in birdie after a picture-perfect tee shot on the par-three 16th.

Homa ended up two strokes behind Rahm at 15 under, giving him his fourth top-three finish from eight PGA Tour starts this season, including two wins.

Patrick Cantlay finished one further back at 14 under, Will Zalatoris rode the best score of the day – a seven-under 64 – up into outright fourth place at 13 under, and Keith Mitchell rounded out the top five at 12 under.

Speaking to CBS after stepping off the final green, Rahm was asked to explain the joy of his 10th PGA Tour win, having surpassed the total of his childhood hero Seve Ballesteros (nine).

"I could explain exhaustion right now," he said. "Because that was a tough week, and a tough Sunday.

"Max battled out there, and Patrick kind of gave us a scare, but I'm just glad I could come through at the end.

"Beating Seve – I know he didn't play full-time PGA tour, and I know five of those wins are majors – but still, to reach that milestone of double-digit wins is pretty incredible.

"To do it at a golf course with this legacy, this history, and hosted by the man himself Tiger Woods – it's a true honour, I can't really explain it."

Woods carded a two-over 73 on Sunday to finish equal 45th at one-under overall.

Tiger Woods confirmed he plays to play all four majors but little else this year after finishing under par on his latest comeback at the Genesis Invitational.

Woods, playing his first non-major PGA Tour event since October 2020, posted rounds of 69, 74 and 67 before closing on Sunday with a two-over 73 on his final trip around Riviera Country Club, to score one under par overall.

It was the first time Woods had completed a 72-hole tournament since the Masters in April, and he noticeably had far less of a limp this time around as he continued to manage his badly damaged ankle.

He was interviewed by CBS after finishing, reflecting on his week, and said: "My game is fine.

"Yeah, it is rusty, I made some silly mistakes here and there. I didn't quite pick up the speed of the greens each and every day fast enough – like I normally would if I was playing – but overall, I feel like I hit the ball like I have been hitting it at home.

"Now I just happened to bring it out here where I had to walk from point A to point B, and that was always the difficulty of it.

"I'm just so thankful for all my team for getting me ready each and every night, and morning, and at least giving myself a chance to go out there and play – and I was able to do it."

After a better-than-expected showing, the 15-time major winner was asked when he plans to play again.

"Competitively, I don't know," Woods said. "My goal each and every year from here going forward is to play in all the majors.

"I'm not going to play too much more than that. My body – my leg, and my back – just won't allow me to play much more than that any more.

"That was my goal last year, and I was able to play three of the four. This year hopefully I can play all four. That is going to be my schedule going forward, because of all the limitations I have."

Woods shared part of the reason he decided to play this week, highlighting the special place in his heart held by Riviera Country Club.

"This wasn't the first PGA Tour I ever attended… but I was here [at the 1983 US PGA Championship] when Hal [Sutton] beat Jack [Nicklaus]," he said.

"This is truly – either here or maybe even St Andrews – one of the most historical tee shots, because they can't go anywhere but that same tee box. You look back in history at this club and everyone has hit from the exact same tee spot on 18.

"I was lucky enough to be part of that history, and play the golf course, and unfortunately my streak still continues, I've never won here, but hopefully next year.

"I'm a So-Cal kid at heart, and to be able to go to from my PGA Tour debut… to now being the host of this event, I would never have foreseen that. I'm very lucky, and very thankful."

Jon Rahm rolled in a birdie on the 18th hole to claim a three-shot lead after the third day at the Genesis Invitational on Saturday, while Tiger Woods produced his best round of the tournament.

The Spaniard overtook halfway point leader Max Homa by carding a bogey-free six-under-par 65 on Saturday, taking him to 15-under overall at Riviera Country Club.

Rahm was part of a trio of players, alongside Keith Mitchell and Lee Hodges, one stroke behind Homa heading into the third round but moved into the lead buoyed by four birdies on his front nine.

Woods narrowly made the cut on Friday and backed that up with a three-under round for 67 that included an eagle on the first hole, his 10th of the round, with a brilliant approach setting up a tap-in putt.

The 47-year-old remains well back on the leaderboard at three-under overall but moved up 32 spots for the round.

Homa slipped from the lead with back-to-back bogeys on the 15th and 16th holes proving costly as he managed a round of two-under-par 69 to be 12-under overall.

Mitchell is one stroke behind him at 11-under, with Patrick Cantlay fourth on 10-under followed by Gary Woodland after his four-under-par 67 moved him up to nine-under overall.

There is a group of four players at seven-under overall ahead of the final day, including Denny McCarthy who shot the best round of the day with a seven-under-par 64 that included an eagle on the par-four 10th hole. He is tied with Collin Morikawa, Tom Hoge and Adam Svensson.

Max Homa is seeking his third title of the PGA Tour season after taking the outright lead into the weekend at the Genesis Invitational, while Tiger Woods also made the cut.

Homa followed his opening 64 with a three-under 68 on his second trip around Riviera Country Club, finishing his round at 10 under overall after a bogey on 18.

Currently ranked a career-high 12th in the world, Homa has a chance to break into the top-10 for the first time with another strong result.

Meanwhile, Woods' putter let him down as he posted a three over round, but despite three bogeys from his final four holes, he snuck in right on the cut-line at one over.

One stroke behind Homa at nine under are the trio of Jon Rahm, Keith Mitchell and Lee Hodges, with Hodges the only player to shoot a 66 or better on Friday.

Collin Morikawa is alone in fifth at eight under, Patrick Cantlay is the only player at seven under, while Rory McIlroy (six under) and Will Zalatoris (five under) also find themselves in the top-10.

World number one Scottie Scheffler is one further back at four under, and former world number one Jason Day clawed his way back into contention with a 67 to sit at three under.

The shot of the day came from world number six Xander Schauffele, who was two strokes outside the cut-line before a slam-dunk eagle on the par-five 17th, making it through on the number.

Tiger Woods made his first cut since The Masters in April despite leaving plenty of shots on the greens during his second round at the Genesis Invitational on Friday.

Woods, who closed his opening round Thursday with three consecutive birdies, finished in a more disappointing fashion his second time around Riviera Country Club with three bogeys from his final four holes.

He ended up with two birdies and five bogeys for a three-over 74, leaving him at one over for the tournament – landing right on the weekend side of the cut line.

Reflecting on his round, Woods' focus was all on his putter, pointing out that he played far better than his score indicates.

"I did not putt well today, I blocked a lot of putts early and this is probably the highest score I could have shot today," he said. "Probably should have shot probably five or six better than this easily. 

"I just didn't make the putts early and the middle part of the round when I had those opportunities – and they weren't very hard putts – I just hit bad putts and obviously had a very bad finish, too.

"I just blocked them, they were just bad putts. They were not very hard, good reads. I brought Joey [caddie Joe LaCava] in on a couple of them and I just hit bad putts. 

"So I could have easily got off to a very hot start and I did not, and then in the middle part of the round I could have turned it around a little bit and I did not."

This was Woods' non-major PGA Tour start since October 2020, and he sits 11 shots off leader Max Homa.

Pep Guardiola wants Manchester City to emulate the great Tiger Woods by never giving up in their title tussle with Arsenal.

City beat the Gunners 3-1 in a thrilling encounter at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday to move top of the Premier League.

The defending champions have played a game more than Arsenal and are only top on goal difference, however, with Guardiola convinced his team have had some good fortune.

Yet he pointed to golf legend and 15-time major champion Woods – who returned to the PGA Tour this week for the first time since suffering serious leg injuries in a car crash in 2021 – as a source of inspiration.

"Right now, we could be 10 or 12 points behind. We are a bit lucky," he told reporters ahead of Saturday's trip to Nottingham Forest. 

"If [Arsenal] won at Everton when they played to win, we lost at Spurs, we lost to Arsenal then we are 10 points behind and the game is over.

"Now we could be 10-12 points behind even [with Arsenal having played] one game less. We're top of the league after two nights when they have been top all season.

"You never, ever, ever can give up. The biggest athletes never do. This weekend is the best weekend because Tiger is back. He's playing at the Genesis Invitational.

"We have to learn from the greatest and he never gives up. He is two over, one over, then finishes the last round with birdie, birdie, birdie. Never give up, continue until the end."

Guardiola said in the wake of City's win in north London that his first-half tactics had been "horrible".

Bernardo Silva was deployed as a left-back until Manuel Akanji replaced Riyad Mahrez early in the second half,  enabling the Portugal international to switch to the right wing.

City, who took the lead through Kevin De Bruyne but were pegged back by Bukayo Saka's penalty, went on to clinch the points through Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland.

"I meant in general how I imagined the game, it didn't work, not because Bernardo played left-back," said Guardiola, explaining his post-match comments.

"If it works I am brave, if it doesn't work I am overthinking. Arrogant. 'What is Pep believing, changing tactics? Why don't you play Kevin De Bruyne all the time? Why don't you play the other ones?'

"Because Kevin De Bruyne cannot play all the games. He needs to be fresh here [in the head]. He has to get the message, he can do better.

"I cannot go to sleep or wake up in the morning, have something inside of me visualising what the opponent can do and think: 'The normal thing is play the starting XI that people around the world say is the best.'

"In 14 years, starting with the second team Barcelona, I never took a decision like: 'I am going [to show off].'"

Haaland's neat finish brought up his 26th league goal of the season, though City's use of their star striker had been called into question after the 1-0 loss at Spurs.

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher went as far as to say Haaland "might have picked the wrong club to actually get the best out of him".

Asked about Carragher's comments, Guardiola said: "I understand it. What can I say – I'm open to all opinions. So [Jamie] will have his argument.

"It's important I have the feeling that [Haaland] feels so happy here. Committed. Not because he already scored 26 goals, but it was a surprise for all of us, a real surprise.

"We didn't know him. We knew his stats, his numbers, his laughs when he played at Dortmund, but we are all of us really surprised at how he is as a boy – because he's a boy."

Guardiola is also hopeful Ilkay Gundogan will sign a new contract at City, with his deal set to expire at the end of the season.

Tiger Woods was accused of a "stupid" and misogynistic prank at the Genesis Invitational after handing Justin Thomas a tampon during his opening round.

Woods passed the sanitary product to his friend after outdriving Thomas from the ninth tee, with the 15-time major winner facing criticism on his return to the PGA Tour.

This is not only 47-year-old Woods' comeback event, having not played competitively since last year's Open Championship, but he is also the tournament host.

USA Today writer Christine Brennan wrote of the bizarre incident: "Woods' message to Thomas was obvious. It has been the go-to line of silly, often insecure boys for generations: You play like a girl. Really, Tiger?"

Brennan said Thursday's episode was "basic misogyny" and "a knee-slapper of a dig against female athletes".

Julie DiCaro, author of the book 'Sidelined: Sports, Culture, and Being a Woman in America', also condemned Woods.

She wrote on Twitter: "Ugh. All the guys think this is hilarious, but the joke is denigrating women. So played out and stupid."

Golf writer Shane Ryan, author of Ryder Cup book 'The Cup They Couldn't Lose', said Woods had reached a "new low" with his antics.

Ryan wrote: "Tiger Woods' humour has always been slightly lame, dumb-jock type of stuff, but becoming a prop comic? That's a new low."

Other views were available, and former professional golfer turned social media personality Paige Spiranac defended Woods, writing: "If anyone tries to cancel Tiger over this we riot. It's funny.

"I need a LIV vs PGA tour Ryder cup type event just so Tiger can give Phil [Mickelson] a tampon after out driving him."

Woods finished his first round with three consecutive birdies to score a two-under-par 70 . He dropped back to level par after bogeying two of his opening four holes on Friday, after starting his second round on the back nine, before making birdie at his fifth to repair some of the early damage.

Tiger Woods was battling a combination of overflowing adrenaline and rust as he made his return to the course for Thursday's opening round of the Genesis Invitational.

Woods birdied his first hole, but struggled with some makeable putts soon after, dropping to one over by the time he reached the 15th hole.

From that point on it was like the Tiger of old, collecting a two on the par-three 16th, drilling a long birdie putt on the par-five 17th, and placing a beautiful approach on the 18th to set-up his third birdie in a row to finish.

Reflecting on his performance afterwards, Woods said he felt the pressure to sink the final birdie.

"I didn't want to be the idiot host to miss it right in front of everybody after I just went birdie-birdie," he said with a smile. "It was a great round."

Playing alongside two-time major champion Justin Thomas and renowned long-driver Rory McIlroy, Woods said he even surprised himself as he out-drove his partners on a few occasions.

"There's nothing like come game time, just the feeling of the butterflies and trying to calm all that stuff down," he said. "Even though it's cold out here, [the ball] was going even further than we expected. I had to dial all that back in.

"I was trying to calm myself down all day, trying to figure out what the hell I'm doing out here, because I haven't played."

The 15-time major champion gave some insight into his ever-changing physical condition, saying he never knows what to expect out of his damaged ankle.

"My ankle's a lot smaller than it has been," he said. "I've had so many surgeries that the ankle just keeps changing, the leg keeps changing, yes, the shoes keep changing, the socks keep changing. 

"Everything's a moving target. How much I'm on my feet, how much I'm not, how active I am, how not active, the muscles that are on, they're off. It's a moving target all the time."

While the high quality of play was a joy to behold, so was the camaraderie between the featured group, and Woods said that is something he has missed.

"The ebb and flow of needling each other, encouraging each other and telling stories," he said. "I hadn't been out here, so I've missed some of the things that have transpired on tour, which is kind of fun."

It was fun for McIlroy as well, who finished the day tied for seventh at four under, although he admitted he did not enjoy seeing Woods' drives travel past his.

"I'm going to work on the range," McIlroy said. "I don't like him hitting it by me."

Max Homa and Keith Mitchell are tied for the lead after Thursday at the Genesis Invitational, but all eyes were on Tiger Woods as he finished his opening round with three consecutive birdies.

In his first non-major PGA Tour start since October 2020, Woods displayed impressive physical capabilities, often out-driving his playing partners Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas.

The 15-time major champion birdied his first hole – to a raucous ovation – but he had three bogeys and one birdie over his next 11, reaching the 15th at one over.

He proceeded to electrify the audience with a birdie after a beautiful approach on the par-three 16th, before following it with a long-range birdie putt on the par-five 17th, and another picture-perfect approach on the last set him up for his third birdie in a row to finish at two under.

Playing partners McIlroy (four under) and Thomas (three under) both also birdied the 18th in a thrilling finale for the featured group.

Homa and Mitchell were the only players to shoot seven-under 64s during their first trip around Riviera Country Club, while the red-hot Jon Rahm is alone in third at six under.

Collin Morikawa is part of the three-man group at five under, McIlroy headlines the group at four under, and Thomas is joined by Patrick Cantlay and Rickie Fowler at three under.

There is a loaded group with Woods at two under, including Viktor Hovland, Will Zalatoris, Xander Schauffele and Im Sung-jae.

Tiger Woods says the past 12 months have been a "very turbulent" period for golf following the launch of the LIV Golf series that has threatened the game's status quo.

The 15-time major champion will make his comeback at the Genesis Invitational on Thursday where he will tee off with Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas.

Woods, 47, will be making his first non-major PGA Tour appearance since the Zozo Championship in October 2020, having spent a lengthy time out after the car accident in February 2021 that left him with multiple significant leg injuries.

In the meantime, LIV Golf launched in June last year, with numerous high-profile players defecting from the PGA Tour, creating a divide and fractures within the sport.

"The past year since, if you go back to this week at Genesis last year to where it's at now, we all have to say it's been very turbulent," Woods said. "We never would have expected the game of golf to be in this situation, but it is, that's the reality.

"I was alluding to trying to create the best product. Obviously, they're a competitive organization trying to create their best product they possibly can, and we're trying to create the best product that we think for the future of golf, how it should be played.

"How do we do that? We're still working on it. We have so many top players that are aligned. We need to have our top players understand that we need to play around the world and create the best product possible.

"It's been an ebb and flow, it really has. And it's been difficult, there's no lie. You've seen our ambassador, Rory, go through it. It's been tough on him, but he's been exceptional.

"To be able to go through all that, I've been with him on all those conference calls and side meetings, and for him to go out there and play and win, it's been incredible."

The PGA Tour has been threatened by LIV Golf, which used eight 54-hole no-cut stroke play tournaments and a final Team Championship in its inaugural season to create a new and exciting product with a point of difference.

LIV Golf will evolve into a league format for the next season with a 14-event schedule and 48 contracted players.

Woods, whose foundation organizes the upcoming Genesis Invitational at the Riviera Country Club in California, said the PGA Tour is working on ways to maintain its position as golf's leading series to rival LIV Golf's updated offerings.

"We are in the process of figuring all that out," Woods said. "It's been a variety of different models and opinions. Trying to figure out what's the best product and competitive environment. What we should do going forward.

"Limited fields, what's the number? Cuts, yes or no? What's the number? How many players are playing the event? What's the ability to get into the designated events? How is [PGA Tour commissioner] Jay [Monahan] able to sell our product to the different sponsors across the board?

"There's so much give and take. It's still ongoing. It's been difficult. A lot of the players have been very forthright, which is great. We're trying to help our commissioner create what he can sell so all of us can benefit."

LeBron James' achievement has been hailed as "absolutely incredible" by Tiger Woods, who also praised Tom Brady's legendary playing career.

James last week became the all-time points leader in NBA history, with the Los Angeles Lakers star overtaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's long-standing record.

The 38-year-old is a four-time NBA champion, four-time NBA Finals MVP and four-time league MVP.

Ahead of his return to the PGA Tour at the Genesis Invitational, Woods was asked for his thoughts on James' feat, and suggested Sam Snead and himself would be golf's equivalent to the 19-time NBA All-Star.

"What he accomplished is absolutely incredible," Woods told reporters.

"Just the durability, the consistency and the longevity. I grew up watching Kareem, he was the Cap [Captain], that's all I remember – the showtime Lakers, watching Cap.

"That record, nobody ever thought it would be broken, but also the amount of minutes he's playing, nobody's ever done it at that age and the way he's done it, being able to play all five positions. That's never been done at this level for this long.

"As far as our equivalent to that... I don't know, maybe you look at me and Sam, at 82 [PGA Tour wins each, a joint-record]. It takes a career to get to those numbers, that's probably best how you look at it."

While James is set to play on, a star of another sport – Brady – has retired.

NFL great Brady, who had a short-lived retirement in 2022, called time on his playing days "for good" earlier in February, ending a 23-year career at the highest level.

The quarterback is one of the most successful players of all time, with seven Super Bowl rings to his name, and has the most career wins of any QB.

Aaron Rodgers might also be considering retirement, and Woods is astounded at the pair's longevity, especially when it comes to 45-year-old Brady.

"There was a touch and go whether I'd be back after my back fusion," said Woods when asked about the mindset of the duo when it comes to retirement. 

"I didn't know if I was going to be able to walk again, I came back and had a nice little run. The same again with this leg. I didn't know if I was going to be able to play again and I played three majors last year.

"When you get a little bit older and a little more banged up, you’re not as invincible as you once were – that's just the reality of all of us ageing. Those are contact sports, I don't know how they've played [so long].

"Tom, playing as long as he did and the level he played at, it was phenomenal. We just have to look at him as an outlier, as how great that was.

"I remember as a kid growing up watching John Elway speak and just crying as he said 'I can do it but my body won't allow me to anymore'. He won the last two Super Bowls but he just could not physically do it anymore.

"I've got to that point a few times where you think of [retirement]. My sport, there's no contact, I don't have 300lb guys falling on me. It's just a matter of shooting a low score. We have the ability to pick and choose, play a little bit longer.

"We've seen my hero – Arnold Palmer – play in 50 straight Masters. Fifty straight. I'm not even 50 years old yet! You look at Gary Player, who played in 51 Masters. We're different sports."