Adam Scott chasing third Riviera title as Tiger Woods returns
Two time champion Adam Scott and tournament host and now participant Tiger Woods – photo Getty Images
The Genesis Invitational, or its equivalent, has always held a lot of interest with golf fans worldwide, to a large degree because of the quality of the Riviera Country Club’s traditional layout in Los Angeles and the field it has regularly attracted.
In 2023 the event takes on even greater interest for several reasons. Firstly, the reappearance of Tiger Woods to play a regular PGA Tour event for the first time in more than two years, and as one of the now 17 designated events on the PGA Tour, the event carries a total purse of US$20 million with US$3.6 million to the winner.
Woods will play his first actual PGA Tour event since the 2022 Open Championship but this will be his first non-major PGA Tour event in over two years. It was just after this week’s event two years ago that Woods, who had been acting as host only that year, was involved in a car crash which nearly took his life.
Woods’ ongoing schedule in the weeks ahead, including the Masters, will depend on just how he manages the rigours of 72 hole tournament golf once again but that he is back playing in a tournament he will also host, has the golfing world abuzz.
In twelve previous attempts at the Riviera Country Club Woods has yet to win but he has been runner-up on two occasions albeit many years ago. Just to have him back playing is a treat for the game and how he performs will be a bonus.
Australians have performed well in this event over the years. Adam Scott has been a two-time winner, although one of those was over 36 holes in a rain shortened event on his debut in 2005.
Scott’s second win came in 2020 but Robert Allenby and Aaron Baddeley have also won the event when known under a different name.
Scott has also been twice runner-up and finished 4th in 2022.
“I love coming back to Riviera,” said Scott. “It’s my favorite stop on tour every year and good feelings for me around this place, especially out on the golf course. It was nice to play this morning even though it was an incredibly challenging morning, it was nice to be back on the track in a place I’m very familiar with and looking to kind of get my season going here this week.”
The Riviera Country Club has also experienced other Australian success as it was here in 1995 when Steve Elkington won his major title at the PGA Championship.
With so many of the PGA Tour’s leading players obligated to participate in these events, where prizemoney has been raised so significantly, then this week promises yet another battle between the leading players including Scott Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Max Homa, Collin Morikawa and the like.
An indication of just how this elevated prizemoney has impacted on the purse breakdowns was when Jason Day earned US$800,000 for finishing 5th last week in another designated event in Phoenix.
Scott will be joined by fellow Australians Jason Day, Lucas Herbert and Cameron Davis with New Zealander Danny Lee also in the field.
