Aaron Rai reflects on watching his idol Tiger Woods play at the Riviera in 2023

Aaron Rai this week shared how watching his idol Tiger Woods compete at the 2023 Genesis Invitational was "an absolute privilege" for him. Rai is gearing up to compete at the 2024 Hero World Challenge, a tournament hosted by Woods.

In the pre-tournament press conference, Rai reflected on his experience at the 2023 Genesis Invitational, held at The Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California. He said (via TGRLiveEvents),

"Like a lot of golfers of this generation, I would have grown up idolizing him. Being able to watch him play nine holes was amazing. Even a couple of years ago, Riviera, to meet him, to watch him up close and personal, to see how he prepares certain shots that he plays, was an absolute privilege for me."

The English golfer had a great 2024 season, registering his maiden PGA Tour victory. This month, he will be making his first appearance at the Hero World Challenge. Talking about the event, he said,

"When I got the invite to play this week, I think I was on a high for the next few days that followed it. When I found out about the Hero Challenge, I was incredibly nervous yesterday teeing it up. I think, actually, I was in the same position there. But yeah, just an amazing experience to be here playing his event and to be around him. It's a true privilege."

Ahead of the main tournament, Aaron Rai won the 2024 Hero Shot defeating Jason Day, Akshay Bhatia, and others. He's among the first group that will tee off at the tournament. That group tees off at 10:46 am ET and is paired with Matthieu Pavon.

Aaron Rai's odds of winning the 2024 Hero World Challenge

On his debut at the 2024 Hero World Challenge, Aaron Rai has odds of +2500, as per BetMGM Sportsbook. He's not among the top 10 favorites but will look to defy the odds. The tournament is being held at Albany Golf Course in Nassau, Bahamas from Thursday, December 5, to Sunday, December 8.

In the last four starts on the PGA Tour, he has one win and three top-25 finishes. In the last two starts on the DP World Tour, he has had one top-5 finish at the BMW PGA Championship and a missed cut at the Open de Espana.

Let's take a look at Aaron Rai's 2024 performances on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour:

2024 PGA TOUR Tournaments

Sony Open in Hawaii: T57
The American Express: Missed Cut
Farmers Insurance Open: T33
WM Phoenix Open: Missed Cut
Mexico Open at Vidanta: T19
Puerto Rico Open: T23
THE PLAYERS Championship: T35
Valspar Championship: Missed Cut
Texas Children's Houston Open: T7
Valero Texas Open: T58
Corales Puntacana Championship: Missed Cut
THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson: T4
PGA Championship: T39
Charles Schwab Challenge: T32
RBC Canadian Open: T14
U.S. Open: T19
Rocket Mortgage Classic: T2
John Deere Classic: T7
Genesis Scottish Open: T4
The Open: T75
Wyndham Championship: 1
FedEx St. Jude Championship: T16
BMW Championship: T43
TOUR Championship: T23

2023-24 DP World Tournaments

Amgen Irish Open: T42
BMW PGA Championship: T4
acciona Open de España presented by Madrid: Missed Cut

About the author

Rohit is a Golf writer at Sportskeeda who specializes in PGA Tour coverage. With a Bachelor's degree in Journalism from Delhi University and a Master's degree in Global Studies from Ambedkar University, he has always been passionate about writing on varied topics.

Rohit has over 4 years of prior work experience under his belt. He prioritizes thorough fact-checking of every article he pens with the aim of providing readers with the most accurate and insightful content.

Rohit's favorite celebrity sportsperson is Novak Djokovic; he admires his determination in the face of challenges and fighting spirit. Rohit is an avid reader and when he's not busy reading and writing about the latest developments in the vast world of pop culture and sports, he can be seen absorbed by a book. He also loves playing chess.

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Edited by Eeshaan Tiwary