Pacific Palisades, CA – After spending last week in the cold and rainy Arizona Sonoran Desert, surrounded by both the McDowell Mountain range and the most raucous spectators on the PGA Tour, it was time to switch gears and head back to the City of Angels and the iconic Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California.
Table Setter
The 98th edition of the Genesis Invitational was the third Signature Event of the 2024 PGA Tour season. Hosted by Tiger Woods, the longtime tournament featured 22 of the top-24 ranked players in the Official World Golf Rankings.
The Genesis Invitational, along with the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial Tournament, are the only three Signature Events that feature 36-hole cuts (top 50 and ties plus any players within ten shots of the lead). The Genesis Invitational featured a $20 million purse but boosted the winner’s share to 20% ($4 million) from the standard 18% ($3.6 million).
The tour’s other five Signature Events, two of which have already taken place (The Sentry and Pebble Beach), will continue with the no-cut format while allocating 18% to the winner.
The Course
The 18-hole Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, CA is a private golf course that opened in 1927. Designed by George C. Thomas, Jr., the “Riv” measures 7366 yards from the pro tips and features a slope rating of 137.
The course requires both accuracy and proper club selection to navigate through some less-than-ideal terrain. The entire course was designed by using the original landscaping, propagating and enhancing the surrounding indigenous vegetation, while keeping the Southern California weather conditions in mind.
One of the more interesting elements of the Riviera course is the punishing Kiyuku grass. This spongy vegetation is not long but will trap your ball like Velcro. This will challenge any bump and run shots you want to play. Any wayward tee shots will be gobbled up in the rough, making it difficult to get back into play.
Round 1
It didn’t take long before Patrick Cantlay, a Southern California native, set the opening-round pace at the Genesis with a 7-under 64. The UCLA product opened with three birdies in his first four holes and never really looked back.
“I got off to a great start,” said Cantlay after his round. “Our group had good momentum, Jordan (Spieth) and I were a bunch under on the front nine and, you know, a day where I putted really, really well – made every putt I should have and a couple longer ones. It was a good start.”
In his much-anticipated return to the PGA Tour for the 2024 season, tournament host Tiger Woods (first official PGA Tour start since 2023 Masters) posted a 1-over 72. But the score wasn’t the only takeaway on the day for the 15-time major winner. Heading up the 18th fairway, at even par for the day, Tiger left himself in the middle of the fairway with a mid-iron shot to the green.
He grabbed his 8 iron and proceeded to hit a nasty looking “shank” into a group of eucalyptus trees lining the right side of the fairway, which ultimately resulted in a bogey.
“Oh, definitely I shanked it,” Woods said. “My back was spasming the last couple holes and it was locking up.”
The leaderboard at the end of Round 1 was as follows: 1. Patrick Cantlay -7; T2. Cameron Davis -6, Jason Day -6, Luke List -6; T5. Tom Hoge -5, Jordan Spieth -5, Will Zalatoris -5.
Round 2
With Patrick Cantlay at 13 under, and seemingly running away with this year’s tournament, you’d think he would be the day’s top storyline, but there were three major events which took place on Friday afternoon that seemed to put his amazing 5-shot lead on the back burner.
On the third hole, Tiger Woods asked his caddie for a pullover sweater from his golf bag. This was the first visible sign that something wasn’t quite right with the tournament host. Fortunately, this appeared to be the result of flu symptoms rather than any structural issues. The unexpected exit marked the third withdrawal in his six starts since returning from a 2021 car crash.
Tiger wasn’t the only marquee name departing from Riviera. Jordan Spieth, who was playing in a threesome with Cantlay and Tom Kim, struggled on his homeward nine, producing three bogeys and a double. He then signed an incorrect scorecard which resulted in a DQ (disqualification).
Finally, Will Zalatoris (-6) made a hole-in-one on the par-3 14th hole. For the ace, the Wake Forest alum received a Genesis GV80 while Joel Stock, his caddie, was awarded a Genesis Electrified GV70.
The leaderboard at the end of Round 2: Patrick Cantlay -13 (64, 65); T2. Jason Day -8 (65, 69), Mackenzie Hughes -8 (69, 65), Luke List -8 (65, 69); T5. Corey Conners -7 (70, 65).
Notables who missed the +1 cut included Keegan Bradley (+2), Wyndham Clark (+2), Matt Kuchar (+2), Justin Thomas (+3), and Matt Fitzpatrick (+4).
Round 3
Damp cool weather greeted the golfers and fans alike on Saturday morning. Twosomes were the order of the day as the field was cut to 51 players. (Nineteen players did not make it to the weekend: 17 players missed the cut, 1 withdrew and 1 was disqualified.
Patrick Cantlay (-14) maintained the lead throughout the day at the Riviera Country Club. But it wasn’t easy.
Cantlay’s workmanlike round included a bunch of par-saving putts, a few good bounces, and a disappointing late bogey, resulting in a solid two-shot lead at the 54-hole marker. (Through 16 holes, Cantlay held what seemed like a comfortable four-shot lead. But it was quickly reduced to just two when he bogeyed the par-5 17th, coupled with Schauffele and Zalatoris each making birdie on Nos. 16 and 17.)
“I played solid golf today,” Cantlay said. “I didn’t make any long putts or anything. Didn’t really give myself too many chances, but all in all a solid day and in good position for tomorrow.”
He added, “Being from Southern California, it’s one of the tournaments on my list that I’d like to win the most!”
Surprisingly, it was Cantlay’s first 54-hole outright lead on the PGA Tour.
The leaderboard at the end of Round 3: Patrick Cantlay -14 (64, 65, 70); T2. Xander Schauffele -12 (70, 66, 65), Will Zalatoris -12 (66, 70, 65); 4. Luke List -11 (65, 69, 68); T5. Jason Day -10 (65, 69, 69), Harris English -10 (69, 69, 65).
Final Round
After the last twosome reached the 10th tee, the leaderboard looked a little different heading into the home stretch: 1. Luke List (-16); 2. Patrick Cantlay (-14); T3. Hideki Matsuyama (-13), Will Zalatoris (-13) and Adam Hadwin (-13).
Xander Schauffele dropped his bunker shot into the cup on the par-5 11th for an eagle, moving him into a tie for the lead at 14 under. Cantlay then birdied the 11th to move into a 5-way tie for first place at -14, alongside Schauffele, Matsuyama, Zalatoris and List.
It seemed like as soon as someone made a move, the rest of the pack followed with a move of their own. But seemingly out of nowhere, Matsuyama reeled off his third hat trick of birdies – this time on Nos. 15, 16 and 17 – to secure a three-stroke lead. The tournament was Matsuyama’s to win.
After a par on the 18th hole, Hideki Matsuyama signed for a tournament-low 62 and locked up the championship with a 17-under total. The Japanese star produced a bogey-free scorecard, highlighted by three sets of back-to-back-to-back birdies (Nos. 1-3, 10-12 and 15-17).
The Awards
CBS Reporter Amanda Renner asked Hideki, “You began the day six strokes off the lead, and you leave with what Jim Nantz calls ‘one of the best rounds of all time here at Riviera’ for your ninth PGA Tour victory.
“What went so right for you today?”
Hideki responded through his interpreter, “I wasn’t striking the ball really well but my chipping and putting was, you know, working a lot this week, especially the second shot on the 15, was one of probably the best shot I had so that really helped.”
Amanda continued, “You have been battling some back issues for quite some time since the Arnold Palmer Invitational in 2022. You said this week you have been totally pain free how pivotal of a moment is this week for you?”
He replied, “It didn’t hurt. You know, ever since that injury, you know, I worried every week something bad might happen to my back but, you know, this week I had no issue I played without any worries, so that really helped too.”
Will Zalatoris -14 (66-70-65-69) and Luke List -14 (65 69 68 68) finished tied for second. They each received a check for $1.8 million and 375 FedEx Cup points.
