After an incredible 9-under(63) first round at The Farmers Insurance Open, everybody thought the 25-year-old Swedish star would undoubtedly take home the trophy in San Diego. However, he would come down with an illness that caused him to lose 10 lbs in just two days.
This obstacle would result in his weekend taking a plummet, as he would shoot over 73 in the following three rounds. Despite the unfortunate luck that Åberg faced that week, he came into this weekend ready to complete some unfinished business.
The 2025 Genesis Invitational, which was relocated to Torrey Pines Golf Course due to the recent fires in LA, took place this past weekend on Feb. 13-16. They promoted “California Rises,” an initiative to help rebuild the Los Angeles areas that were affected by the fires, while also introducing “Birdies for Good” which allowed the players to donate $300 per birdie or better to support efforts in restoring LA.
Since this was a signature event for the PGA TOUR, the stars were out and ready to compete in La Jolla. Forty Six of the top 50 golfers in the Official World Golf Ranking were in attendance, including World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, 27-time PGA TOUR winner Rory McIlroy and defending champion Hideki Matsuyama.
Most notably, Tiger Woods was expected to compete in this tournament after the recent death of his mother, Kultida Woods. He would later withdraw from the competition as he needed more time to grieve his loss.
“I’m just not ready. I did my best to prepare, knowing it’s what my Mom would have wanted, but I’m still processing her loss,” Woods said in an Instagram post before the event.
Since he is the host of this tournament, he would still make an appearance on the final day to cover the last round and attend the trophy ceremony.
The Genesis Invitational also honored his mother with a white flag on hole 7 that displayed the number and color that are significant in Buddhism, which was her faith.
Going into the first round was miserable for the players, as it was rainy, wet and cold all day in San Diego. This resulted in just 13 players being under par in a 72-man field, with an average score of over two strokes over par.
Denny McCarthy finished the day shooting 4-under(68) to secure a top spot, with notable competitors Scottie Scheffler and Wyndham Clark with two strokes at 2-under.
Åberg was one of the players to have a hard time in these conditions, as he would finish 2-over par with four total bogeys on the day.
Fortunately, the weather would clear up the rest of the week and bring the San Diego sunshine that everyone knows and loves. This caused the second-round scores to skyrocket before the cut for the weekend was made, with 38 of the players shooting rounds under par.
Scheffler, Åberg and McIlroy, some of the favorites to win the tournament, all shot in the mid-60s which put them in striking distance for the final two rounds.
Scheffler and Åberg gave the crowd a show as they both holed out from the greenside bunkers for eagles, on holes 6 and 18. With the improvement in weather conditions, they took no time to show why they’re the best in the world.
However, Scottie struggled with his driver throughout the first two rounds and he was forced to scramble for pars, as he had difficulties finding the fairways.
“I’m probably going to go rebuild my swing this afternoon,” Scheffler joked about following his second round.
Coming into round three, these difficulties were at their peak as Scheffler shot 4-over par(76). This would mark his highest round since the 2022 Players Championship and drop his overall score to three-under through three rounds.
The highlight of the day occurred on the iconic hole 3, a downhill par-3 with a scenic ocean view, where Åberg recorded his first hole-in-one on tour. It was playing shorter this day at about 140 yards, which allowed him to launch a pitching wedge past the hole that would spin back into the cup.
“I have a little bet with my caddie, Joe, to see how many hole-outs we can do this year,” said Åberg before his third-round ace. This marks 5/7 hole-outs so far, with three coming from each of the first three rounds this tournament.
Despite this electric ace on hole 3, he tallied on another four bogeys to finish just two-under par(70). This would open the door for Patrick Rodgers and Denny McCarthy as they finished the third day in first and second place.
Whether there was something in the dinner Saturday night or the pin locations were just placed favorably, there was definitely a sudden difference from the performances in the final round.
For starters, Maverick McNealy surged out of nowhere to climb to first place during the final round. He birdied five holes in a row on the front nine and finished with a 64, marking the lowest score of the weekend.
The most sought pairing was two of the top three golfers in the world, Scheffler and McIlroy, who both battled to give themselves a chance at glory. McIlroy didn’t have much luck with the putter, despite rolling the ball very well. His struggles to get birdies would take him out of contention.
However, the Scottie Scheffler that we’re all used to seeing was in full form, as he went five-under on the front nine to be in striking distance. Despite striking the ball exceptionally and sinking numerous tough putts, he would fall just short due to McNealy’s incredible round.
This left the field with just one person who was creeping towards the top. Åberg birdied holes 13, 14 and 15, which tied him up with Maverick. After a par on both 16 and 17, his final opportunity came down to hole 18.
With a long tee shot, he was left with a chance to go for the green in two on the lengthy par-5. His gutsy call pulled off tremendously as his ball landed towards the back left of the green, leaving him with two putts to claim the tournament.
After a decent lag-putt, Åberg still had some work to do in order to come out on top. But the Swede was not fazed by the pressure and sunk the birdie putt in front of Tiger Woods to take home his second PGA TOUR title.
“He is the goat…I was watching Tiger videos on Youtube,” Åberg said after his winning round. “He means a lot to our game and to win his event is quite surreal.”
After such a devastating turn of events for Ludvig at the Farmers, he was due for some redemption last weekend and he got every bit of it.
Torrey Pines pulled off a fantastic weekend, despite such short notice on holding another PGA event in a one-month timespan. The preparation and time that went into this weekend is greatly appreciated, especially by the tournament host himself.
“To the City of San Diego, thank you for the hospitality at Torrey. My TGR Live Events and TGR found teams had a short runway to relocate the event and I’m proud of what they were able to accomplish with the help of many,” Woods said.
After an impulsive decision to move the event to Torrey Pines, it is exciting to hear that The 2026 Genesis Invitational will return to the Riviera Country Club, where it belongs.
