Jon Rahm continued his recent success by winning The Genesis Invitational at The Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California on February 19th, 2023. Rahm’s final score of 17 under par was two shots better than Max Homa’s 15 under par.
Like Scottie Scheffler at The WM Phoenix Open last week, not only did Jon win the tournament, but with the win ascended back to the number one Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). He’s won an astonishing five of his last nine professional starts.
The beneficiary of all tournament proceeds is the TGR Foundation, the charity of tournament host Tiger Woods. The TGR Foundation supports students from underserved communities through educational resources and career training. As an added bonus for golf fans, we were able to see Tiger tee it up this week. Woods made the cut and finished at one under par in a tie for 45th place. Sign up to volunteer at a PGA Tour event if there is one near you!
The Riviera Country Club has almost one hundred years of history and is one of the most unique courses on the PGA Tour. It was designed by George C. Thomas Jr. and opened in 1927.
It is one of few courses on the PGA Tour that has kikuyu grass. It’s a spongy grass that provides great lies in the fairway but big challenges from the rough. Kikuyu grass is actually an invasive species that was brought to California for a variety of reasons, including erosion control and possibly was brought to Riviera for the polo field. It eventually overtook the golf course.
The designer, George C. Thomas Jr. (1873-1932), was a nationally known rose breeder who bred over one thousand varieties of roses in his lifetime. He also raised English setter dogs and helped found the English Setter Club of America. While he didn’t design many golf courses; three on the east coast and twenty-something in California, many of his courses have stood the test of time and are revered today.
George C. Thomas Jr. did not charge a fee for his design of The Riviera Country Club or any other of his other designs. He was an amateur architect and designing courses was almost a hobby. In fact, the CBS crew over the weekend discussing Thomas called his golf design work a passion. I will not speculate as to why George Thomas did not charge for his design services, but I wonder how many of us always look for something in return, instead of freely giving the talents we have been given.
In James 1:17, James the Just, brother of Jesus, reminds us that all good and perfect gifts, including all our talents, are gifts from God Almighty, creator of the universe.
Use your gifts and talents freely, serving others in the ways of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ, all for the glory of God.
The PGA Tour leaves the west coast and heads to the PGA National Resort Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida for The Honda Classic starting February 23rd, featuring The Bear Trap!