Fantasy Insider: Zurich Classic of New Orleans

Tiger Woods says his last-minute decision to go back to the shorter Scotty Cameron putter came from “stubbornness,” but it worked out, as Woods shot a 3-under 68 in the first round of the Northern Trust.

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The PGA TOUR returns to iconic Riviera Country Club for The Genesis Invitational. Tournament host Tiger Woods will be in attendance but won't play as he is still recovering from a back procedure last month. World No. 1 Dustin Johnson and defending champion Adam Scott are among the headliners. FIELD NOTES: Notables in the invitation-only field include major champions Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Collin Morikawa, and Francesco Molinari, plus world No. 2 Jon Rahm. ... After deciding not to tee it up at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Dustin Johnson, who won the 2017 Genesis, will be back in action at Riviera. ... Scott hasn't missed a cut this season and finished T10 in his last start at the Farmers Insurance Open... Other past winners at Riviera include J.B. Holmes, James Hahn, Charles Howell III, and Bubba Watson (twice a winner here). ... Tae Hoon Kim won The Genesis Championship in Korea last fall to secure a spot in The Genesis Invitational field for 2021... Two-time FedExCup winner Rory McIlroy looks to finally lift the trophy at Riviera after holding a piece of the lead Sunday a year ago only to fall to T5... The U.S. Amateur champion always gets a spot in The Genesis Invitational, so Tyler Strafaci will tee it up, as will the previous three U.S. Amateur winners: Andy Ogletree, Viktor Hovland, and Doc Redman. (Redman won the 2017 U.S. Amateur at Riviera.) ... In addition to reigning champ Johnson, FedExCup winners in the field include Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Brandt Snedeker, and Jim Furyk. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 550 FedExCup points. COURSE: Designed by George C. Thomas Jr. and William P Bell, Riviera Country Club, par 71, 7,322 yards, has been a PGA TOUR staple for 57 years. A three-time major championship host (1948 U.S. Open and 1983/1995 PGA Championships), the club is perennially ranked in the top 100 in the world and is located just a block from Sunset Boulevard. It's a compact design with primary rough consisting of thick Kikuyu grass, a bunker in the middle of a green, and of course the iconic, driveable 10th. STORYLINES: Willie Mack III joins the list of Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption recipients. Two other past Sifford Exemption recipients will be in the field: Harold Varner III and Cameron Champ. Mack III, an 11-time winner at Bethune-Cookman University, made his PGA TOUR debut at Torrey Pines when an exemption intended for Kamaiu Johnson opened up due to Johnson testing positive for COVID-19. The Sifford Exemption has been awarded yearly since 2009, with three recipients (Jeremiah Wooding, Varner III, and Joseph Bramlett) making the cut... There is one spot left in the field reserved for the winner of The Genesis Invitational Collegiate Showcase, Feb. 15. Three past collegiate showcase champions will be in the field for 2021: this year's winner plus Will Zalatoris (2015) and Scottie Scheffler (2018). ... Anyone who moves into the top 10 of the FedExCup standings (and not otherwise in the field) after The Genesis Invitational will earn a spot in the following week's World Golf Championships at The Concession. 72-HOLE RECORD: 264, Lanny Wadkins (1985). 18-HOLE RECORD: 61, George Archer (3rd round, 1983 at Rancho Park GC), Ted Tryba (3rd round, 1999 at Riviera CC). LAST TIME: On a difficult day for the overnight leaders, Scott - whose victory at Riviera 15 years ago was deemed unofficial as rain shortened the tournament to 36 holes - shot a 1-under 70 to top Sung Kang, Scott Brown, and Matt Kuchar by two shots. It was the Australian's 14th TOUR victory and 29th win worldwide. Five players had a share of the lead at some point Sunday, including McIlroy, who shot 2 over to finish T5 alongside Hideki Matsuyama, Bryson DeChambeau, Max Homa, and Joel Dahmen. Tournament host Woods finished 68th, last among those who made the cut. HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday, 12 p.m.-2 p.m. (Golf Channel, PGA TOUR Live Freeview), 2 p.m.-6 p.m. (Golf Channel), 6 p.m.-8 p.m. (Golf Channel, PGA TOUR Live Freeview). Friday, 2 p.m.-6 p.m. (Golf Channel). Saturday, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (CBS). Sunday, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3 p.m.-6:30 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 9:45 a.m.-8 p.m. (Featured Groups), Saturday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. (Featured Groups), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (Featured Holes). Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. (Featured Groups), 3 p.m.-6:30 p.m. (Featured Holes). Radio: Thursday-Friday, 12 p.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, 1 p.m.-6:30 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio). TOURCast: Get shot-by-shot info in real time with shot tracks and video with TOURCast. TOUR Pulse: Get the PGA TOUR app to utilize TOUR Pulse, which provides users the ability to experience a mix of content, such as video highlights, written hole summaries and stat graphics on every player after every hole they complete.

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SAN DIEGO — Will Zalatoris and Jason Day charged past Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas on Friday at Torrey Pines to share the third-round lead at the Farmers Insurance Open. RELATED: Full leaderboard | Inside the Field: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Zalatoris posted the day’s best round with a 7-under 65, and two-time Farmers champion Day shot a 67. They were at 14 under heading to the final round of the tournament, which will finish Saturday. Rahm and Aaron Rai were 13 under, and Thomas, Sungjae Im and Cameron Tringale were another shot back. There were 24 players within five shots of the co-leaders after an eventful moving day. Zalatoris surged from six shots back after two rounds and moved into contention for his first career PGA TOUR victory, yet his round could have been several strokes better if his putter had kept up with the rest of his formidable play. The 25-year-old missed several birdie putts, including a pair inside 5 feet, but stayed in the lead alongside several more accomplished pros. “Obviously, a lot of great vibes here,” said Zalatoris, who made his first career PGA TOUR start as a pro at Torrey Pines in 2018. “This is, I think, by far one of the best golf courses that suits my game. Just keep enjoying it and whatever happens, happens.” Day, who won a playoff in 2018 to claim the Farmers title, finished his third round superbly with four birdies on the final six holes. The Australian former top-ranked pro buried a 27-foot birdie putt on the 16th and got firmly into contention on the course where he also won in 2015. “It’s nice to be able to know that I’ve done it on the golf course twice, not only in regulation but also in playoffs,” said Day, who hasn’t won on TOUR since that playoff victory in 2018. “But tomorrow is a new day, and you don’t know what’s going to come. I’ve just got to get a good rest tonight, get into it tomorrow and just be patient.” Rahm rebounded from a double bogey on the 10th and another bogey on the 12th to stay firmly in contention with a 72 on the course where he got his first PGA TOUR win in 2017 and his first major victory at the U.S. Open last year. “I played great, I think,” Rahm said. “I feel like I played a lot better than the score shows. There was only two holes where I struggled and probably gave a couple too many back. Today is one of those days that happen at Torrey Pines South. Played great golf, but I just couldn’t take the opportunities, and it’s going to be hard to shoot low.” Thomas and Rahm both finished the front nine with dramatic birdie putts. Thomas holed out from 41 feet, and Rahm hit his from nearly 38 feet to the thrilled roars of the gallery. But Thomas missed an 8-foot par putt on the 15th and then took a penalty stroke on the 17th when his drive went in a hazard before finishing his 73. Rahm, Thomas and Adam Schenk shared the lead after two rounds, but Schenk faltered even more with a third-round 75. Rai jumped into contention for his first career PGA TOUR victory by finishing his 68 with back-to-back birdies. The Englishman and former Scottish Open champion is a six-time winner internationally. “It’s always nice to have the validation through results to know that you can compete and your game is good enough,” Rai said. Zalatoris began the third round six shots off the lead, and hold out from 39 yards for eagle on the second hole Friday. He made a 9-foot birdie putt on the fourth, but missed from inside 15 feet on the fifth and from inside 8 feet on the seventh. “Today was the best I’ve ever driven a golf ball by far,” Zalatoris said. After saving par on the 11th with an exceptional 40-foot shot from the rough to within 4 inches, Zalatoris barely missed a birdie putt from inside 17 feet on the 12th before missing a 3-footer on the 13th, a 12-footer on the 15th and a 14-footer on the 16th. Zalatoris then followed up an exceptional second shot on the 17th by badly missing a birdie from inside 4 feet, but finished his round by saving par from a bunker. “I think really the two that I left out there today, I just didn’t commit to playing outside the hole,” Zalatoris said. “So I think that’s something that definitely tomorrow, just commit to it, and hey, if it bounces in, it bounces in. If it bounces out, it bounces out.”

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