Tiger Woods: Genesis Open at Riviera earns Invitational status in 2020

Tiger Woods has cemented his legacy as one of the greatest golfers of all time. Now, he joins a select few other legends as his Genesis Open will receive the elite Invitational status in 2020.

There are certain professionals who have achieved a special stature on the PGA Tour – players like Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan and now Tiger Woods.  The four all have more than 60 PGA tour victories, and according to PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, golf tournaments associated with them have qualified to become an invitational. From now forward, beginning with 2020, the Genesis will be an Invitational, not an Open. And there’s more.

"“It will be a 120-person player field, it will have the same exemption status as the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, a three-year winner’s exemption,” Monahan said to media at the Genesis Open. “I think, most importantly, it’s going to give us a week and an opportunity every single year to reflect upon this man’s staggering accomplishments on the golf course and his staggering philanthropic contributions, something that we’re excited to tell the world for a long time to come.”"

Most full field PGA Tour events are 144 players or 156 players, adjusted for the amount of daylight. The Charles Schwab Challenge held at Colonial CC in Fort Worth is also an invitational as is the RBC Heritage. Woods’ previously hosted tournament in Washington, D.C., was also an invitational, but that has transferred with Woods to Riviera CC.

However, this time, the tournament will also be worth more to PGA Tour players who qualify for it.

“This elevation status, as Jay said, it’s 120, so trying to get into the event is going to be a little more difficult and you’re going to have more players–well, more of the top players playing because of world ranking points,” Tiger Woods said about the upgrade in tournament status .

"“To go alongside with Jack and Arnold,  I’ve been lucky enough to have won those two events. For me, it’s been so special to be able to walk off those greens and to see those two gentlemen there, and to be able to have this event in that same breath as the two guys that I looked up to my entire playing career, it’s just very special.”"

Woods can only hope that his record at the Genesis Open improves a little bit. In 12 appearances, he has not won. It’s a challenge for him, yet as one of the best ball strikers in the game, it should be right up his alley.

"“Hopefully, I can finally play this golf course well,” Woods wished. “I had an opportunity, I believe, I guess [the year] Ernie [Els won] maybe in 2000-ish, somewhere in there, when I was one back with one to go, and I put it over there in some beer tent to the right. Hopefully I can do a little bit better this year.”"

It was 20 years ago, in 1999, and he finished second to Els that year, his best finish at the course where he received his first exemption to play a PGA Tour event as a 16-year old amateur.  He missed the cut.

But Woods does understand the historic track and even changed 3-woods to be able to hit higher and softer shots.

"“There’s no faking it around this golf course, especially if the greens are up to speed like they are right now,” he explained. “It puts such a premium on putting the golf ball in play and hitting the ball high. You’ve got to hit the ball high into any of these greens and really control your spin and put the ball in the right spots because getting up and down here, as we’ve all seen, kikuyu grass is not easy to do.”"

Woods noted that he wished the Tour played at more courses like Riviera. Despite the fact that it has no water, the track is tough. The greens are small, and they require a precision shot to get to the right place on the green for birdie chances.

“The greens are, except No.4, everything slopes from back to front, and we all know that, don’t go past the hole,” Woods said about the course. “We were joking today (during the pro-am) coming down 12, I remember hitting a 1-iron and a wedge down there. Today was driver, cut 6-iron.”

Riviera also has a famous spot or two, also, like the 12th a par 4, dogleg right with a tree near the green that used to be the favorite place for movie star Humphrey Bogart to sit and watch tournament action.

The course, which Tiger Woods has called simple and straightforward, plays to a par 71.  There are only three par fives, the first, the 11th and the 17th. George C. Thomas designed the course, which opened in 1927. The tournament, originally called the Los Angeles Open, first became a Tour event in 1926. It has been hosted by several of the area’s finest clubs, but it’s called Riviera home for 56 years.