Winners, losers, questions from the PGA Tour’s West Coast Swing

My heart remains at Riviera Country Club, but my body is in a middle seat on the way home. What better time to reflect on the PGA Tour’s West Coast Swing — the good, the bad, the rumored, the mysterious.

Here are some winners, losers and questions from the 2026 PGA Tour season opener.

WINNER: The 26-year-olds

Chris Gotterup won two of the first four events on this year’s calendar (given the unusual circumstances, we’re treating Sony as a semi-member of this year’s West Coast Swing), playing his best when things got more chaotic at the WM Phoenix Open and establishing himself as a fan favorite, a proven winner and perhaps the best player on the 26-and-under Tour.

His current competition for that extremely unofficial title includes the guy he just beat at Riviera; Jacob Bridgemanlike Gotterup, it’s 26. And while Gotterup took the weekend off (he missed the Genesis cut) Bridgeman closed the doors to everyone for three days and stayed Sunday to prove he’s got what it takes, too.

LOSER: Hawaii x PGA Tour

Is the PGA Tour returning to Hawaii? Next year? ever? She overcame Kapalua this year under controversial circumstances. Her sponsorship from Sony just ended. As the powers that be continue to reimagine the optimal tour schedule, Hawaii remains a logistical challenge without a “major market.” How much will Rolapp and Co. rate it? continuity, tradition and nostalgia? We will see.

QUESTION: Where are the 25-year-olds?

Speaking of age, it’s hard to flip through whichever version of the world rankings you’d prefer and be amazed at the lack of young stars. 26-year-olds may be having a moment, but we’re still waiting for the next wave of youngsters to emerge. There is no reason to despair: Akshay Bhatia (24), e The Hojgaard twins (also 24) and Michaels (Brennan AND Thorbjornseneach 24) may all be on the verge of a breakthrough. But with Tom Kim in a mess, it looks like we’re looking for Who’s Next. (Shout out to Brown bladeswho stole the show for most of the week in Palm Springs.)

WINNER: The 45-year-olds

OK, I promise this whole list won’t be about age. Actually, let’s start with a hypocrisy: I wish when we talk about Justin Rose AND Adam Scott that we would focus on less at their age. But it’s a useful way to pair two particularly impressive West Coast shows; Rose’s win at Torrey Pines is worth extra points, of course, but even Scott’s 63 on Sunday to finish fourth at Riviera was nothing to scoff at. These guys are remarkably similar ages, they’ve had remarkably similar careers, and they’re performing at remarkably similar levels right now. Let’s take them on an incredible Masters leaderboard.

THE LOSER: The Scandinavians

While athletes from Norway and Sweden were dominating the Winter Olympics, their PGA Tour counterparts were having a slightly tougher time on the West Coast. Viktor Hovland AND Ludwig Aberg are among the Tour’s biggest talents and fan favorites – but neither has been at their best so far this year.

Hovland got off to a strong start at the WM Phoenix Open (T10), but less so at Pebble Beach (T58) and Riviera (T41), where the talk turned more to him. training aids than his points.

And Aberg got seriously ill for a second straight West Coast Swing – although if there’s any good news, it’s that he seems to be on trend. Going WD-MC-T37-T20 means I think he’s on his way to a Masters win?

(In other Scandinavian news, Alex Noren went MC-MC in Palm Springs and San Diego, but his T12 at Riviera was also encouraging. And representing Denmark, the Hojgaard twins have each shown encouraging signs; Nicolai finished T3 at WM and was one hole away from claiming the win.)

QUESTION: Will Tiger Woods play the Masters?

Tiger Woods he hinted that he will try. Then he hinted that he would try a second time. I don’t know if he WILLbut I think he has told us the truth—if he can, he will.

LOSER: Scottie Scheffler’s Thursdays

Scottie Scheffler’s The first Thursday of the season was 63 on American Express. So it’s especially annoying that he’s only the tournament’s No. 116 in Round 1 scoring average. And it was strange to see him in last place when play was suspended last Thursday. Still…

WINNER: Scottie Scheffler’s Other Days

Considering he was in last place Friday morning and having to make a seven-foot curl at 18 just to stay within the cut, Scheffler’s T12 was another outstanding display of skill and determination. Sure enough, he snapped his streak of 18 consecutive Tour Top-10s. But it only reinforced the idea that if you play enough rounds of golf, eventually Scheffler will rise to the top. Four tournaments in a row, here’s what his scoring average looks like by rounds:

Round 1: 70.50 (116)

Round 2: 65.75 (2)

Round 3: 67.00 (7)

Round 4: 64.50 (2)

(If you’re wondering who could beat that 64.5, Will Zalatoris played a fourth round this year and shot a 64.)

QUESTION: So what the hell is going on with Scheffler Thursdays?

My best guess is still some version of “nothing, really; it’s just been a weird blip on the radar.” After all, he led the tour in first-round scoring last year and has had some strange starts in strange conditions. Let’s wait for a larger sample size before we panic here.

WINNER: Children of California

I’m thinking of two in particular: Collin MorikawaWHO won for the first time in a long time at Pebble Beach, and Jake Knappwho just quietly put together the best golf of his life. Knapp has finished no worse than T11 in five starts this year. Morikawa’s win was meaningful on several levels — because of how long it’s been, because of where it took place, because of everything that went into it, because he and his wife have a child on the way. Good to see the West Coast kids eating the West Coast swing. And then of course there was another California sensation in the winner’s circle…

THE LOSER: Anthony Kim’s haters and doubters

I write this language on the page; I think Anthony KimHis victory showed how many people have been on his side all along, looking for something special. But he’s used a chip on his shoulder to get this far, and his own they shot at the haters indicated that it will continue to rely on this. It’s mostly worth admitting that one of golf’s biggest moments this month took place at LIV Golf, with a special comeback story capped off with an electrifying finish to a story a dozen years in the making.

QUESTION: What’s next for Jon Rahm, LIV and the DP World Tour?

Big picture, this is one of the most compelling questions of golf professionals moving forward; LIV and DP World Tour still seem to be in an uneasy coexistence and I’m curious how this will be resolved. Right now DPWT has reached one temporary truce with some of its LIV members, allowing them to play on both circuits and maintain Ryder Cup eligibility. But why not? Jon Rahm one of the players who got that deal and is there any chance in the world that he won’t be on next year’s European Ryder Cup team?

WINNER: CBS Golf Coverage

These courses look great in person, they look incredible on television, and CBS continues to innovate to include their coverage.

Also, the little things still go a long way.

THE LOSERS: Wet conditions

There has been much discussion about moving these crooked West Coast stops to later in the PGA Tour schedule. A cold, wet, pebbly beach followed by a cold, wet riviera made the occasion that much more appealing, with fans shivering from the rope and golf balls locked onto the greens. Two perfect weekend days wrapped up the Genesis in style, and the wet and wind can be fun at Pebble, but each still lacked some of the hard-and-fast character it has at its best.

QUESTION: So are we doing the August West Coast thing?

I leave California more confused than I arrived. On paper it seems smart to have the best courses at the biggest spots on the PGA Tour calendar; what could be cooler than Pebble and Riviera as playoff sites? But there are problems with both sites at that time of year. Pebble has a car show and a full slate and isn’t close enough to a population center to draw a playoff-worthy crowd. In LA, locals suggested that the golf crowd would be out of town in August and that its current spot on the calendar is actually optimal for getting people to actually participate.

If I were in charge, my top priority would be to rid the playoff events of the hellish August humidity of Atlanta and Memphis. I don’t need them in California, though—Boston, Chicago, and Seattle are calling, as are a dozen other medium-sized and large cities with ideal summer days. I’m curious where they’ll land, though.

And what will the West Coast Swing look like next year, and the year after that, and when we look at the glorious shores of golf again.

See you in Florida.

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