Genesis: Bagdad's Bubba Gets His 10th Win But Won't Be Retiring Any Time Soon

Love him or wonder about him, Bubba Watson is now a three-time winner at Riviera, joining elite company and solidifying his place as a genuine LA golf legend. He's now the PGA Tour's second-winningest lefty, still 32 wins behind Phil Mickelson. He also reached the win that would set retirement in motion, but quickly shot that down following play.  Doug Ferguson's AP game story with all of the details.

A few of the fun wrap-up stories capture what turned out to be a more bunched Riviera leaderboard than normal and a very typical ending where the leader emerges convincingly. Eamon Lynch for Golfweek on that topic and Adam Schupak at Golf.com on Bubba's wacky week.

Other than a few hiccups at the third, sixth and ninth holes, Watson plotted his way around Riviera in the appropriately caution fashion. The hole-out at the 14th all but sealed the tournament just moments after the leaderboard suggested a four man playoff was looming.

And because it's Bubba, there is a story behind the madness. G.C. Digital with the story.

PGATour.com's Mike McAllister with a roundup of the week and some nice notes and stats from Bubba’s win.

Slow play and players not finishing the round at Riviera may finally get a hard look via a reduced field size, reports The Forecaddie.

Tiger turns up at the Honda this week and I assess his Riviera and upcoming prospects for Golfweek's Monday weekly edition.

Rory McIlroy says his T-20 did not reflect how he played, reports Will Gray.

Jordan Spieth leaves Riviera bullish about his game after a backdoor top 10. Gray reports for GolfChannel.com.

Martin Kaufmann takes issue with some of Ian Baker-Finch's Sunday commentary related to Patrick Cantlay and celebrates the latest technology tool rolled out by CBS.

The full final round highlights:

Genesis Final Round Preview: There Are No Tracy McGrady's In Bubba's Way Today

An even numbered year aligns nicely for 2014 and 2016 Genesis Open winner Bubba Watson, who, as I note in my five dream scenarios for Sunday's final round, is chasing elite company as a three-time winner of this event. Only Macdonald Smith and Lloyd Mangrum have won four Los Angeles Glen Campbell Nissan Presented by Countrywide Northern Trust Genesis Opens.

Watson, who played Friday's celebrity game, will never live down Tracy McGrady's blocked shot but he did put a great spin on it.

Doug Ferguson's round three game story.

Golfweek's Live Final Round blog.

TV and tee times.

Today’s @genesisopen final round grouping featuring @bubbawatson & Patrick Cantlay is the first ever reunion since this epic moment in handshake history. pic.twitter.com/4ANx2S1ze9

— Geoff Shackelford (@GeoffShac) February 18, 2018

Report: Organizers Expect To Keep Playing Genesis Open Even After Tiger's Missed Cut

Multiple sources are confirming on deep background that the Genesis Open will carry on with the likes of Spieth, McIlroy, Johnson and Thomas making the weekend and still very much able to make a run at leaders Cantlay, McDowell and Saunders.

With a stellar weather forecast, firm, fast greens and some clever architectural problems to solve, organizers decided to forge ahead even after Tiger Woods posted a second round 76. My Golfweek report on a bad day for Woods on the greens, with his irons and the driver, where the misses weren't as bad but brought in the left side of the course.

For all the cute kids and their parents who came out to see a legend, there were more yahoos than normal on Friday and it gave Rory McIlroy a headache, notes The Forecaddie.

While some major star power is lurking dangerously, co-leader Graeme McDowell is one of the more exciting stories of the weekend. Eamon Lynch's Golfweek game story sets up what should be a fun weekend.

Quick Roundup: A Familiar Feeling First Round At Riviera, Only With Crowds!

The confluence of mega-stars and the strongest field of 2018 brought out the people, but if you watched any of round one you know Tiger-Justin-Rory got most of the eyeballs.

The three certainly didn't disappoint from the perspective of providing memorable shots--Tiger with two all-time recovery shots on the 5th and 9th holes--but each had their issues too.

As I noted for Golfweek, Tiger's driving gets all the attention but it was the iron play that let him down, while on the greens the contrast between Thomas and McIlroy is telling.

Others had similar takes, including James Corrigan at the Telegraph who labeled McIlroy's putting lousy. At GolfChannel.com, Will Gray has all of the details on the day, including Tiger's bizarre early morning lost ball at the 11th.

Tony Finau and Patrick Cantlay lead with afternoon 66's reports Eamon Lynch at Golfweek. That's a particularly strong showing for Cantlay given that his two previous professional appearances here were missed cuts.

Cantlay told a really swell Masters-related story during a long and insightful press session. The Forecaddie shared it at Golfweek.com.

As for the crowds, attendance figures are no longer attempted by touranment director Mike Antolini shared this when queried:

We've nearly doubled ticket sales from last year and demand continues to build in large part due to our terrific field, including Tiger. Today's crowds were strong and we expect them to grow even larger as we enter the weekend. It's great to see the fans come out to Riviera to experience the Genesis Open.

Tiger's first round highlights followed by the overall first round best of, courtesy of PGA Tour Entertainment.

Tiger Woods Rekindles His Unusual Riviera Relationship

All systems are a go as Tiger Woods returns for the first time since 2006 to play a PGA Tour event at Riviera.

His memories are mostly good here, as are his Riviera stats. But there was that unfortunate last appearance in 2006 (WD, illness) and other issues that kept him away from what is now the Genesis Open run by his foundation.

I write for Golfweek about the unusual relationship Woods has had with the course and everything that has changed since his last appearance.

Given where he was a year ago--not able to attend even basic tournament functions--that we're at this place a year later is a credit to his doctor and Tiger's renewed focus. Couple that with a stellar field and it should be a fun week.

In other Woods news, Golf Channel's Tim Rosaforte says Woods has not decided on his next start, with a looming Friday the deadline for next week's Honda Classic.

Spieth's Putting Struggles Continue At Spyglass...

It's way too early for this to be a thing, but Jordan Spieth's early season struggle on the greens in Scottsdale and now at Spyglass is worth watching.

Of note, Spieth's struggling on short putts, which, if nothing else should reassure you that even the best putter on the planet can struggle with the flatstick.

From Brentley Romine's Golfweek report on AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am play:

Then there was Jordan Spieth, a week removed from missing the cut at the Phoenix Open, who opened in even-par 72 on Spyglass as his putting struggles continued.

Spieth, who said Wednesday that he was in a “minor slump” on the greens, needed 32 putts to get through his first round. He did miss just three fairways and four greens while only carding one bogey, but he also holed just one birdie putt. He is tied for 98th going into Friday’s second round at Monterey Peninsula.

Phil's 213th In Driving Accuracy, Up In Distance And Bullish On His Prospects In 2018

It's always fun when Phil Mickelson talks these days--an increasingly rare opportunity for the press--so enjoy Dave Shedloski's GolfDigest.com item on Lefty's improved distance but less-than-appealing driving accuracy numbers (213th). Because you know there's a theory behind it all!

But it’s a change you can’t see. No, he is still swashbuckling Phil. But perhaps the new iteration won’t have to be so gosh-darn entertaining. Which would make him eminently more competitive.

An offseason leg-strengthening program might soon pay dividends. Always enamored with the long ball, Mickelson is averaging 305 yards off the tee, 13 yards longer than his driving average in 2017. He ranks 39th on tour in that category. His clubhead speed, he said, has increased four miles per hour, and his ball speed is up significantly, too.

“My legs were always very passive in my swing, and now I’m able to get more of a whip effect and push off the ground,” he explained. “It’s increased the speed right away. From a biomechanical standpoint, I’ve always had plenty of upper body speed, including the hands, but I was weak using my legs for power.”

And why is this cause for encouragement?

“The two areas that I’ve been weak in over the last five years and have held me back are driving and short putts, and I believe they are both becoming strengths,” he said. “If that’s the case, then I’m going to have a good year. I believe what I’m doing is going to make a huge difference.”

Mickelson opened with a 69 at Spyglass Hill.

PGA Tour Addresses Bunker Liner Abuse With Local Rule

As the world's best superintendents and their teams converge on San Antonio for this week's Golf Industry Show, one product many are told they need: bunker lining.

These expensive products, which follow the unsuccessful effort of previous products to prevent sand contamination, are sadly expected now for courses that absolutely should be spending on other products or personnel. A hazard is a hazard!

In 2017, two high profile incidents involving Branden Grace and Charley Hoffman involved the players struggling to take a stance, they claimed because of the liners. Both, coincidentally, faced "fried egg" lies. Both were granted relief to the consternation of millions.

The Forecaddie obtained the PGA Tour's "hard card" for local rules and other rules-related information available to players each week and reports on the new language preventing relief from the liners.

Hmmm: Obama Lands In Monterey, Clubs In Tow

Purported to be in the Monterey Peninsula for the AT&T Leadership Conference coinciding with the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, former president Barack Obama brought the sticks along. Just in case the Cypress Point invite comes. Or? Could he be a last minute pro-am fill-in?

Stephen Ellison reports for the Bay Area's NBC affiliate.

Pebble Pro-Am, West Coast Swing Have Their Swagger Back?

Amazing what a little tinkering with formats and emphasizing course course design can do!

Not long ago the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am was known for six hour rounds, has-been pros in the field and never-was "celebrities" getting too much air time. With the world's top-3 playing this year and plenty of celebrity intrigue to offset the corporate crowd--Golfweek posted the full field list here--Der Bingle's baby is back.

But as Ron Kroichick noted for MorningRead.com, the AT&T matters again as as stalwart event thanks largely to some key changes in format and rota.

Or put another way: Pebble matters again.

AT&T officials couldn’t do much about the weather, but in 2010 they shrewdly swapped Poppy Hills (unpopular among Tour pros) for Monterey Peninsula Country Club’s Shore Course. They also trimmed the field from 180 pros and amateurs to 156 of each, and made a conscious effort to land better amateur golfers.

While athletes were always part of the event, their rise in celebrity status and the inclusion of more pro jocks seems to have given the event a boost. Let's face it, for a lot of PGA Tour golfers the chance to hang out with a world class athlete for three rounds is more interesting than getting paired with a corporate dude.

Unless said corporate dude has a jet and a third home on the Peninsula with a separate guest entrance.

Randall Mell at GolfChannel.com notes the improved golf professional component in saying Pebble has its swagger back.

Maybe it’s fitting Doral doesn’t host a PGA Tour event anymore. The old adage that the year in golf doesn’t begin until Doral wouldn’t hold up any longer. Today’s stars aren’t using the West Coast swing to get warm in a run up to the Masters. They hit the year hot with Johnson, Rahm and Jason Day among the big names getting on the board with victories in January.

The intensity only builds this week with Spieth looking to rebound from a missed cut in Phoenix last week. He is defending the title he won last year. It also builds with McIlroy making his first PGA Tour start of the year after coming off second- and third-place finishes on the European Tour last month.

Over at CBSSports.com, Kyle Porter notes the seemingly improved week-to-week quality of the tour. While I'll remind him of this column in mid to late May, the point should be made that the fall wraparound schedule has not harmed the West Coast Swing as folks like me feared. Perhaps it's the mediocre quality of those events and lack of eyeballs trained on them, but the West Coast still feels like the tour's bread-and-butter season for big venues, big fields and lots of eyeballs. As it and the Florida season should be given a quick study of history.

Also not to be discounted: the subtle but important inclusion of stars who don't play 25 events the previous year now being forced to play events haven't been to in at least four years.  That subtle PGA Tour rule could, for instance, explain Rory McIlroy's appearance this week. Or, at the very least, helped get him to Pebble Beach when making out a schedule in search of adding an event due to the rule.

I'm Just Saying Files: PGA Tour's Fourth Straight Playoff Edition

Six playoffs already on the 2017-18 wraparound schedule and four straight with Gary Woodland's triumph over Chez Reavie at the Waste Management Open.

The playoff was the sixth this season and fourth in a row. The list:

THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES – Justin Thomas def. Marc Leishman with a birdie 4 on the second extra hole.

Shriners Hospitals for Children Open – Patrick Cantlay def. Alex Cejka and Whee Kim with a par 4 on the second extra hole.

Sony Open in Hawaii – Patton Kizzire def. James Hahn with a par 3 on the sixth extra hole.

CareerBuilder Challenge – Jon Rahm def. Andrew Landry with a birdie 3 on the fourth extra hole.

Farmers Insurance Open – Jason Day def. Alex Noren and Ryan Palmer with a birdie on the sixth extra hole.

Waste Management Phoenix Open – Gary Woodland def. Chez Reavie with a par 4 on the first extra hole.

The common denominator, spoiled only by including the 78-player CJ Cup CJ CUP?

Full field events.

Just a reminder when the WGC's roll around and someone tries to tell you limited field gatherings of the world's best are better. Generally, they are battling an uphill fight to generate excitement, whereas the tightly contested events we've seen so far have featured nice leaderboard diversity and excitement to the end.

Wasted: Phoenix Open Set For Stellar Finish And You Can Bet CBS Will Be Late To The Party

It's one of those traditions we longtime West Coasters have never grown accustomed to: a college basketball game running into CBS's scheduled golf coverage, condensing the broadcast window when the PGA Tour is getting it's best ratings, playing its most compelling events and often on the best courses.

The problem has been exacerbated since Golf Channel began providing lead-in coverage, leaving us with a scheduled half-hour break that has been shortened to 15 minutes in 2018 (undoubtedly after no one was buying that a half hour was needed to switch the graphics over).

Saturday's 2018 Waste Management Open telecast started at 12:46 due to the Kentucky-Missouri NO OVERTIME game running 45 minutes long, meaning an hour of golf was lost unless a viewer wanted to stream the telecast online.

The absurdity continues Sunday as two Big Ten powerhouse programs having below-average seasons are likely to spill into WMPO coverage. Remember, the madness continues next week when leaders at Pebble Beach are playing the most beautiful stretch of holes in golf as Michigan and Wisconsin inevitably run long.

The practice has grown old with viewers, who bombard social media with complaints that did successfully shorten the re-entry into the earth's television window atmosphere. Providing Golf Channel coverage up to the allotted time only picks up ten additional minutes. The lost time to college games running long should be treated

The obvious remedy?

Scheduling the games to start a half-hour earlier might mean--gasp--that a blowout ends a few minutes early and CBS can't deliver that strong "lead-in". To a sponsor like Waste Management, are those lingering fans as important than a happy TV audience seeing their ads?

Staying on Golf Channel until the basketball is complete would be trickier, but doable in just the same way Golf Channel picks up CBS broadcasts that have run past network coverage windows.

Either way, Sunday at the WMPO should be a dandy featuring 12 players within 3 strokes of Rickie Fowler's lead. Storylines include Phil Mickelson's shot at his first win since 2013, Fowler finally breaking through at TPC Scottsdale, Bryson DeChambeau picking up his second win, and Jon Rahm lurking a shot back.

Brentley Romine sets it all up at Golfweek.

“It’s anyone’s tournament tomorrow,” said Rickie Fowler, the 54-hole leader by a shot at 14 under. “Yeah, I have a one-shot lead, but this tournament is not going to be given to anyone.”

There are plenty of players ready to earn it, including Tour winners Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Xander Schauffele, Daniel Berger and Phil Mickelson, a three-time winner in Phoenix. The task of winning this week? The difficulty is tougher than trying to score a front-row seats in the grandstands on the 16th hole.

Sunday's tee and telecast times, college basketball permitting.

Golf Channel Says 2018 Starts With Most Watched January Yet

As the Wall Street Journal sorts through the reasons for another NFL ratings drop (thanks reader John), golf continues a positive start to 2018 with this news from

For Immediate Release:

GOLF CHANNEL POSTS MOST-WATCHED JANUARY, CAPPED BY MOST-WATCHED SUNDAY IN NETWORK HISTORY
 
Golf Digital Wraps Best January Ever for Minutes Streamed and Page Views
 
ORLANDO, Fla. (February 2, 2018) – Golf Channel posted its most-watched January ever with an average of 116,000 viewers per minute in Total Day, up 23% vs. last year and up 10% vs. the previous high in January 2013, according to data released by The Nielsen Company. This builds off December 2017 being the most-watched December ever for Golf Channel. Additionally, January’s success was mirrored across Golf Digital, which posted its best January for minutes streamed (22.6M) and page views (78.5M), up 34% and 19% respectively.
 
Sunday, January 28 was Golf Channel’s most-watched Sunday on record. During the PGA TOUR’s Farmers Insurance Open playoff between Jason Day and Alex Noren from 7:15 to 8:30 p.m. ET on Sunday – airing opposite The Grammy Awards – Golf Channel was the No. 1 Nielsen-measured cable network for Total Viewers, up 24% vs. second place (ESPN). The playoff was also Golf Channel’s most-watched PGA TOUR telecast ever.
 
“Golf is carrying a lot of momentum into 2018 with a deep roster of developing stars across the professional tours, a superstar making his return to competitive golf and a rapid evolution in the many ways golfers are participating in and consuming the game,” said Mike McCarley, president, Golf, NBC Sports. “It’s especially promising to see record viewership — and it’s only January.”
 
Golf Channel’s comprehensive slate of tournament coverage rounds out record-setting January:
·       LPGA Tour’s Pure Silk Bahamas Classic Round One became the tour’s most-watched Opening Day in 9 years.
·       PGA TOUR Champions saw 2nd best Opening Day in 5 years at Mitsubishi Electric Championship.
·       Web.com Tour’s Round One from the Bahamas Abaco Classic was the tour’s most-watched telecast since July 2016.

Uh-Oh: Rickie "Disappointed" By 16th Hole Heckling

Even though it's widely declared a great thing once a year, not everyone loves the gladiator pit of noise that is TPC Scottsdale's 16th hole.

Michael Bamberger called it awful this week at Golf.com.

And while players who don't care for the event generally just stay away, Rickie Fowler has been a supporter of the Waste Management Open. So to see him mention his disappointment at hecklers there during his morning round 66, suggests the language and commentary may be edging into dangerous territory.

From Will Gray's GolfChannel.com report, that also features a bit of a rebuttal from Jon Rahm.

But there were still a few comments from the gallery that caught the ear of Fowler, who shares the early lead after a 5-under 66. He was “disappointed” with some of what he heard from the tee box.

“I may be somewhat of a fan favorite, but they weren’t holding back,” Fowler said. “I was a little disappointed with some of the stuff that was said, and I don’t want much negativity. The normal boos for missing a green, that’s fine, but leave the heckling to a minimum and make it fun, support the guys out playing.”

If you lose Rickie, Scottsdale, maybe you've lost the plot...

Justin Thomas, Commissioner Jay Monahan Have J.B. Holmes' Slow-Playing Back

It's hardly a shocker that someone who speeds up a shot in hopes of taking advantage of a backstopping ball on the green has no problem with J.B. Holmes pitching a tent, even when at the expense of his playing partner and the PGA Tour product.

But that's Justin Thomas' view of last Sunday's debacle.

Brentley Romine, writing for Golfweek from the Waste Management Open, includes this from the current PGA Champion and Player Of The Year:

“I have J.B.’s back all day on that situation,” Thomas said Wednesday at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. “It bothered me and I hate it for him. I went up to him (Tuesday) and told him … it was a great tournament for him, but I have a hard time saying I wouldn’t do anything differently than he did.

Again, nothing bad times and a penalty stroke now and then wouldn't fix. Or a "spirit of the rules" class.

Sadly, Commissioner Jay Monahan missed an opportunity to address speed of play, essentially confirming he will continue the do-nothing approach of his predecessor Tim Finchem.

From The Forecaddie's report from TPC Scottsdale where Monahan played the Wednesday pro-am and made excuses for Holmes taking over 4 minutes to play a shot:

“As it relates to J.B. … He was in the heat of the moment. It’s really hard to win out here. You’re trying to think through how you can get on the green in two with that amount of wind. I think he thought it would subside quickly, and it subsided and picked back up, and I think he said what he needed to say.”

There you go boys, take all the time you need until you get the wind you like.