The Genesis Invitational has always been a showcase for the world’s best golfers, but this year, the spotlight is shining just as brightly on Riviera Country Club’s infamous par-3 fourth hole as it is on the players themselves. As the 2026 edition of the tournament gets underway in Los Angeles, the conversation isn’t just about who will come out on top—it’s about whether anyone can tame a hole that’s gone from daunting to downright punishing.
Let’s rewind for a moment. In 2024, the fourth hole at Riviera was already notorious. Stretching about 230 yards, it featured a sloping green and a stubborn patch of kikuyu grass just short of the putting surface. That combination made it a beast—only 15.4 percent of players managed to hit the green in regulation, and the field finished a collective 49-over par for the week. For context, the PGA Tour average for greens in regulation was nearly 70 percent that year. “Terrible,” was how Adam Schenk described the hole after missing the cut by four, tagging tournament host Tiger Woods in a tweet and suggesting, “Tell them to grow poana short of 4 for the left two-thirds of the green rewarding good shots & keep current grass short on right one-third of green.”
Two years later, after the 2025 tournament was relocated to Torrey Pines due to devastating wildfires, the Genesis Invitational returned to Riviera with a significant twist. The club had decided not only to ignore Schenk’s advice but to double down on the challenge. The fourth hole was lengthened by about 40 yards, now tipping the scales at a whopping 270-plus yards, and the tee box was repositioned well to the right. The stated goal? To better align the hole with designer George Thomas’s original vision. The result? The longest par-3 on the PGA Tour, even edging out the 265-yard 11th at Puntacana Resort.
Unsurprisingly, the reaction from the game’s elite has been swift and, frankly, a bit salty. World No. 2 Rory McIlroy didn’t mince words ahead of the tournament. “I actually think it’s a horrible change,” he said on Wednesday, according to Golfweek. “Like 15 percent of the field hit the green last time when it was played at its original yardage at 230. If you want it to be a 275-yard par-3, you have to change the apron leading up onto the green. It can’t be kikuyu, it has to be another type of grass that can help you run it onto the green because, again, in the right conditions, you try to fly that ball on the green with a 3-iron, it’s going to land—it’s going to finish up on the fifth tee box.”
McIlroy’s frustration is rooted in the nature of kikuyu grass, which acts like a sponge and grabs the ball, making it nearly impossible to bounce a shot onto the green from distance. Instead of allowing for creativity and strategy—hallmarks of a classic par-3—the new setup, in McIlroy’s eyes, simply demands brute force and a bit of luck. “I don’t think 4 plays any differently, you’re just hitting a slightly longer club,” he added after his Pro-am round. “That’s sort of what I mean by why it’s not a great change.”
He’s not alone in his criticism. Jordan Spieth, always candid, told Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine, “It’s the only weak spot on the course, in my opinion.” That’s quite a statement given Riviera’s revered status among players and fans alike. Even Collin Morikawa, who’s riding high after a win at Pebble Beach, chimed in with his own take. “It’s too soft, unfortunately, to have a lot of control to say, man, I’m going to play a tight 5-iron and run it up,” Morikawa said, as reported by Golfweek. “I think a lot of us play it left to chip uphill, but with a 3-wood in hand, that cart path on the left, honestly, comes into play because the dispersion just gets that much bigger. It’ll be very interesting.”
For Morikawa and his peers, the challenge isn’t just the distance. Recent rain in Los Angeles has left the course playing soft, making it even harder to execute the kind of running shot that the Redan-style green was designed to reward. Instead, players are forced to take out long irons or even 3-woods—clubs rarely used on par-3s—and simply hope for the best. “Hit and hope, I guess,” Morikawa admitted. “There’s not a lot of thought to it other than just kind of hitting the green and moving on, unfortunately.”
Other voices from the golfing world have weighed in from afar. Graeme McDowell, a former U.S. Open champion, commented on social media: “Few holes that you would like to lengthen on this great course, but this wouldn’t be my first choice. Obsession with total yardage can destroy individual great holes.” Viktor Hovland, reflecting on the trend toward ever-longer par-3s, remarked after last summer’s U.S. Open at Oakmont (where the par-3 8th played to 289 yards): “I just think all the best par-3s are under 200 [yards]. You can maybe have it just over 200, but as soon as you start to take head covers off on par-3s, I just think it gets a little silly.”
Despite the complaints, the hole isn’t unbeatable—at least not yet. Defending U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun played the fourth during a practice round with a 3-wood, feeding his shot in from the front right. His ball released to about six feet from the hole, and while he missed the birdie, he walked away with a stress-free par. “It’s Wednesday,” Spaun noted with a shrug. “It didn’t matter really today.” But as the tournament begins in earnest, every shot will count, and players know that conquering the fourth could be the difference between contending and heading home early.
PGA Tour rules official Steve Rintoul offered a bit of perspective, suggesting that the hole won’t always play at its maximum length. “I suspect the players in the Genesis will see a bit of everything over the four days. However, the summertime events coming up at Riviera (Women’s U.S. Open, Olympics and the U.S. Open) will allow for firmer and warmer conditions where the ball played along the ground, chasing onto the green, will be more effective. As always we will evaluate the playability of the hole and gather player input on the design, but our usual strategy is to tip-toe into using major changes.”
As the Genesis Invitational tees off, all eyes are on Riviera’s revamped fourth hole. Will it humble the world’s best, or will someone find a way to solve its riddle? One thing’s for sure: this year, the path to the winner’s circle runs straight through a monster par-3 that’s got everyone talking.