Tiger Woods Withdraws From The Genesis Due to Illness/Fever/Dizziness, Was Treated With An IV Bag

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Tiger Woods withdrew from the Genesis Invitational midway through his second round on Friday due to pretty severe flu-like symptoms, according to his longtime confidant/business partner Rob McNamara. 

"He started feeling some flu-like symptoms last night," McNamara, who is executive vice president of TGR ventures, said after Woods' WD. "Woke up this morning, they were worse than the night previous. He had a little bit of a fever and that, and was better during the warm-up, but then when he got out there and was walking and playing, he started feeling dizzy. Ultimately the doctors are saying he's got some -- potentially some type of flu and that he was dehydrated. He's been treated with an IV bag and he's doing much, much better and he'll be released on his own here soon."

McNamara said Woods' decision to withdraw was not related to the back spasms Woods said he battled toward the end of Thursday's opening-round 71. Woods said a back spasm caused the cold-hard shank he hit on the 18th hole on Thursday. 

"Not physical at all, his back's fine. It was all medical illness, dehydration, which is now the symptoms are reversing themselves now that he's had an IV."

Woods withdrew immediately after finding the fairway on the par-4 7th hole on Friday. He was one over for his round and +2 on the tournament when he headed for the clubhouse. What followed was something of a bizarre scene; two fire engines parked just outside the Riviera clubhouse, and an ambulance backed itself up right outside a service door. Some two dozen media members camped outside to see if Woods might leave in the truck, but two paramedics went into the clubhouse and came out shortly thereafter saying Woods would not be coming out. The engines and ambulances then left, and McNamara's statement suggests Woods was treated with an IV inside the clubhouse. 

This week marked Woods' sixth PGA Tour start since his traumatic single-car accident in Los Angeles almost exactly three years ago. He has finished 72 holes just twice. He has missed the cut once and withdrawn three times, including in each of his last two PGA Tour starts. 

It's not clear whether Woods will hang around Los Angeles to continue his hosting duties for this week's event, which benefits his TGR foundation. Woods said at the Hero World Challenge in December that he hoped to play at roughly a once-a-month cadence this year and said earlier this week that his right ankle has been pain-free after the subtalar ankle fusion surgery he had after last year's Masters.