$7 million Genesis Open Begins With Top-Ranked Jason Day

PACIFIC PALISADES, CA — The $7 million Genesis Open began Thursday at The Riviera Country Club, with a field including eight of the top 10 players in the Official World Golf Rankings, topped by No. 1-ranked Jason Day of Australia.

Day will be making his first appearance in the tournament since 2012 when he tied for 62nd. He missed the cut in his other two appearances, 2010 and 2011.

"I feel like I'm a better player now than I was" in 2012, said Day, who will be paired with Hideki Matsuyama of Japan and American Justin Thomas for the first two rounds. "I'm very positive about how things are progressing in my game. I've just got to keep my head down and keep playing and keep fighting on forward."

Day tied for fifth in last week's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, his first tournament since missing the cut in last month's Farmers Insurance Open in La Jolla.

Matsuyama, fifth on the Official World Golf Rankings, has won five times since the start of the 2016-17 PGA Tour season, winning the WGC-HSBC Champions and Waste Management Phoenix Open on the PGA Tour, twice on the Japan Golf Tour and one unofficial PGA Tour event, the Hero World Challenge.

Thomas is ranked eighth, with back-to-back victories in last month's SBS Tournament of Champions and Sony Open in Hawaii.

The 144-player field also includes reigning U.S. Open champion and PGA Tour Player of the Year Dustin Johnson; Jordan Spieth, who won last week's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am to go along with his 2015 Masters and U.S. Open titles; and 2013 Masters champion Adam Scott.

Players receiving sponsor exemptions into the tournament include Sam Saunders, a grandson of the late golfing legend Arnold Palmer. Saunders is in his third season on the PGA Tour, with his best career finish being second in the 2015 Puerto Rico Open.

Kevin M. Hall was awarded the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption, which goes to a golfer representing a minority background. Hall became the first black to golf on scholarship at Ohio State and was the Big Ten Conference champion in 2004. He plays on the developmental SwingThought Pro Golf Tour and the Advocates Pro Golf Tour.

The 34-year-old Hall lost his hearing before he was 3 years old because of haemophilus meningitis. He began playing golf when he was 9 years old.

Pepperdine sophomore Sahith Theegala won a spot in the field by winning Monday's Genesis Open Collegiate Showcase. Theegala was last season's West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year and a former Diamond Bar High School standout.

Rain could play havoc with the tournament. While there is no chance of rain during play Thursday, there is a 90 percent chance Friday, a 60 percent chance Saturday and a 20 percent chance Sunday, according to the forecast prepared by Stewart Williams, the PGA Tour's meteorologist.

There are several changes to the tournament beginning with its name. Genesis, Hyundai's luxury automotive brand, replaced the Chicago-based financial services company Northern Trust as the tournament's title sponsor. Northern Trust was the tournament's title sponsor from 2008-2016.

Northern Trust is now the sponsor of the tournament in Old Westbury, New York, which had been previously sponsored by the British multinational banking and financial services company Barclays.

Genesis' presence in the tournament includes awarding a Genesis G90 to the player with the first hole in one on the 14th and 16th holes in each round, with his caddie receiving a Genesis G80. The tournament champion will also receive a Genesis G90 in addition to $1.26 million.

The tournament is in its first year of operation by TGR Live, part of Tiger Woods' business and philanthropic organization. The tournament had been run by the PGA Tour's Championship Management arm.

Woods had announced in December that he would play in the tournament for the first time since 2006. However, he withdrew on Friday due to ongoing back spasms. On Tuesday, he canceled a news conference planned for Wednesday after being advised by doctors to limit all activities after receiving daily treatment for several days for his back spasms.

The tournament has added The Woods at 10 to its food options. Located near 10th green and the driving range, The Woods at 10 features a menu inspired by The Woods Jupiter, a Tiger Woods Venture restaurant in Jupiter, Florida.

The menu includes New Zealand Rack of Lolli-Pop Lamb Chops, The Woods Bison Burger, tuna tartare, and hand-cut truffle French fries.

Another connection the tournament has to Woods is the presence of the TGR Learning Lab Youth STEM Activation Zone near the 13th green which will have a variety of hands-on projects intended for children and teens ages 10-16.

Grounds tickets are priced at $55 for play Thursday and Friday and $65 for Saturday and Sunday. Youths 15 and under are admitted free with a ticketed adult.

High school students can purchase tickets at the box office for $25. College students can purchase student tickets for $25 online after verification through SheerID or at the box office. There is a maximum of two grounds tickets per student.

All military veterans are eligible to receive a 25 percent discount for grounds tickets, after verification through GovX.

All active, retired, reserve and National Guard military members are eligible to receive complimentary grounds tickets online at tigerwoodsfoundation.org/events/open/tickets.

Tickets for the clubhouse and its outdoor viewing deck, premium food and drink options for purchase, upgraded, climate-controlled amenities and soft seating, and access to The Riviera Country Club Clubhouse restrooms are $99 each day for adults and $35 for youths 15 and under with a ticketed adult.

Tickets are $350 for The Bluffs all-inclusive hospitality area on the green of the 14th hole. The Bluffs includes and indoor, climate-conditioned suite with soft seating and tiered, outdoor seating. There is also an all- inclusive lunch buffet, afternoon hors' d'oeuvres and premium bar and access to private executive restrooms.

Parking is available in structures S1 through S8 in downtown Santa Monica, with shuttle service taking fans from Wilshire Boulevard between Second and Third streets to Riviera's main entrance on Longworth Drive.

More information on parking is available at tigerwoodsfoundation.org/events/open/spectators.

City News Service; Photo by Keith Allison via Wikimedia Commons