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‘Special Match’ Genesis Invitational FR

Jon Rahm (Spain) secured his third victory.

On the 19th (local time), Rahm added 2 under par in the final 4th round of the PGA Tour’s ‘premium match’ Genesis Invitational (total prize money $20 million) held at Riviera Country Club (Par 71, 7,322 yards) in Pacific Palisades near Los Angeles, California, USA, clinching the win by 2 strokes (17 under par 267).

Yon Rahm is cheering after securing his victory on the 18th hole of the final day at the Genesis Invitational. Pacific Palisades, USA=Photo by AFP·Yonhap News

This marks his third win of the season and 10th career victory, following last month’s ‘champion of champions’ Sentry Tournament of Champions and American Express wins. The winner’s prize money was $3.6 million (approximately 4.68 billion KRW). Ranked 3rd in the world, Rahm’s victory at this tournament secured him the ‘Number 1’ spot. He reclaimed the world No. 1 ranking for the first time in 11 months since March 2022.

Starting with a 3-stroke lead, Rahm recorded 5 birdies and 3 bogeys. After exchanging 3 birdies and 3 bogeys over 13 holes without much reduction in score, he pulled away from his competitors with ‘stepping stone birdies’ on holes 14 and 16. He relied on his long drives, reaching up to 343 yards.

Rahm, from Barrika, Spain, is a graduate of the prestigious golf program at Arizona State University in the USA. Turning professional in 2016, he quickly earned his first win at the Farmers Insurance Open in January 2017. In July 2020, with his Memorial Tournament victory, he became the first Spanish player in 31 years since Seve Ballesteros (1989) to reach the world No. 1 ranking. In June 2021, Rahm became the first Spanish player to win the US Open, considered the ‘national title’ of the United States.

Two-time champion Max Homa (USA) performed well by lowering his score by 3 strokes but settled for 2nd place (15 under par 269). Scottie Scheffler (USA) tied for 12th place (8 under par 276), and Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) tied for 29th place (4 under par 280). ‘Golf Emperor’ Tiger Woods (USA) made 3 birdies and 5 bogeys, finishing tied for 45th place (1 under par 283). Returning to the field for the first time in 7 months since The Open last July, Woods showed resilience with rounds in the 60s in the 1st round (69) and 3rd round (67).

From Korea, Kim Sung-hyun posted a clean scorecard with 3 birdies and no bogeys, finishing tied for 33rd place (3 under par 281). World No. 15 Kim Joo-hyung ended the tournament tied for 45th place. Newlywed Im Sung-jae struggled with 2 over par, dropping to tied for 56th place (1 over par 285).