While all eyes are on the return to Tiger Woods and his new business venture Sun Day Red at this week’s Genesis Invitational, Rory McIlroy will hope that can prove the perfect cover for him to kick off his PGA Tour season.
The World No.2 started his American campaign with a disappointing performance at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am two weeks ago, but he will hope that he can rediscover the form that saw him win the Hero Dubai Desert Classic to start the year at Riviera Country Club in the Pacific Palisades.
It helps that he has been placed a long way from Woods in the draw, the pair teeing off almost two hours apart with McIlroy paired with Wyndham Clark and defending champion Max Homa in the first two rounds, teeing off at 7:54pm UK time in today’s first round.
But even the fact that McIlroy opted not to do media duties indicates that he is looking to stay as under the radar as he possibly can coming into one of the PGA Tour’s elevated events, offering a bigger pay day, with the winner earning around $4m.
The Genesis hasn’t been an overly profitable tournament for McIlroy, but he will have the added incentive of a potential return to the top of the world rankings if he was to win this week.
Woods, meanwhile, will partner Justin Thomas and Gary Woodland in his opening two rounds as he competes in only his second event since last year’s Masters.
