What Tiger Missed At The Genesis Open
/Of course Tiger was missed. But the genesis of the Genesis turned out just fine.
While the Genesis Open’s “tournament host” was mostly holed-up somewhere in Santa Monica staying “horizontal” (according to his agent), the ailing Tiger Woods could have seen how happy the LA market was to welcome back the one-of-kind buzz only his cache delivers. But he stayed away. Except for a site visit to Hillcrest Country Club early in the week.
Horizontally speaking, the Genesis Open feels like it is headed for a bright future even after the host withdrew from the field and could not fulfill the same duties he has admirably carried out at other tournaments benefiting The Tiger Woods Foundation.
Unlike when he crashed his car in 2009 and cast a pall over his Foundation’s World Challenge at Sherwood Country Club, the Genesis Open went on with no shortage of intrigue. While a brutal storm halted play Friday and led to a discombobulated weekend, 72-holes were completed and a new lower-maintenance superstar ascended to World No. 1 status. The 91-year-old tournament played on a masterful design maintained its place as an elite PGA Tour stop without Tiger's presence. 
Had Woods played the role of host, however, it would have helped.
Had Woods come to Riviera for a few hours and just sat in the locker room, he would have seen how many players were here this week to support him and all he’s done for the game. A few qualifiers and exemptees would have reminded him that he is a hero to them.
Had Tiger been here Friday and Saturday, he would have been astounded at the job superintendent Matt Morton’s volunteer army did getting the course playable for that weekend finish adding to the Foundation’s coffers. Tiger also passed on Sunday’s trophy ceremony and missed Sunday crowds overwhelming the course vendors with long lines in spite of the so-so weather.
Tiger’s dented psyche and strained back certainly would have benefited from a few minutes around the infectious joy of Kevin Hall, the 34-year-old former Big 10 Champion. Deaf since age 2, the inspirational Hall raised the bar to possibly insurmountable heights for future invitee’s receiving the tournament’s Charlie Sifford Exemption.
Fond memories from Tiger's famous L.A. Open debut twenty-five years ago might have been conjured up watching the impressive PGA Tour debut of Pepperdine’s Shahith Theegala, who qualified in Monday’s Collegiate Showcase and rewarded the tournament by attracting a boisterous local following. Making the cut made for an ever better story, as Mike James noted in the LA Times. Tiger might have even observed that the Showcase needs to get more attention going forward. Maybe he'll read the press accounts.
Of course, Tiger’s ego might have taken a bruising given that his TGR Ventures showed they didn’t need him. The business side operation of the Woods empire has plenty of experience running events like this one and the operation got through the week despite a late start cooking up tournament plans. They incorporated elements for kids and probably underestimated how much the 15-year-old and-unders here thanks to free entry also enjoyed the minuscule Learning Lab set up on site.
Even without Woods, the marketing effort in the finicky LA market improved in year one. But compared to other PGA Tour events, the overall experience has a long way to go. Merely relying on Riviera as a draw for players and fans will not be enough.
The second-year of an Uber operation helped get fans to a tournament location so cumbersome that this three-time major site has not hope of hosting future majors because of its small scale. Once on site, the event needs to get with the times. This is a city with all but its NFL team playing in a state-of-the-art facility. Standards have been elevated. Opening an outlet of Woods Jupiter on the 10th hole was a nice start, but given where modern tournaments are going with concerts and other fun events, TGR Ventures will have to be more aggressive going forward.
Woods should be pleased that few will remember his absence thanks to new World No. 1 and LA fan-favorite Dustin Johnson overpowering Riviera. Having Johnson already locked in for next year and a likely spot on the 2018 schedule before the WGC Mexico City, will only continue the strong-field trend that had eight of the world top 10 at Riviera. 
While DJ’s play over the final holes was a little loose, reaching 20-under-par and opening up a nine-stroke lead made him a worthy addition to Riviera’s legendary list of champions. It’s a list that likely will never include Woods based on his current trajectory. But Tiger’s legacy in southern California has already been solidified with his Foundation’s two decades of work.
Taking the Genesis Open to another level as a premier PGA Tour stop—a status it long enjoyed as a foundational tour event won by legends—would be something Woods will savor for his business future and community legacy. That legacy starts with showing up. Because first and foremost, he would have learned that he was missed in whatever capacity he could serve.
