Scottie (scottie) Scheffler's historic PGA Tour streak ends in crazy fashion
scottie Scheffler entered the week at Riviera riding an 18-consecutive top-10 streak on the PGA Tour, a run that dated to the tour keeping official stats in 1983. That streak ended at the Genesis Invitational after a weekend charge left him T-12.
Genesis drama at Riviera
Most of the Sunday drama at Riviera played out near the top, but the leaderboard at the Genesis Invitational produced a dramatic finish several spots down. Jacob Bridgeman began the day with a six-shot lead that grew to seven at one point; the 26-year-old hung on for a one-shot victory.
Scottie’s late charge
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler looked in serious danger early. He opened the week with a three-over 74 and was four over through 26 holes, walking the 36-hole cutline and in danger of missing the cut. He holed a par putt on 18 on Friday to make the cut and called his relationship with Riviera "weird. " "I feel like I can play so well out here and I just haven’t yet, " he said after that putt.
Rally, numbers and the run
Scheffler rallied to stick around for the weekend, then made a furious back-nine charge on Sunday. He posted a back-nine 31 and a final-round 65, including a late birdie on No. 15, moving into the top 10 as the final round wound down. The run he had carried into the week was staggering: 18 consecutive top-10s, a streak the context notes is the longest of its kind since official stats began in 1983. Even Tiger Woods never managed more than 11 consecutive top-10s.
Others surged past him
But two late moves pushed Scheffler down. Tommy Fleetwood vaulted past Scheffler after an eagle hole out from 173 yards on No. 15. Cameron Young birdied his final three holes to move past Scheffler as well. Those events dropped Scheffler into a tie for 12th, finishing his remarkable run at 18.
Riviera’s history and oddities
The George C. Thomas design at Riviera is described as one of golf’s great cathedrals. It has hosted U. S. Opens and PGA Championships and, since 1973, has played host to the PGA Tour’s LA Open, now the Genesis Invitational. A long list of greats have won there: Hogan, Snead, Watson, Nelson, Mickelson, Couples, Faldo, Els and Scott are all among the winners. Yet the course has also confounded legends: Jack, Tiger and Rory have been unable to get it over the line at Riviera.
The course’s bumpy Poa annua greens and an almost mystical Riviera voodoo get mentioned as culprits. The venue is said to have a well-documented correlation to Augusta National and asks players to control spin and trajectory while attacking small, tricky greens. "It makes absolutely no sense, " Max Homa said in 2023 of Woods being unable to win at Riviera. Adam Scott added that Woods is a great iron player and that the Riviera results may be an anomaly, saying, "That may just be an anomaly and the only one in his whole career maybe. It’s a little bit inexplicable. "
Tiger, Nicklaus and McIlroy at Riviera
Tiger Woods has made 15 starts at Riviera, including his PGA Tour debut as a 16-year-old amateur in 1992. He has made 10 cuts there but just three top 10s, including a runner-up finish to Ernie Els in 1999. Woods reflected on the course in 2024, saying it is visually comfortable to him and a fader’s delight from the tee, yet for some reason he "just haven’t put it together at this event other than one time with a chance. " Jack Nicklaus had two runner-up finishes at Riviera but never won. And McIlroy’s T2 on Sunday was his best finish in Pacific Palisades.
Scheffler himself reflected on competing and not quitting after the Genesis result. "I mean I've never been one to quit so it's not really … I mean, I'd feel pretty silly to quit in a PGA Tour event, " he said, later adding that being out and competing is what he loves. He noted a benefit from going out early on fresh greens with a little less wind, saying it is easier playing in the morning than late in the day and that he "took advantage of it" before having "another solid day today. "
Scheffler’s broader Riviera history was also noted: he missed the match-play cut at the 2017 U. S. Amateur and missed the cut as an amateur at the Genesis Open in 2018. He had entered the week with four top-20s as a pro at Riviera but had never finished within six shots of the lead. After slow starts at the WM Phoenix Open and the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, he made runs at trophies but at Riviera this week his run of top-10s ended.
A T-12 at a signature event is a solid result as well. "And if that's considered a bad week for Scottie Scheffler, then he's still doing a lot right, " the coverage concluded.
Jacob Bridgeman’s one-shot victory, Fleetwood’s 173-yard eagle on No. 15, Cameron Young’s three closing birdies, Scheffler’s back-nine 31 and final 65, the 18-tournament streak ending at T-12, the course history and the series of player quotes together frame the week at Riviera and the Genesis Invitational.
Unclear in the provided context: full finishing scores and exact placements for Tommy Fleetwood and Cameron Young beyond their moves past Scheffler.
