Not for a first time in their careers Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy will tee-up alongside each other and this time for the opening two rounds of the Genesis Open at the Riviera County Club.

In fact, it will be a third occasion in a year with the duo out for the opening two rounds of last year’s event and with McIlroy and Woods grouped together for the final round of last August’s season-ending Tour Championship.

While McIlroy got the better of Woods over two days in the 2018 Genesis, Woods turned the tables on the Ulsterman and ending a more than five-year winless drought in suburban Atlanta.

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy grouped together for a second year running over the first two rounds of the Genesis Open

McIlroy had revealed on Tuesday he received a text message from Woods last week if he liked the idea of the two playing the first two rounds here at Riviera and http://www.golfbytourmiss.com  followed that up with a question to Woods what he liked about playing alongside Rory.

“I’ve always enjoyed playing with Rory,” said Tiger.

“Great kid and unbelievable parents. We’ve gotten close over the years. I’ve always enjoyed watching him play, how he’s developed, and the amount of tournaments he’s won and the majors and the margins he’s won.

“He’s still learning and developing. There’s so many more wins ahead of him, but I’ve just enjoyed being a part of watching him mature on the Tour and getting to know him a lot closer.”