On the list of famous golf trees – Eisenhower Tree, Lone Cypress, The ghost tree — Now we can add two more: Hovland Trees.
A pair of tees, to be exact, are now firmly planted along the right side of Riviera’s 487-yard hole, which ranks second hardest on the scoreboard and is usually ranked among the worst in The invitation of Genesisalso.
Trees are not added for aesthetics. They were installed as a defense against their namesake, Viktor Hovland, who in past Genesis starts has attacked the 15th unconventionally, starting his car on the right, all the way to the neighboring 17th fairway. It’s not the fairway that Riviera designer George Thomas had in mind, but it does open up a wider landing area and a clear view of the 15th green. (Several other players have taken the same alternate route, but none as often as Hovland).
Last year, of course, Riviera never had the chance to defend itself. The fires forced Genesis to Torrey Pines. But in Hovland’s final appearance at the Riviera event, he played the 15th in even par for the week – two pars, a birdie and a bogey. It’s impossible to say how much of an advantage that deviation was without having access to the alternate reality where he played the hole conventionally.
Regardless, this year, Riviera closed the gap. In the practice rounds, the trees seem to have served their purpose.
But if they have hindered Hovland, they have not shut up. On Instagram, Hovland photos posted (above) of the new look with a caption that didn’t require translation: SMH.
Hovland isn’t the first Tour Pro to take a creative line in search of a competitive edge. At the Sony Open in Hawaii, Charley Hoffman has his drive on the par-5 18th on the 11th fairway. At the now-defunct Dell Technologies Championship, Justin Thomas and several others played the par-4 12th through the back-to-back 13th.
Just as players get creative, so do courses and tournament committees, whether planting trees or installing internal out of bounds. In 2023, Riviera tried another kind of deterrent, placing a tournament scoreboard on Hovland’s alternate line.
Hovland just pounced on it.
Good luck trying it this week.
