Genesis Invitational Recap:
The Genesis Invitational had all the story lines to keep viewers entertained and now we are here to wrap it all up!
Tiger Woods’ Return:
The big announcement leading up to the tournament was that Tiger Woods would be playing. This was his first appearance of the 2023 season and it would be golf fans first glimpse at how his body has further healed or not over the past 6+ months. Tiger did not disappoint. The first round was a joy to watch as a golf fan. I was watching in amazement as the 47-year-old Tiger was out driving the likes of Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas. The confidence was on full display on the final 3 holes of the first round as he closed out the day with birdie, birdie, birdie and finished with a 69. Tiger’s second round did not look as sharp as Thursday’s as Tiger posted a 74 finishing at +1 through two rounds. At the time of Tiger finished his round, the projected cut line was at even par, meaning Tiger would not qualify to play the weekend. The playing conditions and field played into his favor with the cut line moving to +1. Tiger makes the most of the ability to play the weekend by playing a phenomenal third round of golf. The shot of the week for Tiger was his approach on the Par 5 1st hole where he struck an iron purely to a perfect landing spot allowing the ball to run to within a foot for eagle. His third round was his best round of the week carding a 4 under 67. The best sign of the day was Tiger looked to be moving around the course well. The final round for Tiger consisted of both highs and lows. He had 3 birdies and 5 bogeys on Sunday. The proximity to the hole became a little less dialed on Sunday, which is a huge key to be successful at Riviera. At the end of the week, Tiger has committed to play the majors and a few other events this year, and we golf fans are here for it.
The Battle at the Top:
Coming into the weekend there were many players coming in with the idea of winning at the Genesis Invitational. There was only one that was featured in my preview that had a fire lit after losing last week at the WM Phoenix Open. The Spaniard Jon Rahm. Rahm came into the week knowing he played well enough at the TPC Scottsdale to win but Scottie Scheffler did not let off the gas down the stretch. Scheffler was not allowing any golfer to come between him and that trophy. After the first round at the Riviera, Jon Rahm shot the second lowest score of the day only behind Max Homa and Kevin Mitchell. In the Genesis preview, I had a feeling the local guys were going to have a good week and they did not disappoint. Max Homa and Patrick Cantlay finish in 2nd and 3rd places behind Jon Rahm. The battle on Sunday between Rahm and Homa was must see TV. The two were trading blows back and forth on the front nine like heavyweight boxers. Max Homa tied for the lead on hole # 3 when Jon Rahm bogeyed and Homa birdied. In lieu of Homa’s best attempts, Jon Rahm shut out any chance for a comeback after he birdied the two par 3s on the back 9. Homa’s final chance came on 18 needing to chip in to force a playoff. His attempt came close but did not fall. Patrick Cantlay quietly snuck up the leaderboard to take the 3rd place finish. Other notable finishes were T-6 tie between Satith Theegala and Collin Morikawa. Jason Day earned a T-9 finish playing like the comeback player of the year so far by having 3 top 10 finishes in a row. Finally, there was the Georgia Bulldog Keith Mitchell who finished in 5th place.
Genesis Invitational Projected Top 25 Stats:
Top 5 : 20%
Top 10: 20%
Top 25: 36%