Tiger’s tournament is the second of eight Signature Events in 2026. The Riviera Country Club returns to host an elite field of 72 players.
The Genesis Invitational
The Riviera Country Club
Pacific Palisades, California
** ROB BOLTON – LIVE 4PM ET WEDNESDAYS TheZoneBloomington.com **
NOW PLAYING:
| Host Course | The Riviera Country Club |
| Yards (per official scorecard): | 7,383. |
| Par: | 71 (35-36). |
| Greens: | Poa annua; 7,500 square feet on average. |
| Stimpmeter: | 13 feet plus. |
| Rough: | Kikuyu grass at 2 inches. |
| Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play | 58/0/0. |
| Architect(s): | George C. Thomas (1926). |
| Defending Champion (event): | Ludvig Aberg (Torrey Pines South) |
| Defending Champion (course): | Hideki Matsuyama (2024). |
| Multiple Champion(s) Entered: | Adam Scott (2020; 2005 unofficial – weather). |
| Course Record (last): | 61; Ted Tryba (1999). |
| 72 Hole Tournament Record: | 264; Lanny Watkins (1985). |
| Fact of the Week: | The Genesis Invitational was held at Torrey Pines South in 2025. Please be aware. |
| Fact of the Week II: | Since 2008, only TWO players younger than 30 have won this event (Rahm, Niemann). |
Notes:
- Field of 72.
- Second of eight Signature Events.
- The OWGR is represented by 27 of the top 30.
- $20 million – $4 million – 700 FedExCup points.
Recent Winners
2026 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| The Sentry | No Event |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Chris Gotterup |
| The American Express | Scottie Scheffler |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Justin Rose |
| WM Phoenix Open | Chris Gotterup (2) |
2025 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| The Sentry | Hideki Matsuyama |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Nick Taylor |
| The American Express | Sepp Straka |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Harris English |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Rory McIlroy |
| WM Phoenix Open | Thomas Detry (LIV) |
| The Genesis Invitational | Ludvig Aberg |
| Mexico Open at Vidanta | Brian Campbell (first time) |
| Cognizant Classic | Joe Highsmith (first time) |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Russell Henley |
| Puerto Rico Open | Karl Vilips (first time) |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Rory McIlroy |
| Valspar Championship | Viktor Hovland |
| Texas Children’s Houston Open | Min Woo Lee (first time) |
| Valero Texas Open | Brian Harman |
| 88th Masters Tournament | Rory McIlroy (career grand slam) |
| RBC Heritage | Justin Thomas |
| Zurich Classic | Ben Griffin & Andrew Novak (first time winners) |
| THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson | Scottie Scheffler |
| Truist Championship | Sepp Straka (2) |
| Mrytle Beach One Flight | Ryan Fox |
| 106th PGA Championship | Scottie Scheffler (2) |
| Charles Schwab Challenge | Ben Griffin (2) |
| The 50th Memorial Tournament | Scottie Scheffler (3) |
| RBC Canadian Open | Ryan Fox (2) |
| 124th United States Open | J.J. Spaun |
| Travelers Championship | Keegan Bradley |
| Rocket Mortgage Classic | Aldrich Potgieter (first time) |
| John Deere Classic | Brian Campbell (2) |
| Genesis Scottish Open | Chris Gotterup |
| ISCO Championship | William Mouw (first time) |
| 152nd Open Championship | Scottie Scheffler (4) |
| Barracuda Championship | Ryan Gerard (first time) |
| 3M Open | Kurt Kitayama |
| Wyndham Championship | Cameron Young (first time) |
| FedEx St. Jude Championship | Justin Rose |
| BMW Championship | Scottie Scheffler (5) |
| The TOUR Championship | Tommy Fleetwood (first time) |
| FedEx Cup Fall | |
| Procore Championship | Scottie Scheffler (6) |
| Sanderson Farms Championship | Steven Fisk (first time) |
| Black Desert Championship | Michael Brennan (first time) |
| Baycurrent Championship | Xander Schauffele |
| World Wide Technology Champ | Ben Griffin (3) |
| Butterfield Bermuda Champ | Adam Schenk (first time) |
| The RSM Classic | Sami Valimaki (first time) |
Recent Winners – The Genesis Invitational
Italics – not entered this week.
| Year | Winner | Notes |
| 2025 | Ludvig Aberg (-12) | Hosted at the venerable Torrey Pines South, the Swede held off California native Maverick McNealy by a shot to win for the second time on TOUR. |
| 2024 | Hideki Matsuyama | Closed with 62, the lowest round for a winner, to overcome a six-shot deficit. Won by three strokes. |
| 2023 | Jon Rahm (-17) | Defeated 2021 winner Max Homa by two shots. |
| 2022 | Joaquin Niemann (-19) | Became just the fourth wire-to-wire winner in event history. |
| 2021 | Max Homa (-12) | Defeated Tony Finau in a playoff. |
| 2020 | Adam Scott (-11) | Held off Matt Kuchar and two others by two shots. |
| 2019 | J.B. Holmes (-14) | Justin Thomas was 18-under with 17 holes to go. He finished second on 13-under. |
| 2018 | Bubba Watson (-12) | Won for the third time holding off Tony Finau by two shots. |
Angles:
Masters champions have won this event 12 times since the turn of the century.
The last nine winners needed four or more starts before raising the trophy.
The last player to win on debut was Adam Scott in 2005. The victory was unofficial as the event, canceled due to weather, only could play 36 holes.
The trio of Par-5 holes ranked as some of the friendliest on TOUR.
The Par-4 holes are not, including the very famous No. 10.
With difficult fairways to find off the tee, using the 7,500 square feet to land approaches is critical.
Bunkers this week are penal. Getting it close is rare. Getting it up and down is a struggle.
The Riviera Country Club is nestled in the Santa Monica Canyon. The layout provides only 150 feet of elevation change. Without putting surfaces exposed to the coastline, the Stimpmeter will be pushing 13 or better, the fastest speed on TOUR yet in 2026.
One and Done – Spotter’s Game
1 player per event, plus a backup selection if your original choice does not tee off.
1 use per year.
LAST WEEK – AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
MY CHOICE: Patrick Cantlay
After opening with 66, I thought I was on my way! His 71-69 sandwich saw him fall off the pace before a Sunday 65 cashed T14.
I would guess he wins THIS week!
| Event | Selection | Place | Earnings |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Robert MacIntyre | T4 | 409,500 |
| The American Express | Ben Griffin | T24 | 81,420 |
| Farmers Insurance | Jason Day | T38 | 41,760 |
| WM Phoenix Open | Sahith Theegala | T18 | 122,720 |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Patrick Cantlay | T14 | 342,500 |
THIS WEEK – The Genesis Invitational
The power players will be happy to have room to swing the driver early and often at the Par-71, 7,383-yard layout.
Experience is a huge factor this week, and with a loaded field there are plenty of choices.
I would start in Southern California if you are chasing. Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele have better records at other venues and events, but both have been close here. Max Homa and Tony Finau make excellent long-shot contenders, but I will remind you there is a cut this week (Top 50 and anyone 10 shots off the lead) after two rounds.
If you are going to play Scheffler or McIlroy, I won’t stop you. I will point out that there are six other Signature Events, four major championships, and a pair of FedExCup Playoff events to plan for accordingly.
I’m not a fan of playing guys of that magnitude on tracks where they have never won before. The list of winners here suggests those who have had results at Augusta National, and that covers both No. 1 and No. 2. The rumblings about Scheffler not enjoying his time on Poa annua have been noted. McIlroy and Quail Hollow are tough to separate. Both play Arnold Palmer and TPC Sawgrass well.
Good luck!
MY CHOICE: Tommy Fleetwood
The Englishman fits the mold of recent international winners who have lifted the trophy. Matsuyama, Rahm, and Niemann followed SoCal native Max Homa as the last four winners. Fleetwood opened his PGA TOUR schedule last week at Pebble Beach and finished T4. As usual, he bludgeoned GIR and finished the week second in Strokes-Gained: Tee to Green. Keeping the ball out of trouble off the tee and into the greens are keys this week.
Yes, The Open Championship is in his backyard at Royal Birkdale, in Southport, England, got it. Has McIlroy won at Royal Portrush yet?
Right.
You do you. I’ll do me.
Others to consider
Hideki Matsuyama, Collin Morikawa, Cameron Young, Jake Knapp
Longshots
Rickie Fowler, Ryan Fox
Horses for Courses
| Top Players OWGR (Cuts made/starts) | Top 10 | Rds 60s | Top 25 | Event Notes |
| Scottie Scheffler (5/6) | 2 | 9/22 | 4 | T30 or better in 5 straight |
| Rory McIlroy (7/8) | 3 | 18/30 | 6 | T29 or better |
| Justin Rose (11/13) | 2 | 15/44 | 4 | MC-T56 |
| Tommy Fleetwood (4/4) | 1 | 5/16 | 1 | T10 2024; 1 of 16 rounds ABOVE par |
| Chris Gotterup | First Appearance | |||
| Russell Henley (6/9) | 0 | 12/30 | 2 | T17 best 2020 |
| JJ Spaun (2/7) | 0 | 3/18 | 0 | T33 2023 |
| Robert MacIntyre (1/1) | 0 | 2/4 | 1 | All four rounds 71 or better |
| Ben Griffin (1/1) | 0 | 2/4 | 0 | T37 2024 |
| Xander Schauffele (7/7) | 2 | 13/28 | 6 | 26 of 28 rounds 71 or better; T4 2024 best |
| Hideki Matsuyama (8/10) | 4 | 15/34 | 6 | 62 to close to win 2024; 64; plays annually |
| Harris English (6/9) | 2 | 12/30 | 3 | 7th-T12 last two events |
| Sepp Straka (3/5) | 0 | 3/14 | 1 | T15 2022; T43 next best |
| Viktor Hovland (4/4) | 2 | 8/14 | 4 | T19-T20-T4-T5 last 4 |
| Alex Noren (4/5) | 0 | 4/18 | 2 | T12 2021 |
| Top | Rds | Top | Notes | |
| 10 | 60s | 25 | ||
| Keegan Bradley (8/14) | 2 | 4 | Last T50 or better was T34 in 2017 | |
| Collin Morikawa (5/5) | 2 | 11/20 | 3 | T19-T6-T2 last 3 |
| Ludvig Aberg (1/1) | 0 | 1 | Event defending champion at Torrey Pines | |
| Cameron Young (3/3) | 1 | 7/12 | 3 | 62 on debut for T2 2022; T16-T20 L2Y |
| Maverick McNealy (1/2) | 1 | 4/6 | 1 | T7 2022; MC 2021 |
| Matt Fitzpatrick (2/4) | 1 | 3/12 | 1 | T5 2021 after T30 2020; MC L2Y |
| Ryan Gerard | First Appearance | |||
| Si Woo Kim (5/9) | 1 | 10/26 | 1 | 3rd 2019; MC 2 of last 4 |
| Aaron Rai (3/3) | 0 | 3/12 | 0 | T37-T29-T61 3 of last 4 |
| Sam Burns (3/6) | 2 | 5/18 | 3 | T10-MC-MC-3rd-T23-MC last 6 |
| Shane Lowry (1/3) | 0 | 3/7 | 1 | T14 2023 last visit |
| Patrick Cantlay (7/9) | 3 | 15/32 | 6 | T4-3rd L2Y; 54 hole leader 2024 |
| Marco Penge | First Appearance | |||
| Corey Conners (2/5) | 0 | 2/14 | 1 | T24-T61 L2Y |
| Jason Day (4/7) | 2 | 6/22 | 2 | 9th 2024; T9 2023 |
| Andrew Novak | First Appearance | |||
| Matt McCarty | First Appearance | |||
| Sam Stevens | First Appearance | |||
| Michael Kim (0-4) | 0/8 | Never broke par here | ||
| Kurt Kitayama (1/2) | 0 | 2/6 | 0 | T39-MC L2Y |
| Pierceson Coody | First Appearance | |||
| Sami Valimaki | First Appearance | |||
| Brian Harman (7/10) | 1 | 10/34 | 1 | T3 2014 only Top 40 |
| Max Greyserman | First Appearance | |||
| Akshay Bhatia | First Appearance | |||
| Ryan Fox | First Appearance | |||
| Min Woo Lee (0-1) | 77-70 MC 2022 | |||
| Daniel Berger (0-2) | 0/4 | Last visit 2018 | ||
| Jacob Bridgeman | First Appearance | |||
| Wyndham Clark (3/5) | 1 | 6/14 | 2 | MC-T33-DQ-T8-T17 last 5 |
| Nick Taylor (7/9) | 0 | 11/32 | 1 | T39-T33-T20 last 3; T20 best |
| Harry Hall | First Appearance | |||
| Taylor Pendrith (0/1) | 73-72 MC 2022 | |||
| JT Poston (5/7) | 1 | 8/24 | 2 | T10 2024 best; 3 other T30 > |
| Jake Knapp | First Appearance | |||
| Nico Echavarria | First Appearance | |||
| Max McGreevy (0/1) | 73-72 MC 2023 | |||
| Garrick Higgo | First Appearance | |||
| Adam Scott (15/16) | 7 | 11 | 2020 Winner; T2 2016; 11 straight | |
| Lucas Glover (4/12) | 0 | 1 | MC 8 straight before T35 2024 | |
| Rico Hoey | First Appearance | |||
| Rickie Fowler (6/8) | 0 | 8/28 | 2 | 4 straight T20 best in run, career |
| Ryo Hisatsune | First Appearance | |||
| Bud Cauley (2/6) | 0 | 2/20 | 1 | Last visit 2020 |
| Brian Campbell | First Appearance | |||
| Denny McCarthy (3/5) | 0 | 4/16 | 1 | 64 in 2023 T14; L2B2 |
| Patrick Rodgers (6/10) | 0 | 9/28 | 3 | MC last 3; T30> 5 straight before that |
| Jordan Spieth (9/12) | 2 | 15/37 | 5 | DQ-MC last 2; last top 10 2018 |
| Sahith Theegala (4/4) | 1 | 7/12 | 1 | T37-T6-T48-T49 last 4 |
| Aldrich Potgieter | First Appearance | |||
| Jhonattan Vegas (6/10) | 0 | 8/32 | 2 | T56-T55 L2V |
| Tom Hoge (6/7) | 1 | 6/24 | 2 | 8th 2024, T14 2023 |
| Matti Schmid | First Appearance | |||
| Kevin Yu (0/1) | 75-75 MC | |||
| Tom Kim (2/2) | 0 | 3/6 | 1 | T24-T45 L2Y |
| Max Homa (6/8) | 4 | 13/28 | 5 | T16-2nd-T10-WIN-T5 last 5 here |
| Tony Finau (8/10) | 2 | 12/36 | 5 | 7 straight; 5 T20 or better; 2nd twice |
Glass Houses 