PACIFIC PALISADES, CALIFORNIA | It was only one week – two days actually – but The Genesis Invitational may have felt like a month to Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and Bryson DeChambeau.
The three of them – all ranked among the top 10 in the world – missed the cut and only DeChambeau was close enough to think about what might have been.
They were a combined 17-over par (Thomas was 8 over, McIlroy 7 over and DeChambeau 2 over) at a place where par made the 36-hole cut.
Was it a one-off or was it more than that?
For DeChambeau, it was his third start in 2021, following a T7 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and a T18 at the European Tour’s Saudi International.
While DeChambeau looked somewhat smaller – he’s backed off on his aggressive weight-gain plan – his issue was simple: Fairways.
He couldn’t find them. DeChambeau hit two of 14 fairways in the first round and finished his week hitting six of 28. That may work some places but not at Riviera with its eucalyptus-lined holes and precise demands.
McIlroy, who had the PGA Tour’s longest streak of cuts made at 25, was bewildered by Riviera’s poa annua greens. He ranked 94th in strokes gained putting in the first round and 114th in the second round, sending him back to Florida earlier than planned.
As for Thomas, he played himself out of the tournament on Thursday, shooting 77. It was a sudden stop to a sustained run of impressive play. Until Riviera, Thomas had not finished outside the top 13 in his past eight PGA Tour starts.
All three are in the field at the WGC-Workday Championship at The Concession this week in Florida – where there is no cut.
Ron Green Jr.
