The corporate boxes around the 18th green at Torrey Pines are just like they were three weeks ago except for the colour — black instead of blue — and the logo. The rough is thicker from recent rain. Otherwise, the South Course looks to be every bit the beast it usually is.
Same course. New tournament.
The Genesis Invitational, one of the premier events on the PGA Tour because it is held at Riviera in Los Angeles, relocated to San Diego’s popular public course because of the LA wildfires that destroyed so much of the Pacific Palisades community around Riv.
The familiarity only goes so far.
The 72-man field includes only 32 players who teed it up at the Farmers Insurance Open, including Harris English who is trying to join a most exclusive list. Tiger Woods (twice), Jack Nicklaus and Ben Hogan are the only players to win on a course twice in the one year.
The difference is they won US Opens — Woods at Torrey Pines (2008) and Pebble Beach (2000), Nicklaus at Pebble Beach (1972) and Hogan at Riviera (1948).
But the field also has 46 of the top 50 in the world, many who are playing only because the Genesis Invitational is a $US20 million ($A32 million) signature event, with $US4 million ($A6.4 million) going to the winner.
“I didn’t expect to be at Torrey this year but obviously everything happened in LA and they had to pivot quickly,” Rory McIlroy said.
“Yeah, it’s good to be back. It’s a little bit of a different setup to the US Open in ’21, it’s a lot softer and rough is thick and course is playing very long.”
Scottie Scheffler can attest to the rough.
The world’s No.1 player hasn’t been to Torrey Pines since a tie for 20th in 2022, the last tournament he played before he started winning.
For him, this doesn’t feel like a regular Farmers Insurance Open for a different reason.
“We’re not playing the North,” he said, referring to the other course used in the opening rounds three weeks ago.
Now the ninth hole on the North is a short-game area.
“But I think it will play like the Farmers,” he said.
“It will remind me of what it was then. It’s thick rough. The course is playing long because it’s soft. It’s going to rain and be cold. The South is a brutal course for four days, physically.”
Scheffler had a late start to his season after puncturing his right hand while making ravioli, which required minor surgery and stitches.
“I thought about adding an event to get some reps in, but I feel like I’m in a good spot,” he said ahead of just his third event of 2025.
McIlroy is in a great spot, beginning the PGA Tour portion of his global schedule by winning for the first time at Pebble Beach.
https://thewest.com.au/sport/golf/worlds-best-happy-to-be-heading-back-to-torrey-pines-c-17706970
