Genesis Invitational Winners and Full List of Past Champions

The PGA Tour will be going back to Los Angeles to compete for the Genesis Invitational. The tournament has been held since 1926, nearly a century. There is a rich and storied history with many of golf's greatest players among the past champions of the event.

Genesis Invitational Winners and Full List of Past Champions

In 2024, there will not be a defending champion. With Jon Rahm's defection to the LIV tour, he is no longer allowed to play in PGA Tour events and thus will be unable to defend his title. Neither will the champion of the event in 2022, Joaquin Niemann. Like Rahm, he is now a member of LIV.

Remarkably, two players who have never won the Genesis Invitational are the two greatest golfers to ever live: Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. This is despite the fact that both competed in the event multiple times.

It is rare to find an event on the PGA Tour that has been around for so long that neither Jack nor Tiger won. Both men still have a connection to the event though, as it was the first event Jack competed in as a professional and it was the first PGA Tour event Tiger competed in as an amateur at the age of 16. Woods now fittingly serves as the host of the event and his TGR Foundation is also heavily involved with the event.

The tournament is full of history, such as the fact that the legendary female golfer Babe Zaharias competed in the event three times. It has featured epic playoffs between Johnny Miller and Tom Watson as well as Phil Mickelson and Charles Howell III.

A special part of the event is the Charlie Sifford Memorial exemption which is awarded to one golfer every year from a minority background. It is a great way to honor Sifford, the first African American player on the PGA Tour and a former champion of the event. Woods even named his own son after Sifford so you know that is an important part of this event for him.

The following table contains the complete list of every champion the event has had since its inception in 1926.

Every champion of the Genesis Invitational since 1926

That is a pretty illustrious list of names. So many major champions, Hall of Famers, and icons of the game have emerged victorious at the Genesis. Looking at this entire list, it really does read as a "Who's Who" of professional golf over the last century which is why neither Tiger nor Jack being on that list is so glaring.

While it may not be likely, Woods can add his name to that list of champions if he is able to win this week. He will have to defeat World Number 1 Scottie Scheffler and the rest of an incredibly strong field to do so, but we have seen him do crazier things.

The Genesis Invitational will begin this Thursday.