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PGA Tour Swings to Florida

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PALM BEACH GARDENS – Beginning with today’s Honda Classic, the PGA Tour will stage the next four tournaments in Florida: 1). The Honda Classic; 2). Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard (same week as the Puerto Rico Open); 3). THE PLAYERS Championship and 4). Valspar Championship.

Louis Oosthuizen – No. 122 FedEx Cup Standings and No. 13 in the Official World Golf Ranking, Oosthuizen is the highest-ranked player in the field this week. He’s recorded 13 under-par scores in his 13 rounds on Tour this season but his last Top-10 was the 2021 3M Open (T-2).

With a T-2 at last week’s Genesis Invitational, Tour rookie Cameron Youngmoved from No. 113 to No. 53 in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Matt Jones is the tournament’s defending champion. Last year he shot 61 70 69 68 (268) (-12) to win by five strokes over Brandon Hagy.

Last week’s Genesis Invitational winner Joaquin Niemann met with media at The Honda Classic. The native of Chile, who lives in the Palm Beach area, was asked how long it takes him to get home from PGA National;

“Depends on the car,” he quipped.

The Honda Classic

COURSE: PGA National, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida (Champion Course)

ARCHITECT: Tom Fazio

YARDS/PAR: 7,125 yards/Par 70

PRIZE Money/First Place Winnings: $8,000,000/$1.440,000

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Matt Jones

PAST RESULTS: (link)

PAST CHAMPIONS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 500

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @TheHondaClassic

TV COVERAGE: First two rounds (today and Feb 25) are scheduled for coverage from 2:00pm to 6:00pm (ET) on Golf Channel. Then, Saturday and Sunday, coverage is set for 1:00pm to 3:00pm (ET) on Golf Channel and 3:00 to 6:00pm (ET) on NBC.

PGA TOUR LIVE STREAMING on ESPN+: Streaming coverage will be featured on ESPN-Plus today and Friday with Main Feed, Featured Hole and Featured Groups from 6:45am to 6:00pm (ET). Weekend times TBA, depending on tee times.

PGA TOUR RADIO COVERAGE: SiriusXM Radio will have live radio coverage of The Honda Classic with today’s and Friday’s broadcasts from 12:00pm to 6:00pm (ET). Saturday coverage on Sirius XM Radio runs from 1:00pm to 6:00pm and Sunday from 1:00 to 6:00pm (ET). PGA Tour Radio is available on Sirius 208/XM 92 or online via PGATourCom.

Niemann Goes Wire-to-Wire at Riviera

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The Genesis Invitational | Recap

PACIFIC PALISADES – Joaquin Niemann won The Genesis Invitational by two strokes to earn his second PGA Tour victory and first since 2019. Niemann is the fourth wire-to-wire victor in tournament history and was the first since Charlie Sifford in 1969.

The 23-year-old became the second-youngest winner of The Genesis Invitational standing beside Harry Cooper who won in 1926.

California native Collin Morikawa and promising PGA Tour rookie Cameron Young finished T-2 while Adam Scottfinished T-4 at (-14). Scott won the 2020 Genesis Invitational, and had a chance this week as he shot a final-round 5-under (66), highlighted by eagles on No. 1 and No. 17 and birdies on three of the four par-3s (4, 6, 14), but Niemann’s effort was just too much.

Making his second tournament start, Viktor Hovland (T-4) at (-14) posted his second straight Top-five finish at the event (T-5 in 2021) and second Top-five on Tour this season (Won/World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba).

Justin Thomas finished solo sixth (-13), earning his fourth Top-10 in his sixth start of the season; ranks T2 in Driving Accuracy (37-of-56) for the week while defending champion Max Homa finished T-10, his third consecutive Top-10 at The Genesis Invitational.

 

The Genesis Invitational | Final Leaderboard

Joaquin Niemann 63-63-68-71—265 (-19)

Collin Morikawa 67-67-68-65—267 (-17)

Cameron Young 66-62-69-70—267 (-17)

Adam Scott 68-65-71-66—270 (-14)

Viktor Hovland 71-64-65-70—270 (-14)

Niemann Chases Riviera Record

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The Genesis Invitational | Preview | Final Round

PACIFIC PALISADES – Joaquin Niemann’s three-day score of (194) total set a new 54-hole tournament record at the Riviera Country Club. Niemann aims to become first wire-to-wire winner since Charlie Sifford (1969).

The previous 54-hole record at The Genesis Invitational was (196), shared by Mike Weir (2004), Dustin Johnson (2017), and Justin Thomas (2019).

PGA Tour rookie Cameron Young is seeking first Tour title in 12th career start and trails the red-hot Niemann by only three strokes.

Viktor Hovland hit 16 of 18 greens in search of his second title of the season while Justin Thomas birdied his final two holes but sits seven strokes off the lead going into today’s final round.

The 69.28 scoring average in Saturday’s round three marked the lowest in a round at The Genesis Invitational since 1984.

The Genesis Invitational | Leaderboard After 54 Holes

Joaquin Niemann 63-63-68—194 (-19)

Cameron Young 66-62-69—197 (-16)

Viktor Hovland 71-64-65—200 (-13)

Justin Thomas 67-64-70—201 (-12)

Collin Morikawa 67-67-68—202 (-11)

Niemann Sets 36-Hole Record at Riviera

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PACIFIC PALISADES – Joaquin Niemann’s career low (126) total set the 36-hole tournament record at The Genesis Invitational while 24-year old Cameron Young’s (62) marked his career-low round on Tour.

Prior to Niemann (126) and Young (128), four players had shot (130) or better for 36 holes at this event since 1992.

Justin Thomas is seeking his 15th PGA Tour title and first since THE PLAYERS Championship in 2021 while 2020 Genesis Invitational champion Adam Scott seeks his second official win at this event (2005 victory is unofficial).

Collin Morikawa can move to World No. 1 with a win if Jon Rahm (T-60/E) finishes outside solo-fourth

Notables to miss the cut include major champions Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bubba Watson and Patrick Reed.

The Genesis Invitational | Leaderboard After 36 Holes

Joaquin Niemann 63-63—126 (-16)

Cameron Young 66-62—128 (-14)

Justin Thomas 67-64—131 (-11)

Adam Scott 68-65—133 (-9)

Jordan Spieth 66-67—133 (-9)

Collin Morikawa 67-67—134 (-8)

PGA Tour: Neimann Takes Lead

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The Genesis Invitational | Preview for Round 2

PACIFIC PALISADES – Joaquin Niemann’s opening (63) ties the lowest first-round score in The Genesis Invitational history with eight other players.

Defending champion Max Homa made eagle on No. 10 and sits T-2.

PGA Tour rookie Cameron Young (T-2) opened with a 5-under (66) in his tournament debut.

A week after earning his first PGA Tour victory at the WM Phoenix Open, Scottie Scheffler (T-2/-5), 2018 Genesis Invitational Collegiate Showcase winner, makes his fourth event start (MC/2018, T-30/2020, T-20/2021). Currently projected to take No. 1 spot in the FedEx Cup standings for the first time in his career.

Making his 10th appearance at The Genesis Invitational (best finish: T-4/2015), Jordan Spieth (T-2/-5) seeks his 13th career PGA Tour title and first since 2021 Valero Texas Open.

The Genesis Invitational | Leaderboard After 18 Holes

Joaquin Niemann 63 (-8)

Scottie Scheffler 66 (-5)

Jordan Spieth 66 (-5)

Cameron Young 66 (-5)

Max Homa 66 (-5)

Full leaderboard: (link)

The Genesis Invitational | Round 2

COURSE: Riviera County Club, Pacific Palisades, California

ARCHITECTS: G.C.Thomas, Jr. and W.P. Bell

YARDS/PAR: 7,322 yards/Par 71

PRIZE Money/First Place Winnings: $12,000,000/$2,160,000

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Max Homa

PAST RESULTS: (link)

PAST CHAMPIONS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 550 (Elevated Status)

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @thegenesisinv

TV COVERAGE: Today’s broadcast is scheduled from 4:00pm to 8:00pm (ET) on Golf Channel. Saturday coverage is 1:00pm to 3:00pm (ET) on Golf Channel and 3:00 to 7pm (ET) on CBS. On Sunday, Golf Channel broadcasts from 1:00pm to 3:00pm (ET) and CBS follows with the final round 3:00 to 6:30pm (ET).

PGA TOUR LIVE STREAMING on ESPN+: Streaming coverage will be featured on ESPN-Plus today with Main Feed, Featured Hole and Featured Groups from 9:30am to 8:00pm (ET). On Saturday, ESPN+ streams 12:00 noon to 7:00pm (ET) while, on Sunday, ESPN+ streaming is from 11:30am to 6:30pm (ET).

PGA TOUR RADIO COVERAGE: SiriusXM Radio will have live radio coverage of The Genesis Invitational with today’s broadcast from 2:00pm to 8:00pm (ET). Saturday coverage on Sirius XM Radio runs from 2:00pm to 7:00pm and Sunday from 1:00 to 6:30pm (ET). PGA Tour Radio is available on Sirius 208/XM 92 or online via PGATourCom.

Genesis Invitational: First Round Preview

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The Genesis Invitational | Tournament Preview

PACIFIC PALISADES – Jon Rahm tees-it-up for The Genesis Invitational holding the No. 1 position in the Official World Golf Ranking for the 31st consecutive week, but two players can take over the top spot with a win this week (if Rahm finishes worse than solo-fourth). Those two are No. 2 Collin Morikawa and No. 3 Patrick Cantlay, who’ve combined for seven Top-10s in seven starts this season. Neither player has been ranked No. 1 previously.

The Genesis Invitational has presented the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption since 2009, providing an opportunity to a golfer of a minority background to compete in the tournament. Named in honor of Charlie Sifford, the first Black player to compete on the modern-day PGA Tour, the 2022 exemption was awarded to Aaron Beverly who will make his Tour debut. The Sacramento State University alum most recently competed on the Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA) Tour where he won the Fall Series finale at nearby Wilshire Country Club. Beverly will hit the opening tee shot to start the first round. There are three former Charlie Sifford Exemption recipients in the field this week: Harold Varner III (2014), J.J. Spaun (2016) and Cameron Champ (2018). The Genesis Invitational is the first of several tournaments to recognize Sifford in 2022 as he would have turned 100 this June 2nd.

The Genesis Invitational

COURSE: Riviera County Club, Pacific Palisades, California

ARCHITECTS: G.C.Thomas, Jr. and W.P. Bell

YARDS/PAR: 7,322 yards/Par 71

PRIZE Money/First Place Winnings: $12,000,000/$2,160,000

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Max Homa

PAST RESULTS: (link)

PAST CHAMPIONS: (link)

FEDEx CUP Points to Winner: 550 (Elevated Status)

SOCIAL MEDIA: #PGATour #FedExCup @thegenesisinv

TV COVERAGE: First two rounds (Today and Feb 18) are scheduled for coverage from 4:00pm to 8:00pm (ET) on Golf Channel. Saturday coverage is set for 1:00pm to 3:00pm (ET) on Golf Channel and 3:00 to 7pm (ET) on CBS. On Sunday, Golf Channel broadcasts from 1:00pm to 3:00pm (ET) and CBS follows with the final round 3:00 to 6:30pm (ET).

PGA TOUR LIVE STREAMING on ESPN+: Streaming coverage will be featured on ESPN-Plus today and Friday with Main Feed, Featured Hole and Featured Groups from 9:30am to 8:00pm (ET). On Saturday ESPN+ streams 12:00 noon to 7:00pm (ET) while, on Sunday, ESPN+ streaming is from 11:30am to 6:30pm (ET).

PGA TOUR RADIO COVERAGE: SiriusXM Radio will have live radio coverage of The Genesis Invitational with today’s and Friday’s broadcasts from 2:00pm to 8:00pm (ET). Saturday coverage on Sirius XM Radio runs from 2:00pm to 7:00pm and Sunday from 1:00 to 6:30pm (ET). PGA Tour Radio is available on Sirius 208/XM 92 or online via PGATourCom.

Theegala Leads at WM Phoenix Open

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SCOTTSDALE – Sahith Theegala is seeking to become the first sponsor exemption to win on the PGA TOUR since Martin Laird (2020 Shriners Children’s Open). Theegala played his final two holes of Round One Friday morning (bogey-bogey), but came back to birdied his first three holes and four of his last six in Round Two to finish with a 7-under (64), tying the low score of the week (Talor Gooch/R2, Sam Ryder/R2).

Following a T-2 in last year’s WM Phoenix Open, Xander Schauffele seeks fifth career Tour title and first in over three years.

With a win, Brooks Koepka would become the seventh player to successfully defend a WM Phoenix Open title

Patrick Cantlay is seeking to become the first player to win the WM Phoenix Open in his debut since Koepka (2015).

World No. 1 and Arizona State grad Jon Rahm sits seven strokes back at 5-under (137).

 

WM Phoenix Open Leaderboard – After two rounds

Sahith Theegala 66-64—130 (-12)

Brooks Koepka 66-66—132 (-10)

Xander Schauffele 67-65—132 (-10)

Patrick Cantlay 67-66—133 (-9)

PGA Tour: Round Two Underway at WM

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SCOTTSDALE – Play was suspended due to darkness at 6:23pm (local) with eight players yet to complete the first round. Those players will be back in position at 8am (local)/10am (ET) today, with the second round beginning as scheduled.

At 7-under thru only 16 holes Sahith Theegala, playing on a sponsor exemption, currently holds a one-stroke lead over clubhouse leader K.H. Lee.

Lee holds the clubhouse lead following a 6-under (65), highlighted by a birdie-eagle-birdie stretch on Nos. 2-4. Lee is in search of his first Top-10 finish since the 3M Open (T-6) in 2021 and second PGA Tour title (2021 AT&T Byron Nelson).

World No. 1 and Arizona State graduate Jon Rahm opened with a bogey-free (67).

The top three players on the final leaderboard from 2021 are currently T-7 or better during the first round. Chances are, they’ll be knocking on the door come Sunday.

WM Phoenix Open Leaderboard – First round (partial)

Sahith Theegala -7 (thru 16 holes)

K.H. Lee 65 (-6)

Brooks Koepka 66 (-5)

Adam Hadwin 66 (-5)

Harry Higgs 66 (-5)

Scott Stallings -5 (thru 17 holes)

Hoge Wins at Pebble Beach Pro Am

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PEBBLE BEACH – Tom Hoge won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am by two strokes over Jordan Spieth. Hoge earned his first PGA Tour victory in his 203rd career start and became the fourth first-time winner of the Tour season and 13th in tournament history (first since D.A. Points in 2011).

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In the past two weeks, the Tour has awarded two first time winners tournament checks for 1st place with Luke List winning at The Farmers Insurance Open and Hoge’s victory this weekend. The last time two players earned their first PGA Tour titles in consecutive weeks on the schedule: Tyrrell Hatton (2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard) and Sungjae Im (2020 Honda Classic)

Pebble Beach 2017 winner Jordan Spieth finished solo-second, his sixth top-10 in 10 starts at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and 16th career runner-up on the circuit.

PGA Tour rookie Taylor Moore and partner Kyle Adams won the team portion of the competition at 33-under.

Pebble Beach Up for Grabs

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PEBBLE BEACH – Beau Hossler, Andrew Putnam and Tom Hoge share the 54-hole lead at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the only time for three co-leaders after 54-holes in tournament history (72-hole events only). It is also the most on the PGA Tour since the 2021 U.S. Open (3 players).

The three players’ records when holding the 54-hole lead/co-lead: Hossler (0-for-2), Putnam (0-for-1), Hoge (0-for-1).

Hossler and Hoge are chasing their first Tour win, a rarity at Pebble Beach as the last first-time winner of the event was D.A. Points in 2011.

AT&T brand ambassador and 2017 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am champion Jordan Spieth trails by only one stroke following his career-best round at Pebble (9-under 63).

Reigning FedEx Cup Champion Patrick Cantlay trails by one following his 26th consecutive par-or-better round on Tour.

Davis Riley/Matthew Flannery and Joel Dahmen/David Capobianco share the lead in the team competition at 24-under.

Professionals’ Pebble Beach Leaderboard – After 54 holes

Beau Hossler – 70-65-65—200 (-15) – MP-SH-PB

Andrew Putnam – 65-67-68—200 (-15) – MP-SH-PB

Tom Hoge – 63-69-68—200 (-15) – PB-MP-SH

Patrick Cantlay – 65-68-68—201 (-14) – MP-SH-PB

Joel Dahmen – 71-64-66—201 (-14) – PB-MP-SH

Jordan Spieth – 68-70-63—201 (-14) – MP-SH-PB