A familiar venue will grace TV screens this week as fans tune in to watch the Genesis Invitational.
Torrey Pines’ South Course is hosting its second event in four weeks, as the Genesis relocated to the home of the Farmers Insurance Open near San Diego because of the destruction from wildfires in Pacific Palisades, site of Riviera Country Club.
The course was chosen for a few reasons: its proximity to Riviera, many tournament operations were in place and the course was in shape and worthy to test the best players in the world.
But Torrey Pines will play a bit differently than it did three weeks ago.
In an interview with PGATour.com, Steve Rintoul, the PGA Tour’s VP of rules and officiating, talked about the numerous ways the golf course will change for those who competed three weeks ago.
Starting with the rough, it’s starting the week a quarter inch shorter (3.5 inches) than it was for the Farmers. That’s due to anticipated rainy weather the first couple days. There are also going to be numerous different pin and tee placements to give variety to how each hole can play.
For example, the 18th hole’s traditional front left pin location for the final round is expected to be replaced by a front right location, similar to where it was when Tiger Woods made the putt in the 2008 U.S. Open to force a playoff with Rocco Mediate.
“Our plan is for it to look and feel different from the Farmers,” Rintoul told PGATour.com. “The field size, when you go from 156 players to 72 of the world’s best, changes the dynamic, too. Players are saying the course is immaculate, that it doesn’t even look like it just hosted a tournament.”
Specifically, with par 3s and par 5s, expect the course setup to change drastically from day to day, whether it be shorter teeing grounds on the par 3s or variety with the par 5s, making some reachable and some true three-shot challenges.
“The beauty of Torrey Pines South is the four par 3s have a great variety of tee settings,” Rintoul said.
The sights of Torrey Pines are among the best on the PGA Tour, and there will be plenty of familiarity for many players this week. However, when it comes to how the course plays, it’s going to be a bit different, albeit subtle, compared to how it played just three weeks ago.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Torrey Pines will play different for Genesis Invitational than Farmers
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