RORY MCILROY SLAMS RIVIERA’S MASSIVE 273-YARD PAR-3 AHEAD OF GENESIS KICKOFF
Rory McIlroy is fuming! Discover why he called Riviera’s new 273-yard par-3 a "horrible change" ahead of the 2026 Genesis Invitational.
Rory McIlroy isn’t exactly happy about Riviera’s move to stretch the par-3 fourth hole.
The 2026 Genesis Invitational hasn’t even started yet, but Rory’s already got bones to pick with the course. Before anyone’s even teed off, he called out the decision to bump the fourth hole up to 273 yards. He didn’t mince words, either, calling it a “horrible change". He’s not the only one grumbling, either. Usually, pro golfers can get a little whiny about stuff, but honestly, this time, they might be right.
The fourth at Riviera was always a beast, even at 230 yards. The green slopes hard from front to back, and even the best players in the world struggled just to hold the putting surface with their tee shots. Balls would skip off the back all the time, and if you tried to land it short, that sticky kikuyu rough would just eat it up. Forget about running one up; good luck with that.
Back in 2024, the last time Riviera hosted the tournament, players only managed to hit the green in regulation 15.4 per cent of the time. They finished a whopping 49 over par for the week, according to Jamie Kennedy at Golf Digest. For context, the PGA Tour average for greens in regulation is almost 70 per cent. So yeah, the hole was already tough.
But Riviera still went ahead and made it even longer, pushing it from 230 to 273 yards. McIlroy isn’t hiding how he feels.
“I actually think it’s a horrible change,” he saidon Wednesday. “Only 15 per cent of the field hit the green last time when it was 230 yards. If you want a 275-yard par 3, you have to change the apron in front of the green. You can’t keep the Kikuyu; you've got to use something else so you can actually run the ball on it. Because if you’re trying to fly a 3-iron onto that green in the right conditions, it’s just going to end up on the fifth tee box.”
Sure, McIlroy’s caught some flak before for complaining about courses, but honestly, he’s got a point. The hole was borderline unfair before. Now? Par will feel like a miracle.
He’s not alone, either. Jordan Spieth chimed in, calling it “the only weak spot on the course” this week. Collin Morikawa, fresh off a win at Pebble Beach, talked about how hard it’ll be this year, too.
“It’s just too soft to control much,” he said. “A lot of us play it left to chip uphill, but with a 3-wood, that cart path on the left actually comes into play because it gets so much harder to control. It’ll be very interesting.”
So, no, it won’t be fun for the players. But for fans? Watching the chaos should be a blast. The 2026 Genesis Invitational kicks off Thursday at 10:15 a.m. ET. Grab your popcorn.
RORY MCILROY TARGETS SEVENTH MAJOR AT ARONIMINK FOLLOWING EMOTIONAL MASTERS DEFENSE
No long break for Rory McIlroy! After his 6th major win, McIlroy eyes the PGA Championship at Aronimink this May.
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Rory McIlroy isn’t following the same script after this Masters win. When reporters asked if he’d take another long break, as he did in 2025, Rory had a different plan in mind.
He’s not disappearing for months this time. Instead, he’s taking a couple of weeks off before jumping back into PGA Tour action. The next big event on the calendar is the PGA Championship, starting May 14 at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania, but it sounds like Rory wants to get some tournament play before then.
He talked about his mindset shift after winning again at Augusta. “My schedule’s going to be different this year,” he said on April 13. “Last year, I thought winning the Grand Slam would be the destination. But actually, it’s just part of the ride. Now that I’ve won my sixth major, I feel great about my game and my body.
“I waited ages to win the Masters, and then I won two in a row. I definitely want to enjoy this. I’ll take a couple weeks off, but I don’t think I’ll hit that motivation lull I felt last year after the win.”
So, what comes next for Rory? He’s skipping the RBC Heritage this week, and his appearance at the Zurich Classic isn’t confirmed either.
Then, there’s Donald Trump, who might’ve let the cat out of the bag. After congratulating Rory on social media, Trump said he was looking forward to watching him at Doral during the Cadillac Championship on April 30. That’s not an official confirmation, but it’s a pretty solid clue that Rory’s next start could be there.
Now that he’s up to six majors and finally has back-to-back Masters titles, Rory’s thinking ahead. The next big stop? The PGA Championship, where he’ll chase number seven. But he’s not feeling satisfied just yet.
“I don’t want to put a hard number on it, but this is just part of the journey,” he said. “I’ve still got things I want to accomplish even as I make sure I enjoy the moment, too.”
LUKA DONčIć'S RETURN TIMELINE REVEALED; ESPN ANALYST HINTS AT LATE FIRST-ROUND COMEBACK
Ramona Shelburne reveals a potential return timeline for Luka Dončić. Discover how the Lakers can save their season.
So, when exactly might Luka Dončić make his return from that hamstring injury? A leading ESPN analyst has put forward a timeline that, if it holds true, could significantly improve the Lakers’ chances in the playoffs.
Why is this important? Because the timeline hints at Dončić possibly coming back during the first round, assuming the Lakers manage to push the series beyond a quick exit.
Dončić, originally from Slovenia, has quite a background. As a teenager, he spent five years playing for Real Madrid, even leading them to a EuroLeague title in 2018. That same year, the Atlanta Hawks picked him third overall in the draft but traded him immediately to Dallas.
Right now, Dončić is back in Spain for treatment on the hamstring he hurt early April during a Lakers loss to the defending champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Reports from the Los Angeles Times suggest he’s undergoing advanced therapies like ultrasound-guided platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and stem cell injections, approaches designed to accelerate healing.
It’s interesting to note that while the US only allows PRP and stem cell treatments using the patient’s own cells without manipulation, European regulations are less strict. This means doctors there can boost the concentration of anti-inflammatory agents or culture stem cells over several days, potentially speeding up recovery.
So, if these treatments yield the hoped-for results, when might Dončić be back on the court? ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne shared her perspective during a recent interview.
She pointed out that Dončić’s return could give LeBron James a fitting finale in his long and storied NBA career, basically setting the stage for a memorable chapter. Shelburne mentioned that there’s a chance Luka could rejoin the team later in the first-round series. He’s actively receiving daily treatment in Spain and stays in constant communication with teammates, which sounds promising.
Even if he doesn’t make it back for the entire first round, that window of possibility offers some hope. If the Lakers can stretch their series by a couple of games at home, maybe Dončić’s comeback becomes more than just a distant dream.
Put simply, whether Dončić returns during the first round seems to hinge on whether the Lakers avoid a sweep by their likely first-round foe, the Houston Rockets.
Looking at the Lakers’ playoff picture with just one regular-season game left, they’re on a two-game winning streak heading into Sunday’s finale against the Utah Jazz, a team sitting near the bottom of the Western Conference.
Win that game, and the Lakers secure the No. 4 seed, thanks to tiebreakers over both Houston, trailing by one game, and the Denver Nuggets, a game ahead. That would set up a first-round matchup against Houston.
However, if the Lakers win and the Nuggets lose their last game to the Spurs, the Lakers could leap to the No. 3 seed and host the Minnesota Timberwolves instead.
