The PGA Tour dips south for this week's Mexico Open, which tees off Thursday at the Vidanta Vallarta Course in Vallarta, Mexico.

• As one of six national opens that offer FedExCup points in addition to being the first of two Aon Swing 5 events for entry into the next signature tournament, Mexico has drawn a wide array of players seeking to pick up critical positioning before the tour's Florida Swing begins next week.

  Field Level Media's golf experts preview the event while sharing their favorite prop picks and best bets to win this week.

  MEXICO OPEN AT VIDANTAWORLD

  Location: Vallarta, Mexico, Feb. 20-23

  Course: Vidanta Vallarta Golf Course (Par 71, 7,436 Yards)

  Purse: $7M (Winner: $1.26M)

  Defending Champion: Jake Knapp

  FedEx Cup leader: Ludvig Aberg

  HOW TO FOLLOW

  TV: Thursday-Friday: 4-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday: 1-3 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (NBC); Sunday: 1-3 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (NBC)

  Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday: 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday: 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m.

  X: @MexicoOpenGolf

  PROP PICKS

  --Erik van Rooyen Made Cut (-230 at DraftKings): The South African has missed three of his past four cuts, but those all came against stronger fields in the U.S. Van Rooyen often cleans up on lower-tier tournaments; he made the cut in all three of his FedEx Fall starts during a string of making the weekend in seven consecutive events worldwide. He tied for eighth here last year before going on to a T2 at the Cognizant Classic. We're bucking the public on this one, as van Rooyen has been the fifth-most popular player at the book to miss the cut.

  --Michael Kim Top 20 Finish (+163 at BetRivers): We love these odds for Kim, who followed up his T2 at the Phoenix Open with a T13 against the loaded Genesis field last week. He's a career-best 80th in the world rankings, and also posted top-20s in three of his final four FedEx Fall events.

  --Patrick Fishburn to Beat Jesper Svensson (-125 at DraftKings): Both enter this week seeking to turn around their recent form. Since a T10 at the Sony Open, Svensson missed a pair of cuts before a T63 at the Phoenix Open. Fishburn looked ready to build on his strong close to 2024 when he opened the year with a T7 in Honolulu, only to miss his past three cuts. Fishburn got on a roll of four top-15s over a five-event stretch late last summer and finished the fall with a T8 at The RSM Classic, so we're banking on him being competitive against a softer field than he has faced of late.

  2025 Prop Pick Record: 6-10-1

  BEST BETS

  --Akshay Bhatia (+1400 at DraftKings) is coming off a T9 at the Genesis and has not missed a cut in four events this year. He leads the field with 16 percent of all money wagered on this week's winner backing Bhatia.

  --Rasmus Hojgaard (+1800) is coming off his first missed cut since October following four consecutive finishes of T22 or better worldwide.

  --Kurt Kitayama (+2200) is a four-time winner who has fared well recently against softer fields, including a fifth at the Zozo and a T9 at the Shriners over the fall. Katayama's odds have shifted slightly since opening at +2000.

  --Patrick Rodgers (+2200), who held the 54-hole lead at the Genesis, is the only player to finish in the top 10 in each of the first three editions of the Mexico Open.

  --Stephan Jaeger (+2500) may not be a household name to the casual fan, but the public is backing him with 5 percent of the money and 4 percent of the bets to win. Since at T3 in Honolulu, Jaeger hasn't finished better than T40 in his past three starts.

  --Jake Knapp (+4000) is already making his seventh start of the season and is playing for the sixth consecutive week. He finished T17 at the Genesis, and Knapp has drawn the most total bets with 9 percent. He's also second to Bhatia with 12 percent of the money backing Knapp to win.

  NOTES

  --The first seven weeks of the 2025 PGA Tour season have produced winners from seven different countries.

  --This is the first event in which players can earn FedEx Cup points toward the Aon Swing 5 for the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The top five players following this week and the Cognizant Classic who are not otherwise exempt will earn spots into the fourth signature event of the year. This week's winner will also earn spots in the five remaining signature events of 2025.

  --Vidanta Vallarta was designed by former LIV Golf CEO and current board member Greg Norman. Tony Finau holds the tournament scoring record of 260 set in 2023, while Jon Rahm set the 18-hole record of 61 in the third round the same year.

  --Blades Brown, 17, will make his second start of the season.

  --San Diego State senior Justin Hastings, a native of the Cayman Islands, will make his second career PGA Tour start. He previously missed the cut at the 2024 Puerto Rico Open.

  --There are five players from Mexico in the field: Alvaro Ortiz, Santiago de la Fuente, Jose Cristobal Islas, Gerardo Gomez, Jose Antonio Safa.

  --Field Level Media

The Cognizant Classic added a quartet of strong names to the field for next week's tournament with commitments by a trio of top-25 players along with top-ranked amateur Luke Clanton on Monday.

• The event begins Feb. 27 at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

  Clanton, a junior at Florida State who is from nearby Hialeah, Fla., will be in the field on a sponsor exemption as he attempts to secure his PGA Tour card. He needs one point to reach the 20 necessary in the PGA Tour University Accelerated system. Clanton narrowly missed in his first opportunity when he missed the cut by one stroke at the WM Phoenix Open earlier this month.

  The Cognizant will mark Clanton's fourth PGA Tour start this season. While he has missed two of three cuts in 2025, he did tie for 15th at the Farmers Insurance Open.

  Clanton, ranked 93rd in the Official World Golf Ranking, recorded a pair of runner-up finishes at the RSM Classic and the John Deer Classic last year, as well as two other top-10 finishes on tour.

  He will be joined at PGA National by 17th-ranked Russell Henley, No. 21 Billy Horschel and No. 22 Sungjae Im, who also committed to the event Monday.

  Henley, who won at PGA National in a playoff in 2014, will make his 11th start in the event. Im is also a former champion, claiming his maiden PGA Tour victory in 2020.

  Horschel has been a regular at PGA National since starring at the University of Florida. He has five top-20 finishes in 12 previous starts in the tournament, with his best result a tie for fourth in 2017.

  --Field Level Media

Tiger Woods on Tuesday made his first start since the death of his mother when he competed in a TGL match at Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

• It was all over in a proverbial New York Minute for Woods and his Jupiter Links GC teammates Kevin Kisner and Tom Kim as they lost 10-3 in a one-sided shellacking at the hands of the New York Golf Club.

  A rampant New York team of Rickie Fowler, Matt Fitzpatrick and Cameron Young stormed to an 8-0 lead before coasting to their first victory of the season in the indoor league played on a golf simulator.

  Despite the result, Woods seemed to enjoy plenty of laughs, feeding off the humor of his livewire teammate Kisner, and the 15-time major champion appeared more relaxed than in his TGL debut three weeks ago.

  His mother Kultida was in the gallery that night, but she died eight days later, on Feb. 4, at the age of 80, which prompted her son to pull out of last week's PGA Tour Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines, stating that he was still processing the loss.

  "She really enjoyed watching me play and it was awesome to have her in the stands," Woods said of his mother's presence at his previous TGL match. "It was a great moment and I'm definitely appreciative of her being here. I had a hard time driving down here. I hadn't hit a golf ball since I played with the president (Trump on Feb. 9).

  "It's been a hard process. I really haven't thought about golf, and I don't think I'll be thinking about it for a bit here."

  Woods, Kisner and Tom Kim did not get on the board until the ninth hole (of 15) on Tuesday. By then the match was all but over as New York improved to 1-2 for the season. Jupiter Links dropped to 1-2.

  Woods also admitted that the evening included "one of the most embarrassing moments in my golfing career."

  Due to a misunderstanding with his caddie, Woods hit his second shot on the 13th hole 100 yards when he was actually 199 yards away from the green.

  Woods' teammates laughed heartily at the error.

  "I just screwed up," Woods said. "That was embarrassing."

  Six teams are competing in the inaugural season of the fast-paced league, which is attempting to appeal to a young demographic by encouraging players, among other things, to indulge in what passes in golf for trash-talking.

  "We're here for the entertainment," Kisner said just before hitting his tee shot into a bunker at the 14th hole.

  "That's a lot more fun than the last two matches," said Fowler, happy to be on the victorious side.

  --Field Level Media

More than 18 months since the two rival sides shocked the sports world by announcing a "framework" merger agreement, the PGA Tour and LIV Golf are still hammering out the finer details.

• Adam Scott is in a critical role in those negotiations as both the chairman of the tour's Player Advisory Council and as a player director on the policy board since 2024. The Australian understands everyone in the PGA camp may not be happy with the result of a potential reunification.

  "I wouldn't be surprised -- or I wouldn't judge anyone, the members -- if reunification happened and they weren't happy with how it happened," Scott told the Associated Press at last weekend's Genesis Invitational, in remarks published Tuesday. "I hope they're not spending as much time talking about it as I have.

  "I wouldn't hold it against anybody if there were negative emotions attached to it, the thought of players coming back."

  The ramifications of a reunification are still up in the air. Last year, a popular talking point was for PGA stars who turned down big money from LIV to be made financially whole for their loyalty. It's unclear how LIV players who wish to play tour events again will be reacclimated and whether that would come at the expense of some tour cards for the rank and file.

  Scott, 44, was elected chairman of the PAC in February 2023 -- four months before commissioner Jay Monahan stunned his tour's membership by appearing with Saudi Arabia PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan for a CNBC interview to announce a merger agreement that had been kept under wraps.

  The PGA Tour has done plenty since then, including striking an agreement with a new minority partner (Strategic Sports Group) to help fund its new for-profit wing, PGA Tour Enterprises.

  "I'll be honest, it took a couple of months to wrap my head around stuff," Scott said. "Within the first few weeks of me coming on the board, we're voting for a minority shareholder to take equity in the tour. There aren't easy answers to any of this stuff. Everyone is entitled to feel something about what's happened.

  "The one thing I do know is we're not going to please everyone, but everyone should know that I will stand behind these player directors. They're trying to do the best thing for the entire membership. They've been faced with some tough decisions the last two years -- tough calls, big consequences -- for whatever we vote on."

  Scott has been thrust into a very prominent role in the negotiations. The PGA Tour appealed to President Donald Trump shortly after his inauguration, and Scott went with Monahan to visit Trump at the White House earlier this month to discuss the matter.

  "We had a meeting with the President," Tiger Woods said during the CBS broadcast of the Genesis Invitational on Sunday. "Unfortunately, I had some other circumstances that came up, but Jay and Adam, they did great during the meeting and we have another subsequent meeting coming up.

  "I think that things are going to heal quickly. We're going to get this game going in the right direction. It's been heading in the wrong direction for a number of years. The fans want all the top players playing together and we're going to make that happen."

  Scott reminded golf fans that the PGA Tour is not the only stakeholder sitting in on these discussions.

  "There's two people in this discussion, more to be honest -- the DP World Tour, a lot of other stakeholders in the pro game," he told the AP. "The tour and its representatives talk a lot about it. But we're not in control of the entire situation. There's another side to the story.

  "It's not been an easy thing to solve, otherwise we'd have solved it, I believe."

  While many PGA Tour members may have genuine gripes about the LIV Golf members returning potentially unpunished, Rory McIlroy -- once an outspoken critic of LIV -- said last week that everyone essentially needs to move on.

  "Whether you stayed on the PGA Tour or you left, we have all benefited from this," the Northern Ireland star said. "I've been on the record saying this a lot: We're playing for a $20 million prize fund this week. That would have never happened if LIV hadn't have come around.

  "I think everyone's just got to get over it and we all have to say, ‘OK, this is the starting point and we move forward.' ... Whatever's happened has happened and it's been unfortunate, but reunification, how we all come back together and move forward, that's the best thing for everyone."

  --Field Level Media

PGA Tour rookie Karl Vilips on Tuesday was named the first brand ambassador for Sun Day Red, the clothing line launched by Tiger Woods.

• Like Woods, Vilips traversed the path from child star to success at Stanford. Vilips, in fact, won the 2024 Pac-12 Conference championship and was named first-team All-Pac 12 as a junior and senior.

  Now 23, Vilips is set to make his season debut in Sun Day Red apparel beginning this week at the Mexico Open.

  "Karl's journey has been marked by success at every level he's played," Woods said Tuesday in a news release. "At Sun Day Red, we were drawn towards his relentless work ethic and pioneering spirit that embody what we stand for and look for in our athletes. With his impressive track record and determination, I have no doubt he will make a significant impact quickly on the PGA Tour and is one of the game's future stars."

  Vilips was named the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Rookie of the Year after finishing 19th in the points list. He highlighted his year with a victory in the Utah Championship.

  "It's a thrill to be a part of Sun Day Red, especially so early on as we start to grow the brand around the world," Vilips said. "Tiger Woods was my idol growing up, and knowing that he drives the insights and meticulousness behind Sun Day Red's apparel and footwear gives us a unique edge that no other company can match. I couldn't be more proud to be the brand's first official ambassador."

  --Field Level Media

Wyndham Clark recorded the go-ahead point at the 15th hole to give The Bay GC a 5-4 win over Boston Common Golf on Monday to close a TGL tripleheader in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

• Clark kept The Bay undefeated (3-0-0) by sinking a 10-foot eagle putt. Keegan Bradley had drawn Boston even at the 13th hole by securing a point via concession after Common Golf threw a hammer and The Bay declined.

  Fans gave Clark a bit of a hard time following the par-5 second hole, where the 31-year-old decided to lay up during The Bay's second shot. Clark then made it his mission to get the crowd pumped up, and he later did just that.

  "We'll get ‘em cheering for us here soon," Clark said after taking a conservative approach at No. 2.

  Boston got off to a fast start, grabbing two points at the first hole before declining a hammer at No. 3 and letting The Bay pick up two points at No. 5 for a 3-2 lead.

  Bradley got Common Golf back on track, though. He holed out from 75 feet at No. 10 but still managed to get Boston a point. Ludvig Aberg sent home a 15-foot birdie putt at the par-4 11th hole to put The Bay back in front at 4-3, only to have Bradley tie the affair once again while facing Shane Lowry.

  Common Golf fell to 0-2-1 with the loss.

  --Field Level Media

Tiger Woods is expected to return to action Tuesday for a TGL match in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., marking his first appearance since his mother's death on Feb. 4, TGL announced via X on Saturday.

• The 15-time PGA major champion is set to play for his Jupiter Links Golf Club as they face New York Golf Club at SoFi Center on Tuesday night.

  Woods had initially announced his intention to play in this week's Genesis Invitational in San Diego despite his mother's death, but bowed out on Monday, saying on X, "I planned to tee it up this week, but 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' mother, Kultida, was in attendance at her son's last TGL match, when Jupiter Links GC came up with a 4-3 overtime victory over co-owner Rory McIlroy's Boston Commons Golf on Jan. 27. Woods gave his mom a quick message before the match.

  "Hey Mom," Woods said. "Not gonna suck tonight, OK?"

  Woods, 49, has competed in his TGL but has not competed in an official PGA Tour event since The Open Championship in July. He played in the exhibition PNC Championship last December with his son, Charlie.

  --Field Level Media

The Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund is nearing $5 billion in total investment in LIV Golf, according to financial documents reviewed by the Money in Sport newsletter on Thursday.

• Saudi Arabia has invested in global sports, most notably men's golf but also soccer, tennis and auto racing, with critics accusing the deep-pocketed kingdom of "sportswashing" its poor human rights record.

  Financial filings from LIV Golf's United Kingdom arm showed that revenues increased in 2023, the league's first full season, but losses are "piling up at a staggering rate," which has led the PIF to inject more and more capital.

  Operating losses in 2023 were at $394 million, $150 million more than the year before.

  "We know from the statutory reporting by the Jersey holding companies that the total capital approved by PIF is now at $3.9 billion, $1.0 billion of which relates to LIV Golf UK and the balance to LIV Golf Inc in US," Money in Sport wrote. "Clearly the U.S. financials must be considerably worse than the rest of the world performance reported by LIV Golf in UK.

  "PIF's investment in LIV Golf could approach $5 billion by the end of this year, with further big bills on the horizon if they want to retain the top golfers as their contracts expire."

  LIV Golf UK manages the league's operations everywhere outside the United States. LIV has expanded with the intention of being a global league, with past events held everywhere from Mexico to Australia to Hong Kong to Spain.

  LIV spent $102 million paying Performance54, the sports marketing firm that stages its events.

  The filings also showed that LIV's legal expenses more than doubled from 2022 to 2023, when they reached $15.7 million.

  As for LIV's revenues, its best-performing country was Australia, where its $16.6 million in revenue off a single tournament in Adelaide towered over other locations outside the U.S.

  --Field Level Media

The Ladies Professional Golf Association is implementing a policy to regulate the pace of play, putting it into effect this spring.

• The policy lowers the timing threshold for stoke penalties, among the changes. It will apply to both the LPGA and the Epson Tour.

  "The LPGA conducted a thorough review of the current pace of play policy to evaluate and address an issue that has been a source of frustration for players and fans alike. This new policy, which was player-led and developed through an established Pace of Play Committee, was created in what we believe is in the best interest of our brand, fans and the overall LPGA watching experience," said Vicki Goetze-Ackerman, the LPGA player president, in a statement. "Based on a data-backed approach and direct player input, this policy now acts as a stronger deterrent, ensuring players take warnings seriously before penalties become necessary.

  "Our overall intention is to improve the pace of play on Tour, and these updates mark a significant step toward creating a more efficient and enjoyable competitive environment, benefiting both our Members and our fans."

  The policy takes effect March 27 on the LPGA Tour at the Ford Championship in Chandler, Ariz., and on April 25 for the Epson Tour at the IOA Championship in Beaumont, Calif.

  If a player goes over the allotted time she has to hit a shot, the following penalties will apply:

  --1-5 seconds over time: fine

  --6-15 seconds over: one-stroke penalty

  --16 seconds or more: two-stroke penalty

  Under the updated policy, the LPGA will continue to allow players who tee off first on par 3 holes and "reachable" par 4s an additional 10 seconds. Eliminated is the extra time given to those who play first on par 4 and par 5 holes.

  The issue of slow play reached a boiling point at the end of the 2024 season, when two of the faster players on tour -- Nelly Korda and Charley Hull -- needed five hours, 38 minutes to complete the third round at The Annika last November because of a logjam ahead of them.

  Hull held the 54-hole lead, but Korda caught and passed her English rival on the final day, dropping her final putt as darkness descended following another five-hour round.

  Hull called the situation "ridiculous," and said she fell sorry for the fans who have to endure the long rounds and offered a solution sure to curb the growing issue.

  "I'm quite ruthless, but I said, 'Listen, if you get three bad timings, every time it's a two-shot penalty," she said. "If you have three of them you lose your tour card instantly. I'm sure that would hurry a lot of people up and they won't want to lose their tour card. That would kill the slow play, but they would never do that."

  Korda wasn't quite as aggressive with her reaction but didn't disagree.

  "It's a pretty big issue," Korda, the world's top-ranked player, said in November. "I think that it really, really needs to change.

  "Players just need to be penalized. Rules officials need to watch from the first group. Once they get two minutes behind, one minute behind, it just slows everything down."

  A committee was put together to study the issue in the offseason.

  At the Founders Cup last weekend in Bradenton, Fla., no one exceeded the target time of four hours, 45 minutes.

  "There was not one round that we sniffed 4:45," Korda said. "It was very nice."

  --Field Level Media

Scott O'Neil, newly on the job as LIV Golf's chief executive officer, is taking an optimistic view on his circuit's future.

• The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, LIV's financial backer, is "likely to make an investment in PGA Tour Enterprises," O'Neil said Wednesday.

  PGA Tour Enterprises is the for-profit wing of the PGA Tour, and it's at the heart of talks regarding a possible merger between the rival tours.

  "For us at LIV, we are hoping that (a PIF link with PGA Tour Enterprises) unlocks opportunity," O'Neil said in Adelaide, Australia, site of LIV Golf's event this weekend. "That may unlock opportunity with markets, with courses, with marketing partners, with television networks, with growing the game, with competition opportunities, with new formats. ...

  "I grew up in New York, if you haven't been able to tell so far by my funny accent, and the state motto is 'Excelsior,' which means kind of onwards and upwards effectively, and we're very excited about the potential investment with PIF and PGA Tour Enterprises."

  O'Neil, who replaced golf legend Greg Norman as LIV Golf's CEO this year, touted the work he has done so far.

  "It's been a short 40 days here, but in the 40 days I've seen a U.S. agreement with FOX, broadcast agreement, I've seen a U.K. agreement with ITV to get us over the air in the UK," he said. "It's the only golf that'll be over the air in the U.K. I've seen our first pillar partnership with Madden. I've seen stars extended. I've seen a successful event in Riyadh. I've seen interest from all over the world. We're now broadcast in 100 countries and territories, over 800 million households.

  "So I see momentum. You don't have to look too far from here to feel like we're going to have the largest event in the history of LIV Golf here, right here in Adelaide."

  O'Neil praised the work done by his predecessor.

  "Greg is an icon," O'Neil said. "He is a friend. He is the reason I'm here today. I spent quite a bit of time with him in my 30-day lead-up to this role and every day since engaging, asking questions and learning, and I hope that he is part of LIV forever.

  "We just had a board meeting last week. He sits on the board, which is another wonderful testament that we can tap into his experience, his leadership, his friendship, and any challenges, too, at the board meeting. I was hoping for a friendly (colleague) on the other side of the table, but he mixes it up pretty good.

  "It's quite a gift to have him as part of LIV. I feel like he was the right person at the right time, and I hope I can stand on the shoulders of giants and move the league forward."

  --Field Level Media

SAN DIEGO -- Superstar golfer Rory McIlroy, once a leading critic of LIV Golf, said Wednesday that it's time for the Saudi-owned league and the PGA Tour to reunite.

• The world's No. 3-ranked golfer, speaking on the eve of the Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines Golf Course, said professional golfers have "all done better from all of this," but McIlroy said the current format is "unsustainable" and the tours need to begin reunification as soon as the 2026 season.

  "Whether you stayed on the PGA Tour or you left, we have all benefited from this," McIlroy of Northern Ireland told a group of reporters. "I've been on the record saying this a lot: We're playing for a $20 million prize fund this week. That would have never happened if LIV hadn't have come around.

  "I think everyone's just got to get over it and we all have to say, OK, this is the starting point and we move forward. We don't look behind us, we don't look to the past. Whatever's happened has happened and it's been unfortunate, but reunification, how we all come back together and move forward, that's the best thing for everyone.

  "If people are butt-hurt or have their feelings hurt because guys went or whatever, like who cares? Let's move forward together and let's just try to get this thing going again and do what's best for the game."

  About an hour after McIlroy spoke, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said a meeting last week with President Donald Trump and golfer Adam Scott moved the tour "one step closer" to reunification.

  "Candidly, that's what the fans want," Monahan said. "... All the best players in the world competing with each other and against each other."

  McIlroy said he discussed the situation with Trump when the two played golf in early January and he believes the president can help bring the tours together. LIV hosts a tournament each year at a Trump-owned property.

  "He can do a lot of things," McIlroy said. "He can be influential. ... I think whenever he says something, they listen and I think that's a big thing."

  McIlroy admitted he didn't always feel that way about golfers who left in 2022 for LIV. But he said he grew to change his mind as he looked at his bank account.

  "I look at what I made in 2019 before LIV came around and I look at what I've made after LIV came around and it's very different," McIlroy said.

  He added that he didn't feel that way originally "because of the fracture" LIV caused in the game.

  "It wasn't good for the overall game," McIlroy said. "It wasn't good for either tour."

  McIlroy also addressed the Genesis, his first tournament at Torrey Pines since finishing in a tie for seventh in the 2021 U.S. Open. McIlroy has played the Farmers Insurance Open here three times, with top-five finishes in 2019 and 2020.

  "It's good to be back," he said. "It's a little bit of a different setup to the U.S. Open in '21; it's a lot softer and rough is thick and (the) course is playing very long.

  "The course is going to play long, the rough is very, very penal, so there's a premium of putting your ball in the fairway and then controlling the spin into the greens."

  --Jay Posner, Field Level Media

Dozens of players get a second crack at the difficult South Course at Torrey Pines when The Genesis Invitational tees off in San Diego on Thursday.

• The event was moved from Riviera Country Club out of respect to those affected by the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, and Torrey Pines was a ready-made venue having played host to last month's Farmers Insurance Open.

  Our golf experts preview the third signature event of 2025, and provide their favorite prop picks along with best bets to win this week.

  THE GENESIS INVITATIONAL

  Location: Torrey Pines Golf Course, South Course (Par 72, 7,765 Yards)

  Purse: $20M (Winner: $4M)

  Defending Champion: Hideki Matsuyama

  FedEx Cup leader: Sepp Straka

  HOW TO FOLLOW

  TV: Thursday-Friday: 4-8 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday: 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-7 p.m. (CBS); Sunday: 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6:30 p.m. (CBS)

  Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday: 12:30-8 p.m. ET; Saturday: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday: 9:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

  X: @TheGenesisInv

  PROP PICKS

  --Rory McIlroy to Beat Scottie Scheffler (+125 at DraftKings): McIlroy has won two of his past three worldwide starts, with those victories sandwiching a T4 in Dubai. He's in excellent form, while Scheffler is still playing his way back into form following hand surgery over the holidays.

  --Shane Lowry Top 20 Finish (+110 at BetRivers): Yes, Lowry did miss the cut at Torrey Pines last month, but that was in between a T3 at the DP World Tour Championship and a runner-up at Pebble Beach. Like at Pebble, the forecast calls for cool, wet and windy conditions at least Thursday and Friday, which plays into the hands of the Irishman. Lowry also has to beat only 52 players in the 72-player field for this prop to pay.

  --Ludvig Aberg Top Nordic Finisher (+130 at DraftKings): Aberg of Sweden was tearing Torrey Pines apart before he came down with an illness last month. That forced him out of Pebble Beach as well, but Aberg has now had a few weeks to regain his strength. This is a tough matchup against Denmark's Rasmus Hojgaard (+160), who is coming off a T12 in Phoenix, and Norway's Viktor Hovland (+240). However, neither of them played in the Farmers this year.

  2025 Prop Pick Record: 5-8-1

  BEST BETS

  --Scottie Scheffler (+400 at DraftKings) settled for a T25 in Phoenix following a T9 in his return from hand surgery the previous week.

  --Rory McIlroy (+650) won his last start at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

  --Collin Morikawa (+1600) is seeking his first win since the 2023 Zozo Championship. He did tie for fourth at the 2021 U.S. Open and was solo third at the 2023 Farmers at Torrey Pines.

  --Justin Thomas (+1800) is up to 11th in the world rankings following his T6 in Phoenix.

  --Ludvig Aberg (+2200) finished T42 at the Farmers Insurance Open. He opened with a 63 before becoming ill. Aberg finished the Farmers but withdrew the following week at Pebble Beach.

  --Rasmus Hojgaard (+3500) has finished T22 and T12 in his first two starts as a full-time PGA Tour member. Last week's finish would have been better if not for a double bogey on the par-5 15th hole on Saturday.

  NOTES

  --This is the third of eight signature events this season, featuring an increased prize pool and FedEx Cup points. It's also one of three signature events to include a 36-hole cut to the low 50 players and ties.

  --Daniel Berger and Michael Kim earned spots in the field through the Aon Swing 5 with their tie for second at the WM Phoenix Open, bumping out Justin Lower and Lee Hodges.

  --Tournament host Tiger Woods withdrew on Monday while he continues to mourn the recent death of his mother. The three other eligible players not in the field are Xander Schauffele (injury), Alex Noren and Chris Kirk.

  --Jordan Spieth is coming off a T4 in Phoenix and is in the field on a sponsor exemption along with Rickie Fowler, Min Woo Lee, and Gary Woodland. Lucas Glover and Justin Rose were added to meet the 72-player minimum field as the first two available players below No. 60 in last year's FedEx Cup Fall points list.

  --Field Level Media

Fox Sports' debut event for LIV Golf produced meager ratings for the broadcaster at the league's 2025 season-opening event.

• Fox averaged only 40,200 viewers for the final round played under the lights in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which began at 10 a.m. ET Saturday. While FS1 averaged 54,000 viewers between 10 a.m.-Noon ET on Saturday, FS2 averaged only 31,000 for the final three hours, according to Nielsen ratings cited by multiple outlets.

  And that was up from the 12,000 average viewers across five hours on FS2 for the first day of the three-round event on Thursday, although that is similar to other daytime programming on the channel, according to Front Office Sports.

  Fox Sports has yet to release the official ratings results, which could improve when streaming numbers are included. The timing of the event was moved to make the broadcasts more accessible for viewers in the United States.

  It's a concerning start to Fox's multi-year media-rights deal with the Saudi-backed league, whose events were broadcast on The CW Network last season with modest ratings. LIV's Individual Championship averaged 89,000 viewers on The CW last year.

  LIV's second event of the year begins Friday in Adelaide, Australia, before the league travels to Hong Kong and Singapore in March. LIV makes its 2025 United States debut at Trump National Doral in Miami April 4-6, with the final round slated to air on Fox's main network on a Sunday afternoon.

  LIV's next three tournaments also are set to be played internationally. The league's Miami event in April will be a strong test case for Fox, with that final round airing on the main network on a Sunday afternoon -- a traditional golf TV window.

  Fox Sports announced in January that it will air live coverage of LIV's 14 tournaments on Fox or FS1, carrying all three rounds of each event.

  Select rounds are being broadcast on FS2, Fox Business Network or the Fox Sports App and every round can be streamed on the Fox Sports App and LIV Golf Plus.

  LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neal cited the Fox deal in trumpeting the "momentum" he has seen through his first 40 days since taking the role over from Greg Norman.

  "I've seen a U.S. agreement with Fox, broadcast agreement, I've seen a UK agreement with ITV to get us over the air in the UK. It's the only golf that'll be over the air in the UK," O'Neil told reporters in Adelaide on Wednesday. "I've seen our first pillar partnership with Madden. I've seen stars extended. I've seen a successful event in Riyadh. I've seen interest from all over the world. We're now broadcast in 100 countries and territories, over 800 million households.

  "From my perspective, we have incredible interest with television broadcast networks, which has been a bit of an Achilles Heel for us, sponsors -- marketing partners as we call them -- seems to be interest like the group has never seen before, attendance seems to be something that's going in this trajectory.

  "I think that right now we are going to the moon and back. I'm very confident in where we are in this business and the interest we have currently."

  --Field Level Media

Greg Norman remains on LIV Golf's board of directors despite losing his spot last month as the upstart circuit's CEO and commissioner to Scott O'Neil.

• O'Neil made the announcement on the Shark's status Wednesday in Adelaide, Australia, where the second LIV Golf tournament of the season tees off at The Grange Golf Club.

  "Greg is an icon. He is a friend," O'Neil said. "He is the reason I'm here today."

  A two-time Open championship winner, Norman played an integral role in getting LIV Golf off the ground by recruiting several PGA Tour players.

  O'Neil, 54, said he has received a lay of the land from the 70-year-old Norman, who attended a board meeting last week.

  "I spent quite a bit of time with him in my 30-day lead-up to this role and every day since engaging, asking questions and learning, and I hope that he is part of LIV forever," O'Neil said.

  "He sits on the board, which is another wonderful testament that we can tap into his experience, his leadership, his friendship, and any challenges, too, at the board meeting. I was hoping for a friendly on the other side of the table, but he mixes it up pretty good. It's quite a gift to have him as part of LIV. I feel like he was the right person at the right time, and I hope I can stand on the shoulders of giants and move the league forward."

  --Field Level Media

Collin Morikawa is unfortunately familiar with wildfires devastating a place he knows and loves.

• Morikawa, a native of La Canada in Los Angeles County, has roots on the Hawaiian island of Maui, where his grandfather once owned a restaurant in the town of Lahaina.

  When Lahaina was hit by massive wildfires in 2023, Morikawa decided he'd donate $1,000 per birdie throughout the FedEx Cup Playoffs that year.

  He's bringing back that pledge at this week's Genesis Invitational, which was moved from Los Angeles to San Diego due to last month's fires in L.A. Morikawa pledged $1,000 per birdie and $2,000 per eagle (between his last tournament and the Genesis) to the California Community Foundation and the L.A. Fire Department Foundation.

  "Just to kind of do a little bit of support and just create awareness," Morikawa said Tuesday. "We've seen this too often. I think even with the most recent one for me that hit home was the Lahaina fires. Fires happen. People kind of forget and then you move on to the next cycle. I realize that's how news and media works, but for how big of an impact Los Angeles has gone through with everything with the fires, you just have to keep creating awareness as much as you can.

  "It's amazing to help out in my little bit and, hopefully, we make a lot of birdies starting Thursday."

  Morikawa, 28, said Los Angeles has changed drastically since he was young and will continue to change, but it's a place where a diverse group of people are currently helping one another and rallying together to rebuild.

  "That's what amazes me and that's what makes me proud to be an Angeleno," he said. "You see that and you're like, wow, that's true community right there. You see that a lot in small cities, smaller places around the country that always band together and you're really proud to be from there.

  "When things like the fires happen, the community comes together, people want to help out and that's what you want to see. So it's good to be from there. I'm very, very proud of it and I'll always try to represent L.A. as best as I can."

  The fourth-ranked player in the world will make just his third start of the season following a runner-up finish at The Sentry and a T17 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

  He didn't play the Farmers Insurance Open, while many in this week's field got a preview of Torrey Pines that week that may help them this week at the relocated Genesis.

  "I watched obviously a little bit of the Farmers and saw how firm and fast everything was and just assumed the rough was going to be growing out. They definitely did that this week," Morikawa said.

  "With the forecast, the weather, the rain, it's going to play really tough. ... Torrey Pines is already a very, very difficult golf course. I look forward to that. Just have a challenge in front of us."

  --Field Level Media

Tiger Woods withdrew from this week's Genesis Invitational, saying he's "just not ready" to play so soon after his mother's death last week.

• Woods made the announcement Monday in a post to social media.

  "I planned to tee it up this week, but 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," he said in a post to X.

  Woods said he hoped to make an appearance at Torrey Pines, the site of this year's tournament in San Diego that he hosts with his foundation. The event was moved from Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades in the aftermath of the wildfires in Los Angeles County.

  Woods announced Friday that he would make his season debut in the tournament, three days after the death of his mother, Kutilda Woods.

  Woods, 49, has not competed in an official PGA Tour event since The Open in July, but he has played in the PNC Championship with his son, Charlie. He also has competed in his new TGL simulator golf league.

  --Field Level Media

Players from the LIV Golf League now have a qualification pathway into the Open Championship, the R&A announced Monday.

• The leading player in the top five of the LIV Golf standings at the end of June who is not already exempt will earn a spot in the 153rd Open Championship on July 17-20 at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.

  "The Open is a global championship for the best men's golfers, and each year we review our exemptions to ensure that we offer pathways into the championship based on results achieved on the leading professional tours," Mark Darbon, CEO of The R&A, said in a statement. "We acknowledge that players competing in LIV Golf should also have the opportunity to secure places in The Open through its individual season standings as well as existing pathways."

  The selection will happen after LIV Golf's tournament in Carrollton, Texas, from June 27-29.

  "We thank Mark Darbon for his leadership and the R&A for taking this step for the benefit of moving golf forward," LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil said. "The Open Championship is one of the most prestigious events in all of sports. The acknowledgement that competitors from the LIV Golf League and The International Series will have the opportunity to play in golf's original major is a true testament to the strength of fields and the R&A's commitment to golf fans around the world. LIV will continue our mission to bring the best players to the four corners of the world to grow the game. We are excited for the future of this great sport."

  LIV Golf members who are already exempt for the Open Championship as past major winners include Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka.

  The R&A's announcement follows a similar move announced last week for the U.S. Open by the United States Golf Association. As of May 19, the leading golfer in LIV's top three not otherwise exempt will gain a spot in the June 12-15 tournament at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club.

  --Field Level Media

Tiger Woods will make his season debut next week when he plays in the Genesis Invitational, the tournament announced on Friday.

• Woods had been expected to play at the event even though it had been moved to Torrey Pines South Course in San Diego in the wake of the wildfires in the Los Angeles area.

  The tournament's traditional home at Riviera Country Club is in the hard-hit Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles and was set to hold the Feb. 13-16 tournament, which is hosted by Woods and his foundation. Riviera sits just east of where most of the area's catastrophic fire damage occurred and was not affected by the flames.

  Woods has won eight times at Torrey Pines, including the 2008 U.S. Open.

  The 15-time major champion's participation for next week's tournament was in question after the death of his mother, Kultida, on Tuesday morning.

  Woods, 49, has not competed in an official PGA Tour event since The Open, but he has played in the PNC Championship with his son Charlie. He also has competed in his new TGL simulator golf league.

  --Field Level Media

The chief executive officer of LIV Golf is in favor of President Donald Trump getting involved in negotiations to bring about an alliance with the PGA Tour.

• "If the leader of the free world is spending his time on golf, [then] I am very happy," LIV's Scott O'Neil said in an interview with Al Arabiya News. "This game matters. It gives values that this world needs more of right now. It brings us together with connectivity."

  LIV Golf is kicking off its 2025 schedule this weekend in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

  On Thursday, the PGA Tour said commissioner Jay Monahan and player director Adam Scott had met with Trump on Tuesday. In a statement signed by Monahan, Scott and player director Tiger Woods, the PGA Tour said it had asked Trump to help it broker a deal with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, which bankrolls LIV.

  "We know golf fans are eagerly anticipating a resolution to negotiations with the Public Investment Fund and want to thank President Trump for his interest and long-time support of the game of golf," read the PGA Tour statement. "We asked the President to get involved for the good of the game, the good of the country, and for all the countries involved. We are grateful that his leadership has brought us closer to a final deal, paving the way for reunification of men's professional golf."

  O'Neil said an alliance between the two sides could bring golf back together and unite the world's top players on the same courses again.

  "They want the best stars in the world and we have quite a few of them. And so I think when there's an opportunity to put those two things together, good things will happen," O'Neil said in the interview. "And we're really pleased and grateful and appreciative of this, you know, the olive branch and the step forward. We've got great leaderships in the organizations that matter."

  Trump, an avid golfer, has standing and credibility with the LIV founders.

  His Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami is hosting an event in April, as it did in 2023. That year, Trump courses in Washington, D.C., and Bedminster, N.J., also held LIV events.

  --Field Level Media

Rickie Fowler withdrew from the WM Phoenix Open before Friday's second round due to illness, the PGA Tour said.

• He shot a 3-over 74 on Thursday in Round 1 at TPC Scottsdale.

  Fowler, 36, has six career wins, including the 2019 WM Phoenix Open. He also was the runner up in 2010 and 2016.

  He was scheduled to play with Billy Horschel and Sahith Theegala on Thursday. They now will play as a twosome.

  Wyndham Clark shot a 7-under 64 on Thursday to take the Round 1 lead.

  --Field Level Media

When the fourth season of LIV Golf teed off on Thursday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, there was a notable change to the league's normally laid-back look.

• The players weren't wearing shorts, despite the heat of the desert.

  Player-turned-broadcaster Pat Perez revealed on the league's podcast, "Fairway to Heaven," that shorts were off-limits going forward.

  "The players are wearing pants all year," Perez said. "I got it confirmed the other day that the players are wearing pants."

  No reason for the change was explained.

  While the PGA Tour has never allowed shorts as part of its dress code, the rules were looser when the rival league started up in 2022.

  This week's season opener in Riyadh is the first of 13 events in the regular season before the team championship this fall.

  --Field Level Media

The PGA Tour has asked President Donald Trump to help broker a deal with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia that could lead to a long-awaited alliance between the parties.

• The PIF is the financial backer of the LIV Golf League, which has lured some of the PGA Tour's stars with its big-money contracts and tournament paydays.

  In a statement issued Thursday, the PGA Tour said commissioner Jay Monahan and player director Adam Scott met with Trump on Tuesday.

  "We know golf fans are eagerly anticipating a resolution to negotiations with the Public Investment Fund and want to thank President Trump for his interest and long-time support of the game of golf," read the statement, which was signed by Monahan, Scott and player-director Tiger Woods. "We asked the President to get involved for the good of the game, the good of the country, and for all the countries involved. We are grateful that his leadership has brought us closer to a final deal, paving the way for reunification of men's professional golf."

  More than 18 months have passed since the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the PIF announced a "framework agreement" for an alliance that shocked the sports world. The parties blew past a self-imposed Dec. 31, 2023, deadline to finalize the deal.

  The only real news last summer came in June, when PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan met with PGA Tour representatives in New York the week of the framework agreement's one-year anniversary.

  Trump does have standing and credibility with the LIV founders.

  His Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami is hosting an event in April, as it did in 2023. That year, Trump courses in Washington, D.C., and Bedminster, N.J., also held LIV events.

  --Field Level Media

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler acknowledges the passage of time can play tricks on the mind, like this week's return to Scottsdale, Ariz., for the WM Phoenix Open.

• Scheffler has won this tournament twice, including his first PGA Tour victory in February 2022.

  "It's a weird feeling because it feels like a lifetime ago, but at the same time, it feels like I just started out here. It's kind of a weird balance," Scheffler said Wednesday. "I really don't know how to describe it because I think about, what was it, three years ago? I feel like you could have told me it was 30 years ago or three months ago, I wouldn't really know the difference. I feel like that's just how life is sometimes."

  Time has flown as Scheffler found unmatched success, beginning a run of three consecutive PGA Tour Player of the Year awards.

  Scheffler, 28, likened the feeling to the birth of his son.

  "... I can't really remember a lot of what life was like before Bennett came, and it feels like he's been with us for forever, but he's only 9 months old," Scheffler said. "I think that's just how life is. I'm really happy with the way things have turned out out here, and it's been a lot of fun, and I'm hoping to continue to play golf out here for a long time."

  Since joining the tour in 2020, Scheffler has won 13 times, including the Masters and The Players Championship twice each. He has won all four majors as well, plus nine runner-up finishes overall and 10 times in third. He has made 112 of 131 cuts. He captured the gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games last summer and the season-long FedExCup title last fall.

  Yet his approach is to consider the full picture, appreciating that he loses more often than he wins. It's the nature of the sport, and it drives him to be more competitive and aspire for more success.

  "Golf is a game where I think you're constantly failing. Sometimes it seems like as golfers we kind of love the punishment, just getting beat up every week by this game and trying to get the best out of ourselves," he said.

  "That's why I focus so much on how I approach things, and I focus on my attitude and how I'm approaching things mentally because that's what makes a successful week for me is if I'm prepared and if I have a good attitude. That's what I'm trying to focus on when I go out and play, and I feel like if I can do that over 72 holes and play some decent golf, then I'll have a chance," Scheffler added.

  He credited support from family, friends and a team of coaches and others.

  "There's certain times when I need to be called out, and then there's certain times when I'm doing things the right way," Scheffler said. "But overall, I just think having a great support team out here has been one of the most important aspects of my journey out here on (the PGA) Tour."

  Scheffler missed most of last month due to a hand injury from a cooking accident over the holidays. He tied for ninth in his season debut at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last week.

  Scheffler was happy overall with his play, noting he still may have to shake off some rust. He's very comfortable at TBC Scottsdale for "the People's Open," calling it a lot of fun to battle the golf course and the atmosphere of "a pretty hectic crowd out there," especially at No. 16.

  Thinking about how times have changed, Scheffler said when he first played this tournament, he would get to the No. 16 tee and not many people would know who he is. Now spectators chant his name during practice rounds.

  "It's cool to be able to get in that environment and have people cheering for you," Scheffler said. "The cheers for you immediately stop if you miss the green or don't make birdie, so that part is a little bit tough.

  "It's really cool to be able to play in front of our fans, and this is a week when we get to play in front of a lot of them," he continued. "As a player, I think it's a special week. It's a lot of fun. Like I said, I have great memories of this tournament, so every year getting to come back, I'm reminded of those things."

  --Field Level Media

The biggest party on the PGA Tour is unquestionably held at TPC Scottsdale, and "The People's Open" at the WM Phoenix Open begins Thursday with a field that features World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.

• Our golf experts preview the event and provide their favorite prop picks along with best bets to win this week.

  WM PHOENIX OPEN

  WM Phoenix Open, Scottsdale, Ariz., Feb. 6-9

  Course: TPC Scottsdale (Par 71, 7,261 Yards)

  Purse: $9.2M (Winner: $1.656M)

  Defending Champion: Nick Taylor

  FedEx Cup leader: Sepp Straka

  HOW TO FOLLOW

  TV: Thursday-Friday: 4-8 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday: 1-3 p.m. (GC), 3-6:30 p.m. (CBS); Sunday: 1-3 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)

  Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday: 9:15 a.m.-8 p.m. ET; Saturday: 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m.; Sunday: 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m.

  X: @WMPhoenixOpen

  PROP PICKS

  --Hideki Matsuyama to Beat Justin Thomas (-110 at DraftKings): Sure, Matsuyama has trended backward with a T16, T32 and T48 in three events since winning The Sentry. But he's also a two-time winner at TPC Scottsdale, where Thomas has yet to win in 10 previous attempts. He does have four consecutive top-10s in the event, but this is a course Matsuyama has a lengthy history of success at -- including a T2 in 2015 and a T4 the previous year.

  --Sepp Straka Top 20 (+175 at BetRivers): Straka held the 54-hole lead at Pebble Beach before settling with a T7 after posting a 72 on Sunday. That followed a win at The American Express and a T30 at the Sony Open, so Straka is playing some excellent golf to begin 2025.

  --Hole-In-One During Tournament (Yes -115 at DraftKings): So much of the attention is placed on the famous 16th hole, where there have been just 11 hole-in-ones over 38 years, and none since Carlos Ortiz made one in 2022. So while the payout isn't as enticing as +250 on the 16th hole seeing an ace specifically, we like the better likelihood on one of the four par-3s on the course surrendering a hole-in-one.

  2025 Prop Pick Record: 4-6-1

  BEST BETS

  --Scottie Scheffler (+275 at DraftKings) won the event in 2022 and ‘23 and has four consecutive top-10 finishes at TPC Scottsdale. Despite his status as the heavy pre-tournament favorite, Scheffler leads all players in the field by a long ways with 23 percent of the total bets and 18 percent of the money backing him to win this week.

  --Justin Thomas (+1400) has a previous best event finish of third in 2019 and is seeking his first win since the 2022 PGA Championship. After a solo second at the AmEx, Thomas finished T48 last week.

  --Hideki Matsuyama (+1600) is also a two-time event champion (2016-17) and won the season-opening The Sentry.

  --Tom Kim (+2800) is coming off a strong showing at Pebble Beach, where he finished T70 despite scuffling to a final-round 70. Kim enjoys playing to a raucous crowd (recall the Presidents Cup), and he's second in the field with 7 percent of the money backing him to win.

  --Nick Taylor (+6000) beat Charley Hoffman in a playoff last year after finishing second to Scheffler in 2023. He also collected his fifth career PGA Tour win at the Sony Open last month.

  NOTES

  --The field features 29 of the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking.

  --This is the final event for players not otherwise qualified to earn spots via the Aon Swing 5 in next week's signature event at The Genesis Invitational.

  --Jordan Spieth, who finished T6 here each of the past two years, makes his second consecutive start following wrist surgery.

  --Florida State junior Luke Clanton will become eligible for PGA Tour membership if he makes the cut this week. He needs one point to reach the required 20 in the PGA Tour University Accelerated program.

  --Arizona State senior Jose Luis Ballester Barrio of Spain is in the field as a sponsor exemption. He's currently No. 2 in the PGA Tour University ranking. Another sponsor exemption, two-time Arizona state high school champion Frankie Capan III, is seeking his fourth consecutive made cut this season.

  --Mark Calcavecchia (2001) and Phil Mickelson (2013) share the tournament scoring record of 256.

  --Field Level Media

Matt Kuchar withdrew from the WM Phoenix Open on Wednesday following the death of his father.

• Peter Kuchar passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday at the age of 73, his son confirmed to GolfChannel.com.

  Peter Kuchar was Matt's caddie when he won the 1997 U.S. Amateur and was a regular in the PGA Tour galleries.

  "My Pop was a huge fan of sport and passed on his love of competition to me," Matt Kuchar said in a statement. "He was a wonderful person -- an incredible grandfather, a loving husband and best friend to my mother, and the best father I could have ever hoped for. An avid pickleball player and outdoorsman, Pop was a man of great character and a character in his own right.

  "He is the person that introduced me to the game of golf, a tie that will always remain between us. Those memories, and so many more, will be with me and our family forever. He will be missed more than words can express. We appreciate the support and privacy while we grieve as a family."

  Matt Kuchar, 46, is a nine-time winner on the PGA Tour.

  He was replaced in the field for this week's tournament in Scottsdale, Ariz., by Sweden's Jesper Svensson.

  --Field Level Media