In the latest edition of The invitation of Genesis at Riviera in 2024, the brutal par-3 4th hole had players scrambling. For the week, the 230-yard hole played to a meaty average of 3,204, making it the third-toughest hole on the course. In the fourth round, only 6 of the 51 players hit the green in regulation, with many tee shots being held up in the sticky kikuya grass in front of the green.
“Terrible” is how veteran pro Adam Schenk, after losing by four, described the hole in a tweet in which he tagged tournament host Tiger Woods. “Tell them to raise points (sic) less than 4 for the left 2/3 of the green rewarding good shots and keep the actual short grass to the right 1/3 of the green.”
Two years later, the world’s best players have returned to the Riv (in 2025, the LA fires forced the tournament to move to Torrey Pines) and Schenk, who is not on the field this week, got half of his wish. Changes HAVE it was done on the 4th hole – not the changes he had lobbied for.
Rather than cutting or replacing the grass to make the Redan-style green more accessible, the club has lengthened the hole by about 40 yards, meaning it can now play up to 270 yards, and repositioned the tee box to the right of its original site. Riv said he made changes to better align the hole with designer George Thomas’ original vision, but beefing up an already strong test has raised the eyebrows of at least some players, including the world No.2. Rory McIlroywho characterized the new fourth look as a “terrible change”.
Asked to explain, McIlroy said: “Like 15 percent of the course hit the green the last time it was played on its original 230. If you want it to be a 275-yard par-3, you have to change the fairway that leads to the green. It can’t be kikuyu, it has to be a different kind of green because it can help you run back into the grass, in the right conditions, to run back into the grass. try to fly that ball onto the green with a 3-iron, it’s going to land – it’s going to end up on the 5th tee.”
There is no hole HAVE to play all lying down, of course, and likely won’t happen on cool, damp days or when the wind is blowing hard at the players. While PGA Tour rules official Steve Rintoul said my colleague Jack Hirsh in 2024“I suspect the players at Genesis will see a little bit of everything over four days. However, the upcoming summer events at the Riviera (US Women’s Open, Olympics and US Open) will allow for stronger, warmer conditions where the ball will play along the ground, following the green, to be more effective.”
Rintoul added, “As always we will evaluate the playability of the hole and collect player input on the design, but our usual strategy is to use big changes.”
So far this input has not been particularly positive. Collin Morikawa, who won at Pebble Beach last weeksaid Wednesday was his first day playing the retooled 4 and even from the putts, he still needed to hit a 3-wood. “Hit and hope, I guess,” he said. “It’s too soft, unfortunately, to have a lot of control to say, man, I’m going to play a tight 5-iron and drive it up. I think a lot of us play it left to chip uphill, but with a 3-wood in hand, the cart path to the left honestly comes into play. unfortunately.”
Jordan Spieth also offered a less-than-resounding endorsement of the hole, telling Golf Channel’s Brentley Romaine“It’s the only weak spot on the course.” Other players weighed in from afar. Graeme McDowell, who won a US Open up the coast at Pebble Beach, is not in the field but offered this observation to X: “A few holes you’d want to extend on this great course, but it wouldn’t be my first choice. Obsession with total obsession can destroy great individual holes.”
Riv’s 4th is now the longest par-3 on Tour, going off the 265-yard 11th at Puntacana Resort. Still, both of those holes are relative mites compared to the par-3 8 at Oakmont, which played 289 yards at the U.S. Open last summer and drew this dig from Viktor Hovland: “I just think all the best par-3s are under 200 (yards). Stupid.”
The head covering will probably be removed on the 4th of Riv this week. Defending US Open champion JJ Spaun teed off Wednesday with a 3-wood, chipping his shot from the front right of the green. His ball was released about six feet from the hole where he missed his birdie attempt but made a stress-free par.
Easy. . . right?
“It’s Wednesday,” Spaun said after his round. “It didn’t really matter today.”
;)
