The PGA Tour wraps up its early season West Coast swing this weekend at the Genesis Invitational at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California. Last week at the WM Phoenix Open, 18 of the top 20 golfers in the OWGR were in action, and with Will Zalatoris returning after a week off, that means 19 of the top 20 are teeing it up for this event (LIV’s Cameron Smith the only exception.).
With so many big names in the sport playing this elevated tournament, there are bound to be a ton of storylines. Here are the top three golfers to watch in the Genesis Invitational:
#1 Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods hasn’t played since last July at St. Andrews (where he missed the cut), and he’s +9000 to win this tournament that he’s hosting, but even at 47 years old, he’s still must-watch TV. Woods playing this weekend kind of came out of nowhere, but ever the competitor, he said in the presser, “I would not have put myself out here if I didn’t think I could beat these guys and win the event.”
All things being equal, we know Woods can compete here, but he’s just not healthy, having to bow out of the Hero World Challenge in December due to plantar fasciitis while also working his way through some right ankle issues. It’s mainly health issues – as well as some rust – that has Woods at -175 to miss the cut (+135 to make), but at the very least, this will be a very interesting first 36 holes (and maybe more).
#2 Scottie Scheffler
Scottie Scheffler was able to successfully defend his 2022 WM Phoenix Open title with another win at TPC Scottsdale last week. Scheffler had to go to a playoff with Patrick Cantlay to win in Arizona last year, but he was dominant at this year’s tournament, winning by two strokes over second-place Nick Taylor and five strokes ahead of third-place Jon Rahm.
This was the time of year that Scheffler turned things on last season, following up his WM PHoenix Open victory with a win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and then the Dell Technologies Match Play before taking home the Masters in April. Scheffler had never won before on Tour and then took home four of six tournaments he entered, so the guy likes Spring golf.
#3 Rory McIlroy
McIlroy had a fairly uneventful return to the Tour last weekend, shooting 70+ in three of four rounds en route to a 32nd-place finish at the WM Phoenix Open. That, combined with Scheffler’s win at TPC Scottsdale, has knocked McIlroy out of the #1 spot in OWGR, and he’s a guy that likes to play with a bit of a chip on his shoulder, so expect him to be fired up at the Riviera.
McIlroy is paired with Woods and Justin Thomas for the first two rounds, so talk about an iconic group. This is the perfect advertisement for McIlroy and Woods’ new tech-infused golf league set to debut in 2024.
