The Ultimate Guide to 2021 Music Festivals

genesis tour :: Article Creator

The Genesis Invitational Preview

LOS ANGELES (AP) Brooks Koepka is back at Riviera with a healthy dose of confidence from winning and the same set of irons.

The latter illustrates some of the frustration for a four-time major champion who was trying to get back to the form that made him No. 1 in the world. He missed the cut in Mexico to end the year. He missed the cut in Palm Springs to start the year. And then he missed the cut at Torrey Pines and was at his breaking point.

Instead, he broke his clubs.

Twice.

''I snapped two sets of irons after playing Mexico and then after Torrey, and I don't really do that,'' Koepka said Wednesday at the Genesis Invitational. ''So there was quite a bit of frustration, but at the same time, you've just got to stick it out. I felt like my patience is always there. It's just sometimes results take a little bit longer.''

There are photos to illustrate what Koepka did to his clubs, but those stay among his posse. More than a snap decision, this sounded as though it involved some premeditation.

''I did it at the house. I wouldn't do it so everybody else could see,'' Koepka said. ''It was in the living room. I walked right into the house and just (snapped it) right over the knee.''

Winning doesn't take of everything, but it goes a long way. Koepka felt good about his game at the Phoenix Open, and winning with a bold charge on the back nine only affirmed what he was thinking.

Now he's at Riviera to face the strongest field of the year and a tournament feels as prestigious as anything this side of a major championship or The Players Championship.

Some of that has to do with the strength of the field. Much of it has to do with Riviera, among the best course players will see all year, especially in a week of dry weather and conditions that are fast and firm and get their attention.

Dustin Johnson, the No. 1 player in the world, also is coming into Riviera off a victory.

He has no confidence issues, no broken clubs.

Johnson won in Saudi Arabia two weeks ago. Not only was it his third victory in his last nine events - one of those at Augusta National in the Masters - only twice in that span has he finished worse than second.

He is on one of his favorite courses. A lot of players feel that way, but not to the point of naming their son after Riviera (Johnson's youngest is River).

Johnson won the Genesis Invitational in 2017 by five shots when he first rose to No. 1 in the world. He has been runner-up on two other occasions, along with two other finishes in the top five. Dating to 2008, his rookie year, Johnson has 12 rounds of 66 or lower at Riviera. Next on that list is Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson, each with five.

''I feel like it's a tough golf course,'' Johnson said. ''You've got to drive it well, you've got to be really spot on with your irons and distance control, shot shapes into the green. I think it kind of makes you think on every shot you're hitting off the tee, coming into the greens and then even when you're on the greens.''

Only two players from the top 10 in the world - Tyrrell Hatton of England and Webb Simpson - are not at Riviera. Neither is the tournament host, Tiger Woods, who is still recovering from his most recent back surgery.

It speaks to the love of Riviera, and the prestige that comes with winning can feel equal to the World Golf Championship that is being played next week in Florida.

''To win on quality golf courses is just a little something extra,'' Adam Scott said.

His victory last year was his second at Riviera, at least in his books, though not in the PGA Tour tally. Scott won in 2005 when there was so much rain the tournament was cut to 36 holes (he won in a playoff) and not deemed official.

But there's no doubt he'd like to win again, because of the course, because of the field.

''I think everyone, or certainly top players, have such a big focus on major championships, then a few other championships,'' Scott said. ''Generally, the quality of golf course they're played on is at a very high standard and Riviera fits that category. I feel like if you've had a good week here, it's a good measure certainly generally of where your game is at.''

Genesis Scottish Open Recap

GULLANE, Scotland (AP) Rory McIlroy birdied the last two holes in whipping wind Sunday for a 2-under 68 to win the Genesis Scottish Open, his first victory on Scottish soil, and take a load of confidence into the final major of the year.

McIlroy was one shot behind Robert MacIntyre when he played the slope to near perfection on the par-3 17th for a 4-foot birdie putt to tie for the lead. Then, he delivered what McIlroy called his best shot of the year - a 2-iron into the wind to 10 feet for a final birdie.

It was a heartbreaker for MacIntyre, who was trying to win his national open and delivered a class shot of his own. MacIntyre hammered a 3-wood from the rough on the 18th hole at The Renaissance Club to 4 feet, pumping both fists when it dropped for a 64.

It was a remarkable closing round given the wind that was rough and relentless off the Firth of Forth, and it looked for the longest time that it would give the 26-year-old MacIntyre the signature victory of his young career.

Instead it was McIlroy, who played the tough back nine in 31 and capped it off with two clutch birdies for his first win since the Dubai Desert Classic.

The victory came at an ideal time. McIlroy heads south to Royal Liverpool for the British Open, where he tries to end his nine-year drought in the majors. McIlroy won the claret jug the last time The Open was played at Royal Liverpool in 2014.

"That was such a tough day - so tough," McIlroy said. "To play that back nine in 4-under par to win the tournament, I'm really proud of how I stuck in there. I hit some amazing shots down the stretch. It feels incredible. It's been a long six months, I feel, since I won in Dubai. I've given myself tons of chances, and hopefully this win sort of breaks the seal for me, especially going into next week."

McIlroy finished at 15-under 265 and moved past Jon Rahm to No. 2 in the world.

Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world, closed with a 70 and tied for third with Byeong Hun An (70) and David Lingmerth (68). Scheffler has finished among the top five in his last seven tournaments, two of them majors.

An and Lingmerth received a consolation prize by earning spots in the British Open, awarded to the leading three players not already exempt. The final spot went to Nicolai Hojgaard (67), who will join twin brother Rasmus at Royal Liverpool.

The Scottish crowd had been chanting MacIntyre's name all week around The Renaissance Club, and they roared when he delivered the 3-wood and birdie putt to the 18th, one of the toughest closing holes on tour.

MacIntyre was so caught up in the moment he had to hold back tears leaving the green.

"I'll never forget it. I had to take a minute coming off 18," he said. "If not The Open, the Scottish Open will be up there with the event I want to play for the rest of my life. It's one I've dreamed of winning since I watched at home, and I thought today coming down once I birdied 18, I thought, this might be the one. But it's not to be just now.

"Rory McIlroy's potentially the best in the world, and he showed why today."

McIlroy matched him with a shot every bit as good.

He was 201 yards from the pin, dead into the wind, a perfect 3-iron for him - except that McIlroy decided to replace his 3-iron with a 2-iron for the windy week.

"The 4-iron was only getting me to the front edge," McIlroy said. He needed to hit a 2-iron with a little cut and a little height to let the wind take off some of the distance, and "it came off absolutely perfectly."

"It's probably the best shot I've hit all year," McIlroy said. "When you hit a shot like that, I feel like I deserved to hole the putt to finish it off like that."

The tournament was co-sanctioned by the European tour and the PGA Tour. McIlroy expanded his lead atop the Race to Dubai, though he still has work to do to catch up to Rahm and Scheffler in the FedEx Cup.

---

AP golf: https://apnews.Com/hub/golf and https://twitter.Com/AP-Sports

Florida PGA Tour Event Officially Gets New Sponsor After Inking Six-year Deal With IT Company

Cognizant is an IT and consulting company that helps businesses modernize technology. Its associates devoted 150,000 hours teaching business, software and technology skills in 2022.

When the opportunity arose to attach its name to the biggest sporting event in Palm Beach County and one of the biggest in South Florida, Cognizant saw it as a natural fit.

"The amount of senior leaders across the United States that have a second home or, in a lot of cases, moved to the Palm Beaches area was pretty spectacular," Gaurav Chand, Cognizant's chief marketing officer, told The Palm Beach Post.

"This is our sweet spot of clients … the group we are targeting. So hosting a tournament in that area, in a time frame where most people make that part of the country their winter home, is incredibly advantageous for a company like ours."

Cognizant signed a six-year deal Monday night as the new title sponsor of the tournament known as the Honda Classic for more than four decades.

As the Palm Beach Post previously reported, the tournament is renamed the Cognizant Classic.

As a global partner of the Presidents Cup and a title sponsor of the LPGA's Founders Cup, Cognizant has experience in the golf sponsorship business. But one thing that makes this investment attractive is its name being at the top of the billboard.

"The Presidents Cup, you're not a title sponsor, per se," Chand said. "So you don't get your name as part of the economy, right? So the fact that you get your name as part of the tournament takes awareness to a different level altogether. That's a huge advantage.

"We work with a ton of the Fortune 500 companies, a lot of them have either headquartered or locations in the West Palm Beach area. So we're taking a huge angle around getting the business community also very closely involved with the tournament."

2023 Honda Classic

Eric Cole tees off at the 17th hole during the third round of the 2023 Honda Classic at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. (Photo: Andres Leiva/Palm Beach Post)

With a small window prior to the 2024 event, scheduled for Feb. 29-March 3 at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Cognizant immediately will start its advertising blitz.

Cognizant is headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey, and has 66 offices and retail locations throughout the U.S. The company was not dissuaded by the tumultuous landscape of the sport caused by the uncertainty of the PGA Tour's deal with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which finances LIV Golf, and the fallout of Jon Rahm leaving to sign with LIV.

Instead, it chose to look at the success of the Honda Classic in its heyday and the growth that has occurred in recent years in areas like charitable donations, attendance and buildout, even with underwhelming fields.

Cognizant has awarded approximately $65 million to philanthropical causes in North America, Australia and Europe since 2018, and $23.5 million in grants and gifts last year to 115 organizations around the world.

The final Honda Classic distributed a record $7.2 million to more than 100 South Florida philanthropic organizations, and nearly $70 million in charitable contributions during American Honda's time as title sponsor.

The Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation will remain the primary charitable beneficiary of the tournament, which it has been since 2007.

"When community comes together, there's a massive charitable component around it," Chand said. "You're doing something that's more than just a golf tournament, more than a bunch of professionals playing the sport of golf. You're truly benefiting society and you're having a long lasting impact, which is core to Cognizant's DNA."

Chand is confident adjustments made in the PGA Tour schedule, including adding a week between the end of the West Coast Swing at the Genesis Invitational and the Cognizant Classic, which kicks off the Florida Swing, will help improve the field. The Tour visits Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, for the Mexico Open at Vidanta in the week in between.

The 2023 event, won by Chris Kirk in a playoff over Eric Cole, included just four of the top 30 golfers in the world rankings, its fewest in at least a decade. No one in the top 10 entered for the third consecutive year.

"We believe the timing is a lot more conducive, and the Tour is putting a lot of its strength behind talking to the players and getting them involved in playing this tournament," Chand said.

"If you look at the number of PGA players that live around the area, there's no reason why this should not be one of the top tournaments on the tour. And that's exactly the conversations we've been having with the tour. How do we take this to that next level, and get those pros more interested and excited about playing?"

Search This Blog

Festival Portal