Charley Hoffman was able to play in the Genesis Invitational thanks to how well he did at the WM Phoenix Open. Tiger Woods is hosting the event, which is the first one on tour that the famous player has played in since his ankle surgery last spring.
When Hoffman showed up at Riviera, Woods was the first person to see him. He didn’t miss the chance to give Hoffman a slightly backhanded praise through Golf Digest:
“Good job, old man.”
Woods is, of course, very old. He is, in fact, a little older. The PGA Tour winner has won 82 times and is 48 years old. Hoffman is 47 years old. They both know that they have been on tour for a long time.
Charley Hoffman kept his word, and Tiger Woods is glad
Tiger Woods is hosting the event, so he has a say in who plays. They let some players off the hook if they don’t make it through regular qualifiers. Before getting to the field, Charley Hoffman had asked Woods directly for one. There were none left, though. That’s when he thought he wouldn’t make it and could take some time off.
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He said he didn’t know that his recent form had let him sneak in through the Aon Swing 5, but he was glad he kept his word to Woods:
“Did it happen?! That’s great. That makes me happy. I think I’ll play next week instead of going skiing. We were going to spend a few days skiing in Mammoth. It looks like we’ll have to change our plans! I asked Tiger for an exemption, but he said they were all taken. I told him I’d play my way in, which I guess I did.
That is how Woods’ joke is meant to be taken. He kept his word, and the 15-time major winner used the chance to make fun of him for it. Hoffman is making his 496th start on the tour, and Woods is coming back for his 374th. There’s plenty of experience for everyone.
Woods might have a lot more than Charley Hoffman if he wasn’t hurt. Even if it’s only by a little, he’s the classier of the two of them. That is something he is very aware of, which is what makes his joke so ironic.
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In any case, these two will be going up against each other this weekend. Before Hoffman almost won the WM Phoenix Open, this seemed impossible.
He lost to Nick Taylor in a playoff, coming in one stroke short of the win. Even so, he beat out top players like Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Max Homa, and others to finish in second place and earn a spot at this weekend’s Genesis.
Tiger Woods, Will Zalatoris, Ludvig Aberg, Kevin Yu, Cameron Young, Sepp Straka, Scottie Scheffler, Viktor Hovland, Rory McIlroy, and others will be in that group.
