LOS ANGELES — I’m not sure if it’s the way the afternoon sunlight illuminates the steely eucalyptus trunks or if it’s the perched positioning of the iconic Spanish revival clubhouse. It could be the quirky bunkering or the way the Kikuyu grass grabs my 54-degree wedge. Maybe it’s simply the fact that I can recall every shot of my Wednesday round with an astonishing level of ease (and that’s not because I didn’t hit very many shots.) Whatever it is, it makes Riviera Country Club a very special place.

This week I spent Tuesday and Wednesday taking in every square inch of the renowned George Thomas and William Bell-designed property. After 18 holes of golf in the Genesis Invitational pro-am and several hours of strolling the course with the best players in the world—including 15-time major champion Tiger Woods—I have a nugget or two to share. Here’s what I picked up in Pacific Palisades.

Rory McIlroy’s Riviera tip

In a brief interaction between our pro-am group’s second and third holes, I asked the four-time major champion for his one piece of advice for navigating Riviera. His answer: Stay below the hole. It might seem straightforward, but I found myself coming back to McIlroy’s suggestion throughout the rest of the round, especially since I ended up approaching the greens from the thick stuff more than I would have liked. The East African Kikuyu grass that comprises Riviera’s rough (and fairways) is unique in that it’s known for producing teed-up “flyer” lies. If a ball is sitting on top of the rough rather than buried beneath it—a result which would please just about any amateur golfer—it becomes particularly difficult to put spin on the shot. The ball tends to jump out of the rough with unanticipated speeds, making it nearly impossible to abide by McIlroy’s rule, which turns out to be not so simple and obvious after all. To give yourself a better shot at staying below the pin at Riviera, you first need to approach the greens from the fairway. And hitting the fairway will perhaps be the toughest test for PGA Tour players this week at the Genesis.

Adam Svensson: The last of the dying “feel” player breed

On Wednesday I had the pleasure of watching Canada’s Adam Svensson, winner of the 2022 RSM Classic, up-close for a solid five and a half-hours in the pro-am. First of all, Svensson absolutely flushes the ball and his misses are miniscule. Ranked 66th in the world, his silky swing might not be instantly recognizable but it’s a simple, clean move that is fun to watch and serves him very well. I quickly noticed that whenever Svensson had a moment of idle time while the rest of the group was hitting, he practiced slow-motion body movements and swing transitions, sometimes without even holding a club. So when his caddie, A.J. Montecinos, told me he hasn’t worked with a swing coach in 10 years, I wasn’t necessarily surprised despite how unusual that is for a PGA Tour player of Svensson’s caliber. You just can tell by the way he carries himself on the course: Svensson is a “feel” player.

Svensson, known by his peers as “Svenny,” explains that he only uses a launch monitor to measure his distances and prefers to emulate old-school style golf instruction. So when he’s battling a swing-related issue, instead of relying on modern golf technology obsessions like Trackman or 3D-motion capture, Svensson simply fires up YouTube and studies archival Bobby Jones and Ben Hogan content. He then films his own swing and self-diagnoses, comparing himself to the greats. In the data and analytics age, the 30-year-old is unique in his methodology—but it’s working for him. Svensson is exempt into all of the PGA Tour’s 2024 signature events via last season’s FedEx Cup top 50. At last year’s Genesis Invitational, Svensson snuck in the top 10.

A shotmaker succeeding at Riviera, a course that relentlessly tests every facet of the game? Makes a lot of sense.

Tiger and the AimPoint-plus-Poa dilemma

After walking nine practice round holes with Tiger Woods, I could tell you about the sound his ball makes when it pops off his driver clubface, or his surprisingly swift pace walking off the 10th tee on Tuesday morning. But instead, I’ll share an anecdote that made me chuckle. Standing on the 11th green with his brand new bagman Lance Bennett, Woods stopped hitting practice putts for a brief moment to study one spot in particular on the putting surface. He instantly pointed out the area, leaning down to get a closer look.

Then Woods did something peculiar: He took a wide stance and began to lift his new Sun Day Red shoes up and down, smiling while doing so. Woods was seemingly imitating the AimPoint green reading system that dozens of PGA Tour players have implemented into their routines. In simple terms, pros who use AimPoint use their feet to feel the slope of the green. But that process is sometimes rather lengthy and requires quite a bit of stepping around to get a proper reading. Riviera’s undulating putting surfaces feature Poa annua grass, a strain that is known for growing really quickly. So, throughout the day, the greens can become bumpy and uneven—and in turn, unpredictable. Throw in the AimPoint stompers and you’ve got quite the challenge. Woods seemed to be laughing about the ridiculous predicament on Tuesday morning. But if he sees a five-foot par putt inexplicably skirt the edge of the cup late on Friday afternoon, he might not be so jocular.

Caddie carousel

Speaking of Woods, I found it fascinating to observe the dynamic with Bennett, his new caddie. Any professional golfer will tell you that the caddie-player adjustment period can be awkward. Bennett may have experience on the bag for the likes of Matt Kuchar, Lorena Ochoa and Juli Inkster, but that doesn’t mean he’ll jell with Woods, or vice versa. Overhearing Woods ask Bennett simple questions like where he likes to store his water bottle in the bag was strange, to say the least. But I guess that’s exactly the sort of wrinkle that needs to be ironed out on a Tuesday.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Tom Kim also has a new bagman this week, Paul Tesori—another Tour legend best known for caddying for Webb Simpson and Vijay Singh. While guiding his player through a putting drill on Tuesday, Tesori explained what it’s been like to learn Kim’s game. For example, Tesori quickly figured out that suggesting a tight-draw is a no-go for the 21-year-old. If Kim has the option to utilize his trusty three-yard cut, he’s going with it 10 times out of 10.

Jason Day’s at-home chipping drill

If there’s one tidbit I’ll be taking home from Riviera, it’s this drill from Jason Day. I approached Day at the short game area on Tuesday, wondering if he had any suggestions for how to handle chipping around Riviera. He said that first of all, he wouldn’t recommend pulling out a 60-degree wedge unless I absolutely needed to—the margin for error with a higher lofted club on the sticky Kikuyu is just not worth the trouble. Then he proceeded to explain a drill he’s implemented into his routine in between events. Day will pick a spot around the green, take his 60, 56, and 50 degree wedges, in addition to a 9 or 8-iron, and hit just one shot with each club to the same pin. Then, he’ll rotate to another spot around the green and repeat the same process. Day says the drill has not only helped increase his creativity, but it allows him to observe which club selection is in fact the most efficient in various scenarios. Brilliant stuff from the 2015 PGA champion, who works with top-ranked PGA Tour swing coach Chris Como. 

Source