Patrick Cantlay hits his tee shot at the 10th hole in the first round of the 2024 Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club.
Photo: STEVE GALLUZZO
After One-Year Hiatus, Pro Golf Returns to Pacific Palisades
By STEVE GALLUZZO
CTN Contributor
The Genesis Invitational returns to Riviera Country Club this week and as usual a loaded field will challenge the historic course off Capri Drive.
Rain could delay the four-day, 72-hole event, but if it remains on schedule the first round will begin early Thursday morning and the final round will conclude late Sunday afternoon at Riviera’s iconic 18th green, where the trophy presentation will take place.
Due to the January 2025 Palisades Fire, the event was moved south to Torrey Pines last February and Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg was the winner at 12 under par. He returns to defend his title against, among others, World No. 1 and reigning British Open champion Scottie
Scheffler, World No. 2 and reigning Master champion Rory McIlroy and World No. 3 Justin Rose.
A 29-year-old from Dallas, Scheffler is considered the best golfer on the planet. He has won four majors and 20 Tour events since turning pro in 2018 and is seeking his second victory in 2026, having won his season debut, The American Express on January 25 in La Quinta. He is making his sixth start at the Genesis, having tied for third last year. His best result at Riviera was 12th in 2023.
McIlory, a 36-year-old from Northern Ireland, led Europe to a decisive triumph over the United States in the 45th Ryder Cup competition in September. He debuted at Riviera in 2016 (under its former name, the Northern Trust Open) and tied for fourth in 2019.
Last year marked the third time since 1973 that Riviera did not host the PGA Tour’s Los Angeles stop, the previous two being 1983 (when what was then known as the Glen Campbell Los Angeles Open was held at Rancho Park while Riviera was getting prepared for that year’s PGA Championship) and 1998 (when what was then the Nissan Open was moved to Valencia Country Club in Santa Clarita while Riviera was being groomed for that summer’s U.S. Senior Open).
Originally called the LA Open, the tournament debuted 100 years ago at Los Angeles Country Club and was first held at Riviera in 1929.
This is the 61st time Riviera is hosting and the purse is $20 million, with the winner pocketing $4 million and the runner-up $2.2 million.
The 72-player field was finalized last Friday (Tony Finau received the final sponsor exemption) and features 16 past major champions, 41 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf rankings, including the top 11, and 28 of the top 30 golfers from the PGA TOUR’s 2025 FedExCup standings.
The TGR Foundation, established some 30 years ago by 15-time major champion Tiger Woods, became the chief beneficiary of the Genesis Open in 2017 and it was elevated to invitational status three years later.
Tournament host Tiger Woods withdrew with an illness during the second round two years ago and will not play this week.
Photo: STEVE GALLUZZO
Riviera holds a special place in Woods’ heart, even though it is one of the few venues he has never conquered in his storied career (he is winless in 14 starts). Raised in Southern California but now living in Florida, Woods was only 16 years old when he made his PGA Tour debut as an amateur at the Nissan Open in 1992, missing the cut by six strokes.
His best result at Riviera came in 1999 when he tied for second, two shots behind winnerErnie Els. Woods carded his lowest score (64) at Riviera in the final round in 2004 when he tied for seventh place.
Woods, who turned 50 in December and has not played a competitive round since the 2024 British Open at Royal Troon, is still recovering from lumbar disc replacement surgery in October and the 50-year-old will not tee it up this week. His last appearance at Riviera was two years ago when influenza forced him to withdraw in the middle of the second round.
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama fired a nine-under-par 62—the lowest final- round score ever in a PGA event at “Hogan’s Alley”—to overcome a six-shot deficit and win by three stores at 17 under. Matsuyama is one of several past Genesis champions in this year’s field along with Aberg, 2005 and 2020 winner Adam Scott and 2021 winner Max Homa.
Sahith Theegala, a former three-time NCAA All-American at Pepperdine, is this year’s Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption recipient.
Other well-known names this year include Jason Day, Xander Schauflee, Jordan Spieth, Keegan Bradley, Patrick Cantlay, Collin Morikawa, Rickie Fowler, Viktor Hovland, Wyndham Clark, Brian Harman, Cameron Young, Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood.
The exciting week of golf begins Monday with the 13th annual Collegiate Showcase (closed to the public) followed by practice rounds Tuesday and an 18-hole Pro-Am on Wednesday.
Tickets can purchased online click here.
The Riviera Golf Course was constructed in 1926.
2026 Genesis Invitational
Where: Riviera Country Club (1250 Capri Dr, Pacific Palisades)
When: Thursday, Feb. 19-Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026
Tournament Host: Tiger Woods
Format: 72 Holes, Stroke Play
Purse: $20 million ($4 million to the winner)
FedEx Cup Points: 700
2025 Champion: Ludvig Aberg (Sweden), -12
TV Coverage: Thursday — 1-5 p.m. (Golf Channel)
Friday — 1-5 p.m. (Golf Channel)
Saturday — 12-4 p.m. CBS
Sunday — 12-3:30 p.m. CBS