2019 Genesis Open Preview

2019 Genesis Open Preview

Dates: February 11-17, 2019
Where: Pacific Palisades, California
Course: The Riviera Country Club
Par/Yards: 35-36—71/7,322
Field: 144
Defending champion: Bubba Watson
Purse: $7,400,000/$1,332,000 (winner also receives Genesis G70)
FedExCup points: 500 to the winner
Format: 72-hole stroke play
Website:  GenesisOpen.com
Twitter: @GenesisOpen
Facebook: Facebook.com/GenesisOpen
Instagram: @GenesisOpen

List of Genesis Open Winners From 1926 To Present.

Genesis Open

• The Genesis Open was first played in 1926 and stands as the seventh-oldest active tournament on the PGA TOUR behind The Open Championship (1860), U.S. Open (1895), BMW Championship (1899), RBC Canadian Open (1904), PGA Championship (1916) and Valero Texas Open (1922).

The Genesis Open and the FedExCup

• The Genesis Open is the 15^th  event in the PGA TOUR’s 2018-19 Season with 46 official events. Players vie to    become the FedExCup champion and, new in 2018-19, the winner of the Wyndham Rewards Top 10, which honors the top-10 players in the FedExCup standings at the end of the Regular Season.
• Nine of the 12 winners of the Genesis Open in the FedExCup era have advanced to the season-ending TOUR Championship: Charles Howell III (2007), Phil Mickelson (2008 and 2009), Steve Stricker (2010), Aaron Baddeley (2011), Bubba Watson (2014,2016, 2018) and Dustin Johnson (2017).
• Seven of the top 10 in the FedExCup standings are scheduled to compete at the Genesis Open: Xander Schauffele/1, Matt Kuchar/2, Marc Leishman/4, Charles Howell III/5, Bryson DeChambeau/8, Kevin Tway/9, Cameron Champ/10
• Seven FedExCup champions at the Genesis Open: Tiger Woods (2007/2009), Vijay Singh (2008), Jim Furyk (2010), Bill Haas (2011), Jordan Spieth (2015), Rory McIlroy (2016) and Justin Thomas (2017)

About Riviera Country Club

• The Riviera Country Club is recognized as one of the best courses on the PGA TOUR. The annual site of the Genesis Open, designed by George C. Thomas, opened for play in 1927.
• Riviera has hosted many of golf’s greatest events, including the U.S. Open, PGA Championship, U.S. Senior Open and U.S. Amateur Championship.
• The roster of past champions at Riviera Country Club includes Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, Tom Watson, Ernie Els, Fred Couples and Phil Mickelson.

A look back at the 2018 Genesis Open

• After beginning the final round with a one-stroke lead over Patrick Cantlay, Bubba Watson carded a 2-under 69 to finish at 12-under 272, good for a two-stroke win over Kevin Na and Tony Finau.
• Watson’s 10th PGA TOUR victory, his first since winning the 2016 Genesis Open, came in his 279th start at the age of 39 years, 3 months, 13 days. The victory was his third

at the Genesis Open (2014, 2016, 2018), joining Ben Hogan and Arnold Palmer as three-time winners. Only MacDonald Smith and Lloyd Mangrum, with four wins each, have more.

2018 Genesis Open Leaderboard

Bubba Watson                             68-70-65-69—272 (-12)

Kevin Na                                       68-70-67-69—274 (-10)

Tony Finau                                   66-71-68-69—274 (-10)

Scott Stallings                              71-68-68-68—275 (-9)

Patrick Cantlay                            66-69-69-71—275 (-9)

More on Bubba Watson

• Ranked No. 117 in OWGR at time of 2018 victory. Has been ranked as high as No. 2 (most recent: after 2015 Valspar Championship.
• Currently sits No. 16 in the OWGR
• 2018 victory was his third at Genesis Open (2014, 2016, 2018), joining Ben Hogan and Arnold Palmer as three-time winners. Only MacDonald Smith and Lloyd Mangrum, with four wins each, have more.
• Seeks to become the first back-to-back winner of the Genesis Open since Phil Mickelson in 2008 and 2009
• 2018 Genesis Open win came one week after Ted Potter, Jr.’s victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, marking two different left-handed winners in consecutive weeks on TOUR for the first time since 2000 (Phil Mickelson and Mike Weir won the TOUR Championship and World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship)

Multiple Winners of the Genesis Open

Bubba Watson is hoping to join MacDonald Smith, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Paul Harney, Corey Pavin, Mike Weir and Phil Mickelson as back-to-back winners of the Genesis Open. Here’s a look at multiple winners of the event:

• Four-time winners: MacDonald Smith (1928, 1929, 1932, 1934), Lloyd Mangrum (1949, 1951, 1953, 1956
• Three-time winners: Ben Hogan (1942, 1947, 1948), Arnold Palmer (1963, 1966, 1967), Bubba Watson (2014, 2016,
• 2018)

• Two-time winners: Harry Cooper (1926, 1937), Sam Snead (1945, 1950), Paul Harney (1964, 1965), Billy Casper (1968, 1970), Gil Morgan (1978, 1983), Lanny Wadkins (1979, 1985), Tom Watson (1980, 1982), Fred Couples (1990, 1992), Corey Pavin (1994, 1995), Mike Weir (2003, 2004), Phil Mickelson (2008, 2009)

A closer look at the field

• Seven of the current top-10 in the FedExCup standings are scheduled to compete at the Genesis Open: Matt Kuchar/1, Xander Schauffele/2, Marc Leishman/4, Charles Howell III/5, Phil Mickelson/6, Bryson DeChambeau/9, Kevin Tway/10
• Six of the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking: Dustin Johnson (3), Justin Thomas (4), Bryson DeChambeau (5), Jon Rahm (6), Xander Schauffele (7), Rory McIlroy (9)
• 2018-19 tournament winners, including multiple winners Xander Schauffele and Matt Kuchar: Kevin Tway (Safeway Open), Marc Leishman (CIMB Classic), Cameron Champ (Sanderson Farms Championship), Xander Schauffele
• (WGC-HSBC Champions, Sentry Tournament of Champions), Bryson DeChambeau (Shriners Hospitals for Children Open), Matt Kuchar (Mayakoba Golf Classic, Sony Open in Hawaii), Charles Howell III (The RSM Classic), Adam Long (Desert Classic), Phil Mickelson (AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am)
• Six players in the field with 19 or more PGA TOUR wins: Tiger Woods (80), Phil Mickelson (44), Vijay Singh (34), Davis Love III (21), Ernie Els (19), Dustin Johnson (19)
• Past champions: Fred Couples (1990, 1992), Ernie Els (1999), Adam Scott (2005/unofficial win), Charles Howell III (2007), Phil Mickelson (2008, 2009), Bill Haas (2012), Bubba Watson (2014, 2016, 2018), James Hahn (2015) and Dustin Johnson (2017)
• 21 major championship winners are in the field, led by Tiger Woods (14)

Additional Player Notes

Tiger Woods

• Won 80th PGA TOUR title at 2018 TOUR Championship, finishing No. 2 in the FedExCup
• The tournament is the only one to date where Woods has made double-digit appearances and failed to collect a victory
• Missed cut at 2018 Genesis Open was 25th in his career; in 17 TOUR starts since (through 2019 Farmers Insurance Open), lone missed cut came at 2018 U.S. Open
• In 12 starts at the Genesis Open, Woods owns four top-10 results, highlighted by runner-up results in 1998 (solo- second) and 1999 (T2)
• Owns a scoring average of 70.29 for 34 rounds in the Genesis Open at The Riviera Country Club (played at Valencia Country Club in 1998)
• Finished T20 at the Farmers Insurance Open in his first start of the 2018-19 season

Dustin Johnson

• 2017 victory at the Genesis Open is among his seven top-10 finishes in 11 starts at the event
• 19 career PGA TOUR victories at age 34; in the last 50 years, only four players have reached 20 wins before age 35: Tom Watson, Johnny Miller, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson
• Since 2008, no player has more rounds of 67 or better at The Riviera Country Club than Johnson. In 40 rounds, he has 14 at 67 or better. Next best are Kevin Na and J.B. Holmes with nine each.

Matt Kuchar

• Two-time winner this season now has nine career PGA TOUR titles and sits No. 1 in the FedExCup
• Four rounds of 64 or better this season. Opened with 64-64 en route to Mayakoba Golf Classic victory and started Sony Open in Hawaii with a pair of 63s before going on to win
• Has made 11 cuts in 12 appearances at Genesis Open with T8 in 2016 his lone top-10 – the one time he posted four sub-70 rounds at the event

Xander Schauffele

• Two-time winner this season (WGC-HSBC Champions, Sentry Tournament of Champions) sits No. 2 in the FedExCup
• Finished T9 in 2018 Genesis Open – his only previous start at Riviera
• In most recent start, earned a T10 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open

Bryson DeChambeau

• Finished No. 3 in the 2017-18 FedExCup standings after three victories, including back-to-back FedExCup Playoffs wins (THE NORTHERN TRUST, Dell Technologies Championship) and a victory at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide
• Three top-10s in three starts on PGA TOUR in 2018-19, including his fifth PGA TOUR title (Won/Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, 7^th/Sentry Tournament of Champions, T10/Sony Open in Hawaii)
• Making his third appearance at the Genesis Open (T41/2018, WD/2017)

Phil Mickelson

• Making his 599^th official PGA TOUR start; made 500^th career cut at last week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, going  on to win in a Monday finish.
• 14th victory in the state of California ties Tiger Woods for most wins by a PGA TOUR player in California since 1983
• Opening-round 60 (-12) en route to a T2 at 2019 Desert Classic, one of four starts this season
• Oldest winner this season at age 48 years, 7 months, 26 days
• Two wins (2008, 2009; most recent repeat-winner) and two runner-up results (2nd/2007, T2/2012) in 17 appearances at Genesis Open. Finished T6 at Riviera in 2018

The 2019 Genesis Open Preview is via PGA TOUR