PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — The lengthening of Riviera’s iconic par-3 fourth hole, which can now stretch up to 273 yards, has been quite the discussion point at this week’s Genesis Invitational. The hole was hard enough already at 236 yards, something Rory McIlroy alluded to after his Wednesday Pro-Am.
With heavy rains in the forecast for Thursday’ opening round, though, the PGA Tour elected to have the field play it from 220 yards. Only 27 players have played the hole so far, but it’s clear that the use of a shorter tee box has not made the hole any less difficult.
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Just ask Ludvig Aberg, who was cruising along at one under despite the heavy rain fall on Thursday morning. Then he arrived at the fourth, the final hole he completed before the horn blew due to the wet course conditions, and things took a disastrous turn.
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There’s no doubt that some water on Aberg’s clubface, or on the golf ball itself, played a huge factor in this massive miss to the right:
Unfortunately for Aberg, his incredibly relatable “I mean… that one’s gone” reaction to the shot proved to be correct. The two-time tour winner was forced to re-tee, and his third shot did not find the green, either. He did manage to hit his fourth to about nine feet, but missed the putt, settling for a triple-bogey that makes his Genesis title defense an uphill climb.
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Aberg followed that up with a poor drive into the native area down the left side of the par-4 fifth, where the group ahead, featuring Shane Lowry, Viktor Hovland and Cameron Young, awaited word from rules officials. The trio was concerned with some standing water on the fifth green, and after about five minutes of squeegeeing from some members of the grounds crew, the horn blew. Play is set to resume at 1 p.m. PT, when Aberg will face a 190-yard approach from a tricky spot. Certainly not what he had in mind after making birdie on the first hole.
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