PGA TOUR
The Genesis Invitational
Niemann Wins The Genesis Invitational. Adam Scott T4.
Joaquin Niemann scored a two-shot victory at The Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles. It was the 23-year-old’s second PGA Tour title. The Chilean outgunned a quality field that featured all 10 from the top 10 in the world and 19 of the world’s top 25. Americans Collin Morikawa and Cameron Young shared second place. Australia’s Adam Scott took a share of fourth place with Norway’s Viktor Hovland.
Niemann became the first wire-to-wire winner of the event since Charlie Sifford in 1969. The former world No. 1 ranked amateur golfer opened the event with blistering rounds of 63 and 63 to get to 16-under. His 36-hole score of 126 smashed the previous halfway record of 130. He then added a 3-under 68 on Saturday to leave him at 19-under. His 54-hole mark of 194 was also a new event scoring record. Niemann needed to birdie the final hole on Sunday to tie the event’s 72-hole record at 20-under 264 set by Lanny Wadkins in 1985. His two-putt par gave him a final round 71 and a 19-under tally.
Niemann began the final round with a three-shot lead over Young. The gap was just one shot after seven holes when he made a three-putt bogey from 43 feet. His lead extended to three shots one hole later when he rolled in a seven-foot birdie putt and Young made bogey. The Chilean advanced his lead with an exclamation mark when he drained his chip for an eagle at the 11th hole from just off the green. The 45-foot hole-out moved him to 21-under. It was his third eagle for the week. He held an emphatic five shot lead. At this point Niemann was seeking to join Rory McIlroy as the only players to win multiple times on the PGA Tour by five strokes or more before the age of 24. He won the 2019 A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier by six shots.
Then things tightened up!
Back-to-back bogeys at the 14th and 15th holes dropped Niemann to 19-under. He remained on that mark. Morikawa made a move! The two-time major winner, who was eight shots behind Niemann after six holes, fired six under over his last 12 holes to reach 17-under. Morikawa’s short game was on fire. He dunked his pitch shot from 90 feet for an eagle at the 10th hole. It was the second time in the final round the 25-year-old holed out from off the green. The five-time PGA Tour winner pitched in from 50 feet at the 7th green. Morikawa would have overtaken Jon Rahm as world No. 1 with victory this week.
Young was hoping to become the fourth first-time winner on the PGA Tour in consecutive weeks after Scottie Scheffler, Tome Hoge and Luke list. The PGA Tour rookie in his 12th start produced a final round 1-under 70 that included reducing the margin to two shots at the 15th green after he holed his pitch shot from 53 yards for a birdie. He also made a clutch birdie at the 17th hole to move back within two shots of Niemann with one hole to play.
Scott last won on the PGA Tour at this event in 2020. The 41-year-old posted rounds of 68, 65, 71 and 66 to get to 14-under and finish in a tie for 4th place. Scott’s final round included two eagles. It was the Queenslander’s best result this season on the PGA Tour besting his T5 at The CJ CUP in October. Hovland, who was searching for his second win of the wrap-around season, recorded a final round 1-under 70 to share fourth place with Scott.
The cut at Riviera was set at even-par 142 with the 16-shot gap between the top (Niemann at 16-under) and bottom the largest since the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage Black. World No. 1 Jon Rahm was one of the players to reach the weekend on the number. The Spaniard holed a six-foot putt at the 18th green on Friday to make the cut. His second round 73 was his first over par round in seven months. Rahm’s 2-over round ended a streak of 34 rounds at par or better—it was the longest such streak on the PGA Tour during the past 19 years. He finished with rounds of 70 and 65 to get to 7-under and moved him to a tie for 21st place.
The PGA Tour’s next stop will be The Honda Classic staged at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Australia’s Matt Jones is the defending champion.
Final Scores
The Genesis Invitational
1. Joaquin Niemann -19
T2. Cameron Young -17
T2. Collin Morikawa -17
T4. Adam Scott -14
T4. Viktor Hovland -14
6. Justin Thomas -13
T7. Scottie Scheffler -12
T7. Maverick McNealy -12
Other Australians
T15. Matt Jones -8
T15. Marc Leishman -8
T33. Cameron Smith -5
T48. Cam Davis -3
MC. Min Woo Lee
Photo credit: Michael Owens/Getty Images
