Genesis Open Preview 2018

Genesis Open Preview 2018

Previously known as Los Angeles Open, Northern Trust Open, Nissan Open, Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open.

Dates: February 12-18, 2018
Where: Riviera Country Club; Pacific Palisades, CA
Par/Yards: 35-36—71/7,322
Field: 144; Format: 72-hole stroke play
Defending Champion: Dustin Johnson
Purse: $7,200,000; Winner’s Share: $1,296,000 (winner also receives Genesis G80 Sport)
Website: GenesisOpen.com
Twitter: @GenesisOpen
Facebook: Facebook.com/GenesisOpen
Instagram: @GenesisOpen

Dustin Johnson set to defend Genesis Open title

• With his five-stroke victory over Thomas Pieters and Scott Brown at the 2017 Genesis Open, Dustin Johnson became the 20th player to earn the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking, overtaking Jason Day.
• With his 13th PGA TOUR victory coming at the 2017 Genesis Open, Johnson secured his 14th and 15th TOUR wins for three victories-in-a-row at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship and WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.
• His 16th Tour win, and fourth of the 2017-18 season, came at THE NORTHERN TRUST, the first of the four FedExCup Playoffs.
• With the 2017 Genesis Open victory, Johnson added his name to a list of players who won at least once in each of their first 10 full seasons on TOUR (since World War II) that includes Arnold Palmer (17: 1955-1971), Jack Nicklaus (17: 1962-1978) and Tiger Woods: (14: 1996-2009). Johnson extended this winning streak to 11 seasons with victory at the 2018 Sentry Tournament of Champions.
• Johnson’s victory in his 10th start at the Genesis Open is among his seven top-10 finishes at this event.
• Since 2008, no player has more rounds of 67 or better at Riviera Country Club than Johnson. In 36 rounds played at Riviera, he has played 13 of them at 67 or better. The next nearest player on the list is J.B. Holmes, with nine.
• Last week, Johnson finished runner-up with three other players behind winner Ted Potter, Jr. at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Multiple Winners of the Genesis Open

• Dustin Johnson 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.
• 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)
• 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), Bubba
  Watson (2014, 2016).

The Genesis Open and the FedExCup

• The Genesis Open is the 15th event in the PGA TOUR’s 2017-18 Season with 48 official events.
• Players vie to become the FedExCup Champion, which distinguishes the one player who not only performs well during the PGA TOUR Season, but also excels through the four-event FedExCup Playoffs, culminating with the 2018 TOUR Championship.
• Eight of the 11 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 and 2016); Dustin Johnson (2017).
• Six of the current top-10 in the FedExCup standings are scheduled to compete at the Genesis Open: Dustin Johnson/3, Brendan Steele/5, Chez Reavie/6, Pat Perez/7, Austin Cook/9, Justin Thomas/10.
• Past FedExCup champions at the Genesis Open include: Tiger Woods (2007/2009), Vijay Singh (2008), Jim Furyk (2010), Bill Haas (2011), Billy Horschel (2014), 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.

Genesis Open

• The Genesis Open was first played in 1926 and stands as the seventh-oldest 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).

Tiger Woods

• Three weeks ago, Tiger Woods returned to the TOUR at the Farmers Insurance Open following back surgery after an absence of a year, finishing T23 after four rounds of par-or-better at Torrey Pines.
• This marks Woods’ 330th career start on TOUR. He made his first PGA TOUR appearance at this event in 1992, missing the cut as a 16-year-old amateur. Woods’ most recent appearance at the Genesis Open was 2006, when he withdrew following rounds of 69-74.
• In 11 starts at the Genesis Open, Woods owns four top-10 results. His best finish is runner-up in 1998. He also posted a T2 in 1999.
• Woods owns a scoring average of 69.83 for 30 rounds at Riviera CC.

Justin Thomas

• Reigning FedExCup champion Justin Thomas came off a five-win season in 2016-17 to claim victory in just his second start of the 2017-18 PGA TOUR Season with a playoff win over Australia’s Marc Leishman at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES in Korea.
• Thomas owns three career starts at the Genesis Open with a T39 last year his best result (T39-2017, T54-2016, T41-2015).

Jordan Spieth

• A T4 in 2015 represents Jordan Spieth’s best finish in five starts at the Genesis Open (MC-2012, T12-2014, T4-2015, MC-2016, T22-2017).
• The three-time major champion and winner of 11 PGA TOUR events finished second behind Justin Thomas in the 2017 FedExCup.
• As a member of the University of Texas men’s golf team, Spieth helped the Longhorns to the NCAA championship in 2012 at Riviera.

Tommy Fleetwood

• The European Tour’s 2017 Race to Dubai winner Tommy Fleetwood will make his Genesis Open debut. The Englishman posted a runner-up result at the 2017 World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship for his best finish in 23 career starts on the PGA TOUR.
• Claimed his fourth career European Tour victory with a two-stroke win over Ross Fisher at the 2018 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in January.

Rory McIlroy

• Rory will make his second start of the 2017-18 PGA TOUR Season. He missed the cut at last week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
• McIlroy has one previous appearance at the Genesis Open, shooting 75 in the final round to finish T20 in 2016 after sitting T5 and two back of eventual winner Bubba Watson through 54 holes.

Phil Mickelson

• In 16 prior starts at the Genesis Open, Phil Mickelson has two victories (2008, 2009) and two runner-up finishes (2007, 2012).
• Mickelson owns three top-5 finishes in six starts this season (T3/Safeway Open, T5/Waste Management Phoenix Open, T2/AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
• Last week at Pebble Beach, Mickelson recorded his 190th top-10 finish in 576 career starts on the PGA TOUR.

Ted Potter, Jr.

• Ted Potter, Jr. claimed his second PGA TOUR victory (2012 The Greenbrier) at last week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
• With the win, Potter joined Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, Mike Weir, Bob Charles, Steve Flesch and Brian Harman as the only lefthanders with multiple wins on TOUR.
• In Potter’s three appearances at the Genesis Open, he owns two missed cuts (2012, 2014) and a T10 showing in 2013.
• With Phil Mickelson finishing T2 behind Potter last week, it marked the third time since 2005 that the TOUR has had 1-2 finishes by lefties: Ted Potter, Jr. (1) and Phil Mickelson (T2)/2018 AT&T Pro-Am at Pebble Beach, Bubba Watson (1) and Phil Mickelson (2)/2011 Farmers Insurance Open, Phil Mickelson (1) and Mike Weir (2)/2005 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Hao Tong Li

• Last month, Haotong Li won the 2018 Dubai Desert Classic for his second European Tour victory. He birdied his final two holes at Emirates Golf Club to beat Rory McIlroy by one stroke.
• With the win, Li became the first player from China to move inside the top 50 in the Official World Golf
  Ranking.
• As a 21-year-old, Li shot a final-round 63 at Royal Birkdale last year to finish T3 at The Open Championship, which also earned him a spot in the 2018 Masters Tournament at Augusta National.
• Li has made eight cuts in 12 appearances on the PGA TOUR.

A closer look at the field

•  Six of the current top-10 in the FedExCup standings are scheduled to compete at the Genesis Open: Dustin Johnson/3, Brendan Steele/5, Chez Reavie/6, Pat Perez/7, Austin Cook/9, Justin Thomas/10.
• Three of the top four in the Official World Golf Rankings; Dustin Johnson (1), Jordan Spieth (3), JustinThomas (4).
• 2017-18 tournament winners: Brendon Steele (Safeway Open), Pat Perez (CIMB Classic), Justin Thomas (CJ CUP @NINE BRIDGES), Ryan Armour (Sanderson Farms Championship), Patrick Cantlay (Shriners Hospitals for Children Open), Austin Cook (The RSM Classic), Dustin Johnson (Sentry Tournament of Champions), Ted Potter, Jr. (AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am).
• Players in the field with 10 or more PGA TOUR wins: Tiger Woods (79), Phil Mickelson (42), Vijay Singh (34 wins), Ernie Els (19), Dustin Johnson (17), Jim Furyk (17), Adam Scott (13), Rory McIlroy (13), and Jordan Spieth (11).
• Past champions: Ernie Els (1999), Adam Scott (2005/unofficial win), Charles Howell III (2007), Phil Mickelson (2008, 2009), Aaron Baddeley (2011), Bill Haas (2012), John Merrick (2013), Bubba Watson (2014, 2016), James Hahn (2015) and Dustin Johnson (2017).
• 14 major championship winners are in the field, led by Tiger Woods (14).

Additional Player notes

• Seunghyuk Kim, 31, received a sponsor exemption into the Genesis Open. Kim won the 2017 Genesis Championship on the Korean Tour by eight strokes with a 270, 18-under total. In 2014, he won the SK Telecom Open and the Kolon Korea Open, both co-sanctioned by the Korean and OneAsia Tours, and the Top Cup Tokai Classic on the Japan Golf Tour. Kim, who finished T58 at the 2017 CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES in his only previous PGA TOUR appearance, is No. 274 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
• Additional sponsor exemptions include Jim Furyk (2018 U.S. Ryder Cup team captain), Padraig Harrington (three-time major championship winner) and Hao Tong Li (shot 63 in final round of The Open at Royal Birkdale last year).
• Belgium’s Thomas Pieters returns to the Genesis Open after firing a final-round 63 to finish T2 in his first appearance last year. Pieters, medalist at Riviera CC in the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship while playing for the University of Illinois, is hoping to become the 11th player to notch their first PGA TOUR title at the Genesis Open: Victor Ghezzi (1935), Johnny Bulla (1941), Fred Wampler (1954), Phil Rodgers (1962), TC Chen (1987), Chip Beck (1988), Kirk Triplett (2000), Len Mattiace (2002), John Merrick (2013) and James
  Hahn (2015).
• Bubba Watson, a two-time Masters champion and winner of the Genesis Open in 2014 and 2016, recently fell out of the top-100 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time in eight years (January, 2010). Watson is currently ranked No. 115. He was ranked as high as No. 2 following the 2015 Valspar Championship.
• Adam Scott, who recorded an unofficial victory when the 2005 Genesis Open (his inaugural start) was reduced to 36 holes due to weather, owns seven top-20 finishes in nine starts at the event (Won-2005, 2-2006, T69- 2007, T14-2008, MC-2010, T17-2012, T10-2013, T2-2016, T11-2017).
• In 17 appearances at the Genesis Open, K.J. Choi has never missed a cut, with top-10 finishes in 2016 (T5), 2011 (T7), 2009 (T3), 2008 (T7) and 2003 (T5).
• The player with the most appearances in the Genesis Open is E. Harrison (26 starts).

Hole-in-One

• The player with the first hole-in-one each round on holes 14 or 16 will win a Genesis G80 Sport, as well as a
  Genesis G80 Sport for their caddie.
• No aces were recorded in the 2017 event.
• Two players scored aces at No. 16 in 2016 – Ryan Moore and Tyrone Van Aswegen.
• The last player to hole-in-one at No. 14 was Rich Beem in 2007.

Cameron Champ earns Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption

• Former Texas A&M standout Cameron Champ, recipient of the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption into the Genesis Open, will make his fifth PGA TOUR start and third as a professional.
• The 22-year-old Sacramento, California native made two starts on the PGA TOUR as an amateur: 2017 U.S. Open (T32) and 2017 Safeway Open (MC).
• At the 2017 U.S. Open, he was one of two amateurs to make the cut.
• After two rounds, he led the field in driving distance and was T8 on the leaderboard, ultimately finishing T32 with rounds of 70-69-73-76.
• Champ was a member of the winning U.S. team at the 2017 Walker Cup played at Los Angeles CC.
• Champ missed the cut in his first start as a professional at the 2017 OHL Classic at Mayakoba. He also failed to advance to the weekend at The RSM Classic in 2017. With status on the  Web.com Tour in 2018, Champ has posted T21 and T40 results in the first two events of the season held in the Bahamas.
• Champ has given back to his community through his involvement with The First Tee of Sacramento since 2003.
• The exemption has been awarded since 2009 and is focused on “representing the advancement of diversity in the game of golf.” Past recipients include Harold Varner III (2014), Carlos Sainz, Jr. (2015), J.J. Spaun (2016) and Kevin Hall (2017).

Fan Experience

• Two-time Genesis Open winner Bubba Watson is participating in the NBA Celebrity All-Star Game during
  tournament week.
• With the growing popularity of the tournament, Los Angeles venue, and the NBA All-Star game in market at the same time there will be many celebrities/influencers attending the event, including NBA All-Stars Klay Thompson and Kyle Lowry.
• The 2018 Genesis Open features several new guest experiences, while many fan-favorite viewing and entertainment destinations return to Riviera this year. The GREY GOOSE 19th Hole returns to the Genesis Open, while the tournament adds two open to the public viewing decks with the vineyard vines club on No. 10 green and the William Hill Estate Wine Deck on No. 2 green.
• The GREY GOOSE 19th Hole offers premium beverages where you can enjoy a signature cocktail crafted specifically for the Genesis Open. Located at the center of five different hole locations, the GREY GOOSE 19th Hole is situated in one of the most high-traffic areas on-course near 18 green.
• The vineyard vines club at No. 10 green is the lively social spot on course and features relaxed seating in Adirondack chairs, upgraded concession offerings along with communal seating, and a signature vineyard vines club cocktail.
• With public seating and heightened views of No. 2 green, No. 10 tee box and No. 9 green, the William Hill Estate Wine Deck is another new addition.
• In addition to the new destinations, many of the fan-favorite locations remain. Located just past the Main Entrance, adjacent to No. 1 fairway, The Strip features engagements and various free giveaways. The Boulevard, across from No. 1 fairway and near No. 2 green, provides a full view of the short game practice area where the professionals warm up before their round
• The Genesis Lounge at No. 14 combines comfort and luxury and a putting experience for guests. The Promenade has moved to a new location in 2018 behind No. 14 green, with an expanded footprint and host of activities, including food trucks and a giant video board.

Impact on Community

• The Genesis Open makes a significant impact each year in the Southern California community. Thousands of youth benefit annually through access to the game of golf during Genesis Open week, in addition to numerous impactful education and college access programs through the Tiger Woods Foundation.
• Last year, Genesis announced its first ever grant award to the J. Paul Getty Museum Trust in conjunction with the kickoff of the 2017 Genesis Open. This was the first corporate social responsibility award of the new luxury Genesis brand.
•  The $250,000 grant helped create an innovative education initiative to benefit high school students in Los Angeles and surrounding communities.
• Phase 1 of the Genesis-Getty initiative is an 18-month program designed to enhance learning through a model of See Your World, Share Your World, and Change Your World. Thousands of students from underserved communities and Title 1 schools in the LA area have participated in the program directly and online.
• With the sale of every Genesis model in the U.S., a donation is made to arts enrichment programs serving children across the country.
• Genesis intends to continue to support the Getty Museum’s development of this innovative education initiative as it progresses into Phase II in 2018.

Collegiate Showcase to kick off Genesis Open tournament week

• The 2018 Genesis Open kicks off Monday, Feb. 12 with the Collegiate Showcase, which teams PGA TOUR professionals, including former FedExCup champion Jordan Spieth, playing in the Genesis Open with current collegiate stars from the USC, Texas, Kentucky and Washington golf teams.
• USC’s Justin Suh, Texas Longhorns Doug Ghim, Scottie Scheffler and Spencer Soosman, Kentucky’s Lukas Euler, and Washington’s Carl Yuan are the college golfers competing in the Collegiate Showcase, which tees off at 8:30 a.m.
• The format features an individual stroke-play competition for the collegiate entries, with the low collegiate golfer earning a spot in the Genesis Open.
• Pepperdine’s Sahith Theegala (2017), Illinois’ Charlie Danielson (2016) and Wake Forest’s Will Zalatoris (2015) won past exemptions into the tournament. S
• pieth helped the University of Texas win the 2012 NCAA Team Championship at Riviera.
• PGA TOUR golfers also representing their alma maters include former Kentucky Wildcat J.B. Holmes, USC alum Jamie Lovemark, Texas products Jhonattan Vegas and Cody Gribble, and Washington’s C.T. Pan.

The Genesis Open Preview came via the PGA TOUR.