‘You got one on me,’ Tiger tells triumphant Jacob Bridgeman

PACIFIC PALISADES — The man who won almost everything offered a comment of admiration to the man who won at Riviera, where Tiger Woods never did.

“You got one on me,” Woods told Jacob Bridgeman.

What Bridgeman got Sunday was a victory in the Genesis Invitational, his first on the PGA Tour. 

After constructing a 6-shot lead going into the final round, Bridgeman played just well enough, often enough, to end up in front, barely.

His 1-over par, 72 gave him an impressive four-round total of 166, 18-under par on one of the game's historic courses, and one swing better than the two players who tied for second, Kurt Kitayama (64) and Rory McIlroy (67).

Adam Scott, 45, stepping out of the past, was a lone 4th, another swing back. Scott had 2 wins in this tournament, the first in 2005 in a rare Monday one-hole playoff when it was delayed by rain, and again at 72 holes in 2015. 

So much history in this event, which celebrated its 100th anniversary. And now Bridgeman, 26, is very much a part of it. He turned pro after an excellent career at Clemson, and he has developed into a star, as verified by his last two events: 8th place at the Pebble Beach AT&T Pro Am and a few days later, a win at the Riv. 

“First win here, probably one of the coolest places I could have done it, and of course having Tiger as the host is a dream come true.” 

Woods, now 50, played the event at Riviera, then called the Nissan, when he was an 18-year-old amateur. Despite all his success at places such as St Andrews and Augusta, his best finish in this tournament was a runner-up.

Now, one of the directors of the Genesis, Woods was quick to point out Bridgeman’s achievement.

Asked what it meant to win an event that Tiger was hosting, Bridgeman said, “Knowing he was the one to be waiting to shake the winner’s hand made it definitely a little bit more nerve-racking just because when I was growing up, my youngest golf memory was watching him on TV. When he was in his prime, I was learning to talk, walk, and play golf.” 

Obviously, Bridgeman has done well in all three.

Kitayama, a one-time basketball player in high school at Chico—yes, where Aaron Rodgers grew up—said of his golf Sunday, “I played awesome today.”

He began the round with birdies on 4 of the first 5 holes. It was a great run, but not quite enough. 

McIlroy made his charge late. He had four birdies on the back nine. “I just kept plugging away and trying to make something happen,” McIlroy said. “I felt like I could have made something happen on the front if I holed a few putts, but I didn’t.” 

So the West Coast swing of the tour is done, it’s on to Florida and way points. Scottie Scheffler, the number one-ranked player, should get back to winning on the other side of the country. Not that anything could be better for Bridgeman, who got a win and a great comment from boyhood hero, Tiger.

With a 6-shot lead in the Genesis, Bridgeman won’t play safe

PACIFIC PALISADES — A week ago, Jacob Bridgeman was standing in the water off the 18th tee at Pebble Beach. Now he seems destined to be standing near the 18th green at Riviera with a victory.

Bridgeman, 26, grabbed the Genesis tournament in a three-hole burst, Saturday, going birdie, eagle, birdie on the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth holes. That boosted him into a six-shot lead with only Sunday’s final round at left to play. And we often refer to Greg Norman tossing away a six-shot margin in the 1996 Masters. It’s not going to happen again.

Bridgeman is going to go after his first PGA tour victory as aggressively as his alma mater, Clemson, might go after a football win. 

“I’m not going to play safe,” said Bridgeman. “I would say overall I’m very aggressively conservative, and for whatever reason, when I try to aim away from the target, I feel like most of the time the ball just starts to go towards the hole.” 

Bridgeman shot his second straight 7-under par 64 to destroy any chance that the Genesis would be competitive. His 54-hole total of 194 left second-place Rory McIlroy—who merely has won all four majors—wondering, like the rest of us, whether the Genesis is over.

“It’s nice to be playing in the last group,” said McIlroy. seeking a positive spin. “If he opens the door slightly, hopefully I’ll be right there to take advantage of it.” 

In third at 201 is Aldrich Potgieter after a 65. Adam Scott, a two-time Riviera champion, shot 72 and is at 205. Meanwhile, Scottie Scheffler, winless these opening weeks of the 2026 season, is at 208, after a 72 today. 

Nine holes into the afternoon round, Bridgeman was tied for second with McIlroy, Aaron Rai, and Zander Schauffele. That placement didn’t last long, Bridgeman going 3-3-3 on the 10th, 11th, and 12th. Suddenly, there was a space between Jacob and everyone else.

“In the past, I have had trouble with poa,” Bridgeman said of the turf used on coastal courses. ‘I had to make an adjustment mid-round. I have to hit the balls a little softer. They are not taking a break. After that, I feel like I hit a lot of good putts.”

Experience has taught Bridgeman that he doesn’t have to be perfect because golf is a game of imperfection. 

“In my rookie year (2024), I think my goal every week was to finish top-10, and then I got there, and I started playing well, and I’m like ‘oh man, I might have a chance to win.’”

A six-shot lead after three rounds? Oh man, he has more than a chance.  

Adam Scott and Riviera: a perfect twosome in golf

PACIFIC PALISADES — It was the Nissan Open. Now it is the Genesis Invitational. Whatever the name, the PGA Tour event at Riviera Country Club brings out the best in Adam Scott.

Scott won it in a weird one-hole playoff on a Monday in 2005 following days of rain. Then he won it again 15 years later over 72 holes.   

Whether he can win it this year at age 45 is questionable, but look at the leaderboard after 36 holes.  There’s Scott, three shots out of the lead and feeling as young and upbeat as imaginable.

“It’s my favorite stop on the Tour,” said Scott. “I’m lucky to be here on an invite, so I’m wanting to make the most of it.” So far, he is doing that. Scott shot an 8-under par 63 Friday, has a 12-under total of 130 for two rounds, and is three shots behind co-leaders Marco Penge and Jacob Bridgeman. On a cool, rainless morning and afternoon, Penge and Bridgeman each shot 64. In third place is everyone’s favorite, Rory McIlroy, who shot 65. And then sharing 4th at 133 are Zander Schauffele (65) and Scott. 

Adam is from Australia and spent a few months at UNLV. That was in a time when Jerry Tarkanian was coaching basketball. But Scott spent his time on golf courses, not in gyms. He won the Masters in 2013.

Penge is 27. And has two victories on the European Tour and the DP tour, but is best known for being suspended for betting on matches in which he was not involved. That was a few years ago, and to regain his golfing privileges, he pledged never to bet again.

As several of the top players in the Genesis, Bridgeman has been on a streak.  He finished high in last week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am after knocking his tee shot into the water at 18.

“I think I’m really good in the elements,” Bridgeman said, alluding to the rain Thursday and the wind off the Pacific Friday.

McIlroy said Thursday he is better now at adapting to weather problems, able to keep his drives low and thus being less affected by conditions.

“Felt like I held the round together really nicely,” McIlroy said Friday. “When we sort of turned back into the wind, there were 12 through 16, made a couple of really good par saves.”

Schauffele had a streak of 72 consecutive PGA Tour events without missing a cut.  That ended a month ago in the Farmers at Torrey Pines, which for a San Diego kid was a hometown event. 

When asked how he would describe the two days on Riviera, Schauffele, a two-time major champion, said “Damp. Yeah, damp is where—I’m going to die on that hill right now.”

He’s very much alive. “Check the scoreboard.”

At a wet Genesis, Bridgeman and Rory able to break par

PACIFIC PALISADES — A few days and a few extra hours because of a nearly three-hour rain delay, and there was Jacob Bridgeman back in the chase for a tournament victory. Do you remember that C&W song, “It never rains in Southern California?”

It does, of course, at the most inappropriate times, like the opening round of the Genesis Invitational Thursday. So play, which had been delayed, was finally called because of darkness. 

Aaron Rai was one of thirty players who didn’t complete the first round. But he was 6-under par for 16 holes he played, good enough for the temporary lead. Bridgeman and Rory McIlroy, who made a strong run last week at the AT&T, did complete the round and were at 5-under 66.

Rei, the Englishman, won the Wyndham two years ago, and is frequently on the leaderboard. So, of course, is McIlroy, who in 2025 won the Masters to complete his personal grand slam. 

Bridgeman, 26, still was seeking his first tour win. He was briefly in the lead Sunday at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. But hit his tee shot at 18 into Carmel Bay, creating a 19-minute delay and also enabling Collin Morikawa to get a victory.

Apropos of nothing, Morikawa grew up in southern Cal, not far from the famous Hollywood Sign.

The golfers who didn’t get in the full 18 Thursday had to come back early Friday morning, when there was no rain, but it was cold enough to make a movie about Sgt. Preston and the Great North. Brrr. 

McIlroy, as usual, opened his season with a few rounds in Dubai. He then moved on to California and Pebble, where as the defending AT&T Champion, he played maybe better than expected.

“Yeah, I’ve definitely gotten more comfortable playing in conditions like this over the past few years,” said McIlroy about enduring the downpour and cold. “I’ve gotten more comfortable in controlling my ball flight, and controlling my ball flight, taking a lot more club, hitting the ball low.”

Rory, of course, grew up in Northern Ireland, which doesn’t exactly have bathing suit weather. However, he and countryman Shane Lowry seem to spend most of late winter and early spring in Florida, which does.

“Yeah, I’ve definitely got more comfortable playing in conditions like this over the past few years as I’ve gotten more comfortable in controlling my ball flight,” said Rory, “and controlling my ball flight, taking a lot more club, hitting the ball low.” 

Certainly, that’s the same advice a teaching pro gives to a high handicap amateur.

Bridgeman was asked what he thought about battling the elements. “It was great,” said Bridgeman. “It’s kind of a flashback to last week. Kind of, we got (Thursday) what I think I expected on Sunday at Pebble, and it ended up being great. But the rain was tough.”

There may be an irony about the rain. The drought last year contributed to the fires, which devastated the land surrounding Riviera and forced the shifting of this event to Torrey Pines. If it had rained last winter, the Genesis would have stayed at Riviera. Timing is everything. In golf and in life.

The Genesis: At Riviera, memories of Hogan, Bogart, and a kid named Jaeckel

PACIFIC PALISADES — It may be the best drive in golf. On a freeway, not a fairway. Pebble Beach to Pacific Palisades, 324 miles.  

From one great course, Pebble, to another, Riviera, celebrating its 100th anniversary.

From one historic tournament, the AT&T Pro Am (formerly the Crosby), to the Genesis Invitational (formerly the LA Open). From the place with the Cliffs of Doom to the place known as Hogan’s Alley.

Yes, Ben Hogan had three victories at Riviera, including the 1948 US Open. There is a statue of him next to the practice putting green.

While Pebble has that famous closing hole, the one Colin Morikawa birdied Sunday to take the AT&T, Riviera has a spectacular opening hole, a par-5 from a tee box virtually attached to the beautiful stucco clubhouse. 

Earlier this week at his annual pre-tournament news conference, Tiger Woods alluded to the first hole, an icon that has been unaltered through the decades. Tiger first played Riviera as a 16-year-old amateur in 1992, but through the years as a pro, it’s one of the places where he has never won. Now at age 50 and still recovering from surgery, he remains involved with the Genesis on the tournament board.

We have waited for the next Tiger so long that it’s apparent there is not going to be one. Yet it is also apparent there are stars such as Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, both of whom are entered in the Genesis, which started Thursday. 

It’s a delightful return to Riviera this year after the event in 2025 had to move to Torrey Pines in San Diego because of the damage from the wildfires that swept Southern California.

While the architecture of a course is essential for its fame, so in certain areas—such as here near Hollywood—are the people who have played it. The roll call of those who belonged or played Riviera is a who’s who of the entertainment and sporting world. 

On the clubhouse walls are photos of Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracey. Howard Hughes once landed a plane on the course. The late (it would be redundant to say great) sports columnist Jim Murray was a Riviera member and once made a hole-in-one on the sixth, the par three with a bunker in the green.

Murray dwelled on the fact that during a tournament, Humphrey Bogart used to sit for hours under a sycamore tree on the 12th hole with a thermos containing “who knows what?”

Dean Martin was a serious golfer. When he was younger—and we all were younger—his caddy was a kid named Barry Jaeckel, who not only was a fine golfer but the son of an actor, Richard Jaeckel. Barry longed for a golf career and succeeded in playing on the PGA Tour and eventually the Champions Tour. 

If that sounds like something scripted in Hollywood, hey, Riviera always had a connection with people on the silver screen.

Morikawa takes in the view at Pebble, then takes the AT&T Pro Am

PEBBLE BEACH — Oh yes, the endless sea sweeping in against the rocks, an artist’s dream, and in one instance a golfer’s perfect distraction.

So much time to wait on the 18th tee at Pebble Beach Sunday. A tournament in doubt. Collin Morikawa, tied for the lead, contemplated the setting and not the outcome.

“I tried to think about anything else other than golf. Thankfully, you had the nicest backdrop you could ask for,” said Morikawa. “So that was very, very easy. For me, it was how do I stay loose, how do I stay warm and not just think about the shot.”

When he hit that shot, a 4-iron, it landed an inch off the green, some 25 feet from the cup. Two putts later, he had a 5-under par 67 and a one-shot victory in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am. 

Morikawa, the Cal grad, who has British Open and PGA Championships in his six years on tour, finished with a four-round total of 266, atop a leaderboard filled with big names that have big games. 

Min Woo Lee (65) and Sepp Straka (68) were a shot back at 267, while Scottie Scheffler played very much to his capability, going 6-under the first seven holes and with two eagles on par fives, shooting a tremendous 63 that enabled him to tie with Tommy Fleetwood for fifth at 268.  Akshay Bhatia, who was in the lead after rounds two and three, wobbled to a one-over-par 72 and ended up tied for sixth with Sam Burns. 

The final round had been moved up an hour in hopes of avoiding the predicted storm. That plan worked as well as Morikawa’s golf. Although there was a wind, it wasn’t strong enough to distress the players. 

“It’s an iconic venue,” said Morikawa of Pebble. “I think growing up, you think about the majors, and you have this separate list of golf courses that you just want to go play as a kid, and just go play when you turn professional. I would say Pebble Beach is exactly on top of that list.”

Morikawa, 29, had struggled in recent months. The win was his first in two and a half years. He had trouble putting.

But there was no problem on the greens this AT&T tournament. Saturday, he shot a 62, and while Pebble was softened because of a week of rain, that still is an impressive score. Asked about his ineffectiveness the past several months, Morikawa said, “I think it was more just believing and knowing why I’m here. I think I’ve been trying to make golf so perfect, trying to hit these shots and trying to make these putts in a certain way that maybe others are doing it, that you forget how to play the game of golf.” 

He certainly remembered the last few days. 

“I think I just want to go out and just keep crushing these goals and keep being myself,” he said. “Going out and playing great golf and trying to put that smile on my face.” 

Who wouldn’t smile after a victory at Pebble Beach?

Batia still at AT&T Pro Am; bad weather in the forecast

PEBBLE BEACH — Collin Morikawa had the best round Saturday. Akshay Bhatia remained in the lead. But if the final round forecast is in any way accurate, this 2026 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in the end may belong to the anonymous but uninvited character we call the weatherman.

Conditions at Pebble Beach for three rounds have been acceptable and, at times, favorable.  How else would Morikawa on Saturday shoot a 62—as did Ryo Hisatsune two rounds earlier? Or Akshay Bhatia continue his outstanding play, starting off with birdies on six of the first seven holes?

But the wind that arrived late morning Saturday is supposed to get stronger and nastier for the scheduled final round. 

So who knows what may happen, although the probability is that the guys playing well will continue that trend. Whatever nature brings onto the Monterey Peninsula. 

Bhatia had his worst round of the tournament, a 4-under par 68, and was still good enough to keep him in front with a 54-hole score of 197, 19 under par.

He’s two shots ahead of three others, Morikawa (62), Sepp Straka (67), and Jake Knapp (66).

Hisatsune fell back to a 74 and is tied at 203 with Rickie Fowler (73). They are five shots ahead of Scottie Scheffler, who had a 68 today and is standing 22nd, and needs a top finish to keep alive a streak of 17 consecutive tournaments in the top ten.

Pebble Beach this week has been particularly friendly after several days of rain earlier in the week. The greens hold. The fairways are smooth. Still, if the forecast is correct—starting times Sunday were moved up an hour because of the weather threat—Pebble Beach again could be a beast.

Morikawa is the Cal grad with two major championships. He well understands what has taken place and what might take place.

“When Mother Nature comes, and it rains,” said Morikawa, “it makes greens a lot softer, it just takes the teeth out of it. Unfortunately, that’s just what’s in front of us, and we have to deal with it.” 

Truth be told, what might be ahead of everyone if 30 mph gusts hit the course are situations that frustrate and irritate.

“You get balls oscillating on the greens forward and backwards,” said Badia. “And you’re just trying to make a good stroke, and then you’re trying to make sure you kind of hopefully get the ball to start somewhere near the hole.”

Early on, before the wind came on, the 23-year-old Bhatia made plenty of good strokes. He was in the right place at the right time and took advantage of it. 

“It was great to start the day,” said Bhatia. “It was kind of blowing perfect, say 10 to 15. So all in all, a weird day. Like I felt like I lost some ground towards the end, but then I realized it just played so much harder for some of the guys that were in some of the last tee times.”

But if predictions for Sunday are accurate, it could be much more difficult. Buckle your seat belts.

Rickie Fowler swings out of the past and into AT&T contention

PEBBLE BEACH — Yes, that is Rickie Fowler near the top of the leaderboard after two rounds of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am, reminding us of the career he’s had as well as the career we thought he would have.

Fowler shot an 8-under 64 Friday at Spyglass Hill, utilizing the first two days of the tournament along with its historically famous neighbor, Pebble Beach.

That left him a lone shot behind the second-round co-leaders, Akshay Bhatia and Ryo Hisatune, who were at a splendid 15-under par score of 129 for 36 holes.

Bhatia had a 64 at Spyglass Friday after a 65 Thursday, while Hisatsune had a 67 after a remarkable 10-under 62 Thursday on Pebble.

These scores might be slightly bewildering to those who have read or heard about years of calamities on the Monterey Peninsula because of cold and rain, but Thursday the temperature was in the mid 60’s and nary a drop fell from the heavens.

Sam Burns, who had a good enough season last year to be a wild card pick for the U.S. Ryder Cup team, shot a 67 Friday at Spyglass and is at 130, tied with Fowler, one off the lead.

Scottie Scheffler, number one in the world rankings, shot 66 Friday after a rather untoward but even par 72 for a 136, while defending champ, Rory McIlroy, went 67-68 for 135.

Fowler grew up in Southern California, and as a youth was as well known for his motocross racing as his golfing.

He went to Oklahoma State and, quickly enough after leaving school, turned pro and turned heads. In 2014, he finished in the top five in all four majors, including second places in the US Open and British Open. He seemed destined to be another—dare we say—Tiger Woods. But while he has finished first in six tour events, including the very important FedEx Cup, Rickie never won that elusive major. 

He’s had injuries and bad breaks. Maybe now, at age 37, he’ll get that big one.

“It’s a fun place,” Fowler said about playing on the Monterey Peninsula. “I really enjoy playing both Spy and Pebble. Yeah, they’re tough to beat. Looking forward to getting out there this weekend and continuing some hopefully stress-free golf, keep it simple and see if we can get it done.”

Bhatia, 23, and Hisatsune are both seeking their first win. “I feel like my golf swings are in a very nice spot,” said Bhatia, after not playing great at the Amex (Palm Desert) or Torrey Pines. “I just found some stuff in my golf swing, which was really nice.”

Hisatsune’s swing didn’t please him as much as it did Thursday, but still he shot five under at Spyglass despite bogeys on 18 and 1, playing the back nine 1st.

In other non-news, relating to birdies and pars, there was a rumor that Taylor Swift would appear to watch her fiancé, Travis Kelce, take part in the tournament’s minimal Pro-Am.

The gallery was spiked. The rumor was false. But it gave us a brief reminder of the old Crosby Pro-Am and celebrities.

Hisatsune’s 62 (Wow) gives him first day lead at sunny Pebble Beach

PEBBLE BEACH — The weather was surprisingly beautiful. That sneaky lady, Mother Nature, conned us again. The course was perfect for scoring.

That said, who would have imagined a man would shoot double figures under par at historic Pebble Beach?

Not for a tournament but for a single round. Which is what Ryo Hisatsune had Thursday, a 10 under par 62, the first day of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. 

And yet he was only one shot in front of 2 others, Sam Burns and US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley. 

Hisatsune, 23, has been rolling along in recent days as smoothly as the balls he’s hit with his putter. According to Tour statistics he made 160 feet of putts Thursday. 

He tied for 2nd two weekends ago in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. Then he finished tied for 10th after briefly leading last weekend at the WM Phoenix Open. 

“Especially as I’m like in two weeks I making goals,” said Hisatsune. “Much different person right now and much more comfortable.  Feeling more comfortable to playing these greens.” 

Rory McIlroy, who won this event a year ago, came in with a 4-under par 68, while Justin Rose, a former champion here and recent winner of the Farmers, had a 69.

Scottie Scheffler, number one in the rankings, could only manage an even par 72. “I feel like typically I’m good at scoring and today I felt like I didn’t score at all,” Scheffler conceded. “Like anything that kind of went wrong seemed to be going that direction and I just felt like I scored poorly.” 

If that sounds like a golfer at every level, good days, bad days, and days you want to try tennis.

Gotterup doesn’t need to try anything. Starting late last summer when he won the Scottish Open and was third in the British Open, Gotterup has done virtually everything right.

Gotterup, hotter of late than even Hisatsune, with victories the last month at the Sony Open in Honolulu and the Phoenix Open, was fourth with an 8 under 64. Two days ago Gotterup spoke of the impermanence of playing in a tournament. That as soon as an event ends you head for the airport leaving all the shots in the rear- view mirror. “You get your moment in the sun,” said Gotterup, and interestingly Thursday it was sunny. “And then you have a new tournament the next week and it’s kind of ready to roll a little bit.”

That’s not dimming Gotterup’s confidence or enthusiasm. Starting near the end of 2025 when he won the Scottish Open and then finished third in the British, he’s been up among the very best in the game. 

“When I needed to, I put the pedal down,” Gotterup said about his 64 on Thursday. He began the round with six consecutive birdies, which most days at Pebble would be impressive. Not bad but this wasn’t most days.  

This was the day Ryo Hisatsune shot 62. Wow.

At the AT&T Crosby Weather and contented golfers

PEBBLE BEACH — The name changes, but conditions never do. It’s been the AT&T for years now, but it’s still Crosby weather—where you need an umbrella and patience as much as you need an accurate drive off the tee at 18.

Play started Thursday following a Wednesday downpour, followed by sunshine and an understandable acceptance of what is possible before Sunday’s scheduled conclusion.

Chris Gotterup, who won the WM Phoenix Open a few days ago in desert resort conditions, was willing to accept whatever he would face at Pebble Beach. 

“This is one of the only places all year where if it’s raining,” Gotterup insisted, “you’re still pretty happy to be here.” 

He got no disagreement from Tommy Fleetwood, the Englishman who last year won the PGA Tour Championship.

“No, it doesn’t bother me,” Fleetwood said about the wet and chill. “Just like (Wednesday), you can be getting hailed on for five minutes, and it could be sunshine straight after that. I would still much rather play in 80 degrees and sunshine, but if it doesn’t—whatever the challenge is, then you’re here to play in whatever the weather is.” 

Maybe too much is made about temperature in the 50’s as opposed to scores in the 60’s, but in the end, the guys who can handle whatever is out there in the atmosphere as well as on the greens end up as winners.

At the AT&T, that list includes Rory McIlroy last year; Phil Mickelson and Mark O’Meara, who each won five times; Tiger Woods; and, of course, Jack Nicklaus. It was Jack’s very personal and self-assured belief that the worse the weather, the better the opportunity for the most competent player.

These days, there is a surplus of elite golfers of every age — Justin Rose is 45 — and from every corner of the globe, from Tommy Fleetwood to Hideki Matsuyama and others from Japan, along with Americans like Scottie Scheffler. They are all in this AT&T, which is like the old Crosby with fewer wisecracks and considerably fewer celebrities—but still has rounds at both Pebble and Spyglass Hill.  

“It is unpredictable,” said Fleetwood. He is 31 and, after success on the European Tour, finally got a victory in the U.S. at the crowning event of the PGA Tour. 

“It is exciting to have won the FedExCup and reached a position in the world ranking I had never been to before,” Fleetwood said. 

That would be fourth behind, in order, Scheffler, McIlroy, and Rose—and one notch ahead of the fifth-ranked Gotterup.

Not many people were aware of Gotterup, who is 26 and from New Jersey, until he burst onto the scene last year, winning the Scottish Open and then a week later finishing third at Royal Porthcawl in the British Open.

Gotterup has a rare understanding of his place. “You literally for one week reach the pinnacle of the sport,” sighed Gotterup, “and then it’s like an hour later you’re packing your bags and making sure you’ve got everything and don’t leave anything behind. I think it’s a nice reality check after a big win.” 

All he’s left behind recently is a trail of success. And maybe a needed umbrella.

The AT&T: Pebble, Rory, and Justin Rose

PEBBLE BEACH — The course is iconic, Pebble Beach, one of the masterpieces of nature. The comments were enlightening. Words from champions who appreciate the climb to success, Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy.

It is time to remember, to think of people like Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, and no less significantly, Bing Crosby. It is also time to think about the future, about a tournament now called the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am, which begins Thursday with Rory defending his title and Rose trying for another one.

A rite of late winter when great players and bad weather create headlines and history.  

No, it’s not the hang-loose, wise-cracking event it once was, as the Crosby Pro-Am, but it’s still a competition that does more than fill a place on the schedule. As Rose and McIlroy verify.  

“I feel like this is one of those places in the world, though, that you kind of get here and even when it starts blowing 30 miles an hour, you kind of get here and it’s just a good vibe,” said Rose. “So I’m excited to be here.”

So is McIlroy. His year as well as his career may have been built around that long-awaited Masters’ victory, but he is quite willing to talk about Pebble, where he also triumphed in 2025. 

“Historically, I haven’t played Pebble Beach that well,” said McIlroy. “I think winning on a golf course that I hadn’t won on before, hadn’t really contended on before, I feel like it gave me a lot of confidence going into the rest of the season.”

“I think how in control I was with my ball flight, especially in tough conditions last year on that Saturday. It was a massive confidence boost and obviously then went on to play well in that early part of the season, won at The Players, and obviously into the Masters.”

Rory is 36 now, although he may seem older after trying all those years to get the elusive Masters and complete his personal grand slam.  

Rose is 45, which means he has spent more time than Rory trying to get a Masters. And without the same fulfillment. In 2025, Justin was second at Augusta for the third time.

Rose is from England, and McIlroy is also from the British Isles, Northern Ireland. They have traveled the world frequently and have spent considerable time in the United States, yet that doesn’t mean they have lost their old sporting loyalties. 

Rory did pay attention to the big NFL game a few days ago, but that’s about it. “In a way, I appreciated the Super Bowl,” said McIlroy, “because of the defensive capabilities of both teams and especially the Seahawks. But I didn’t grow up with it.”

“I could watch a game of cricket for five days and be mesmerized.”

As they say, different strokes for different folks.

The Seahawks and their crushing defense are Super Bowl Champions

Defense wins. That’s a cliché. That also is a truism. In baseball (pitching), in European football, soccer (goalie), and certainly in American football. 

As once more we saw Sunday in Superbowl LX, when the irresistible Seattle Seahawks crushed the New England Patriots 29-13. 

The San Francisco 49ers were not involved, but their home—Levi’s Stadium—was, serving as a taunting reminder to Niners fans of what might have been. However, with Seattle’s continued dominance, that opportunity may not be in the immediate future.

The 49ers realized this in early January when they twice played the Seahawks, first as part of the regular schedule and then in the opening round of the playoffs, and they were only able to record a combined three field goals.

If the other team doesn’t score, according to a football saying, you’ll never get worse than a 0-0 tie. The Patriots did not score before halftime, but the Seahawks did. So any idea that this might end scoreless was as weak as the New England offense.

The featured halftime performer was the guy who calls himself Bad Bunny. Bad Bunny, I’m told, was good, unlike the flow and drama of the game. 

This often is the result when one defense is all too dominant. If you weren’t a Seahawks or a Patriots fan, you probably thought the game was boring. Then again, if you understood the nuances and possibilities of NFL competition, you could have been rewarded.

The Seahawks, at times, used four defensive linemen and kept Patriots quarterback Drake Maye off balance. Until New England finally broke through early in the 4th quarter on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Maye to Mack Hollins, there was a real possibility of a Super Bowl team being shut out for the first time.

So much of the pre-game discussion involved Seattle quarterback, Sam Darnold, who had moved from team to team—including the 49ers—after being drafted in the first round in 2018 by the New York Jets. 

The Seahawks defense, in a way, kept the pressure off Darnold. He basically had to prevent making mistakes, something he accomplished very well, not throwing an interception or making a fumble. 

“Our defense was strong,” Darnold said, echoing the words of others. Seahawks coach Mike McDonald said of Darnold, “He just shut a lot of people up tonight.”

More accurately, Seattle’s D shut down the Patriots.

Coaches are very much a part and parcel of any winning franchise. McDonald began as an intern and worked his way to the Seahawks head man last year. He is perceptive, intelligent, and very driven.

In the NFL, it is a long, long way from September to February. Last fall, the Los Angeles Rams appeared to be the strongest team in the NFC. They had the offense with quarterback Matthew Stafford, but in the end, as we know, defense wins.

Gas still in Rose’s tank, but what about Novak Djokovic?

A drop shot by Carlos Alcaraz. Great tennis. No dropped shots by Justin Rose. Wonderful golf.

A Sunday without pro football. Be patient. The Super Bowl, close by in Santa Clara, is only days away. But still a Sunday with sporting competition, that stretched from the Land Down Under to the California coast and lasted from the wee small hours to the late afternoon.

The Australian Open tennis tournament did not lack for competition, Carlos Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 in the men’s final.

Not long after, but very far away, the last round of the Farmers Open Golf Tournament lacked competition, because Justin Rose played so brilliantly, shooting a record 23-under par-265 for 72 holes at Torrey Pines in San Diego.

You’ve heard the line that age is only a number. That may be true in golf. Rose is 45. But the years take their toll in tennis. Djokovic, 38, couldn’t keep up with Alcaraz, who at 22 became the youngest man ever to win all four legs of the Grand Slam. Djokovic, of course, had twenty-four victories in the Slams, but couldn’t get past Father Time—or really, Alcaraz, in this one. 

Unquestionably, a person can last longer in golf, a sport not as demanding physically as tennis.  Still, what Rose showed us in the Farmers Tournament defied the usual idea even for golf.

He began Thursday with a 62 and not only never stumbled but became more aggressive and impressive as the rounds continued, finishing 7 shots ahead of three players tied for second—Pierceson Coody (grandson of former Masters champ Charles Coody), SW Kim, and Ryo Hitsasune. 

“I was keenly aware of the record,” said Rose. “I was trying to get into the clubhouse at twenty-three or better.” 

Which he did. 

Djovich was trying to get his elusive fifth major and felt good after the first set. Then it became Alcaraz’s match.

 “The first set was one of the best sets I’ve played in the last few years,” said Djokovic.”I was disappointed I couldn’t maintain the same level as I did in the first set. My energy level went way down.” 

Asked indirectly whether this would be his last appearance in a Slam, Djokovic replied, “God only knows.”

What everybody knows is that Alcaraz, the Spaniard now 1st in the rankings, is on his way to more success.

Switching from the courts to the course, Rose, the Englishman, has been considerably successful. He has 13 wins, including a U.S. Open. He has also finished second in the Masters three times, including last year. This is the second time he has won at Torrey Pines, showing his affinity for coastal layouts. He also has a win at Pebble Beach.

The big story at the beginning of the week was the return of Brooks Koepka after four years away on the LIV tour. Koepka, winner of five major championships, said he was welcomed by his old mates, and although nervous, he did make the cut.  

Rose was asked whether he thought he could still play well at his age. He answered, “The gas is still in the tank.”

RIP John Brodie, one of the greatest Bay Area athletes ever

 The story goes that John Brodie, having finished one of his frequent rounds of golf, was about to sit down for lunch at Menlo Country Club, when someone shouted to him that the NFL and AFL had just signed a merger agreement.

Brodie, who reportedly signed with the AFL Houston Oilers, then said to his dining companions, “Somebody owes me $500,000.”

This was 1966, and that was a lot of money then. Maybe it still is a lot of money, if not into the seven-figure amounts tossed around pro football these days.

So Brodie never joined the Oilers and remained with the San Francisco 49ers for his entire career, where he won a lot of games and heard a lot of booing.

Brodie, who died Friday at age 90, was one of the greatest athletes ever to play in the Bay Area, having done virtually everything asked of him from Oakland Tech High School through Stanford to the Niners. Except winning a pro football championship. Not, as wise people understand, could be blamed entirely on Brodie, even if he was the quarterback.

That John spent the last two decades of his life battling to overcome the results of a stroke that affected his speech was a cruel bit of fate for a man who was so talented and outgoing, someone who could throw a spiral pass or hit a tee shot with equal effectiveness.

If you care about records, Brodie has them. He played in 201 games with the 49ers, second-most in franchise history behind receiver Jerry Rice, and he ranks No. 2 in all-time franchise passing yards behind—who else? Joe Montana. 

In high school, Brodie starred not only in football but in basketball and baseball. He wasn’t bad at tennis either, although later on it was golf that captured his competitive urge.  

In fact, while still with the Niners, he briefly tried the pro golf tour. Then, after regaining his amateur status, he returned as a professional to the Champions Tour, as the senior tournaments are called, and won an event in Southern California.

Those who play quarterback are particularly vulnerable, the object of the fans’ frustration and derision—and in his seasons with the Niners, there was plenty. And yet he not only handled the tough times but led the Niners to three consecutive playoff appearances from 1970 to 1972.

What I remember about John was his struggle to speak after the stroke in 2000. Accompanied by his wonderful wife, Sue, John would go along for a few words, then, after a gap, grumble an expletive.

That was allowed and even appreciated. 

There was so much to appreciate about John Brodie, who was adept at so many games, including the game of life.

Butler’s injury gives Kuminga a chance to be a factor for Warriors

Jonathan Kuminga wasn’t talking. But he had been playing. For the first time in 17 games.

This isn’t so much about necessity being the mother of invention but rather about being the stepsister of desperation. After all, you need five healthy, competent players for an NBA game. And the Golden State Warriors will play Thursday night in Dallas where almost certainly Kuminga, back in the good graces of head coach Steve Kerr, presumably will be on the floor.

What’s that you say about life? That you never know what will happen? What happened Monday night was that Jimmy Butler tore up his right knee in a game at Chase Center against Miami and will be out the rest of the season.

Ironic perhaps, as well as painful, figuratively and literally for Butler, who had been acquired a year ago from the Heat.

Only hours before, the question for the Warriors was what they would do with Kuminga, because according to rumors, he didn’t fit into a line-up of Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Butler. Would Kuminga be traded? And if so, how quickly before the upcoming NBA trade deadline, February 5th? He’s not going anywhere the rest of this season. That’s for sure. 

Kuminga, a 6-foot-7 forward, the 7th overall pick in the 2021 draft, was impressive in his return, scoring 17 points in 20 minutes. As we were reminded by Warriors’ TV announcer, Bob Fitzgerald, more than once, Kuminga may not have been in the line-up, but he worked out aggressively, both staying in shape and staying ready for his opportunity.

Although Kuminga declined interviews, others from the Warriors organization, notably Steve Kerr, were very willing to talk about his contribution.

“He was great,” said Kerr of Kuminga. “Yeah, he came in and had great energy, attacked the rim, made some shots. I thought JK was really good. He’s going to factor in here again. Really pleased with the way he stayed ready, and stayed prepared, and got his opportunity, and played really well.”

That the Warriors lost the game to the Toronto Raptors 145-127 on Tuesday, perhaps shouldn’t have been surprising. They were still a bit shaken by Butler’s injury, which happened in the second half of Monday night’s game. That was also against Toronto in a rare back-to-back consecutive night series against the same opponent.

The loss ended a Warrior streak of 4 straight wins, all at home. Now we’ll find out how the Warriors will do on the road without Butler, who, along with Steph Curry, had been a major reason for the success.

Mike Dunleavy, the Warriors’ General Manager, had gone from trying to answer questions about Kuminga’s demands for a trade to how he thought the team would be able to remain a playoff contender.

“I felt our team was playing really well, heading in the right direction,” said Dunleavy. “Obviously, things have changed.”

Obviously. How much the change affects the Warriors is still to be determined.

Niners: Sometimes it doesn’t end the way you want it

Maybe. Maybe the win a week earlier was misleading. Maybe if the opening kickoff this time hadn’t been run for a touchdown. Maybe the Seattle Seahawks are better than we thought they were—and we knew they were very good.

Maybe we should place this San Francisco 49er season into perspective. Which is difficult to do only hours after it ended with such a thud, Saturday evening.

The Niners were crushed, 41-6, by the Seahawks at Lumen Field in Seattle. A tough way to end, but that’s the price of competition when you are seeking the top.

The Niners and their fans were on such a high after the surprise win a week ago over the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round. 

Where would they go from there? 

Down all too quickly when Seattle’s Rashid Shaheed sped 95 yards with the opening kickoff.   

It was only one touchdown, but it seemed like a knockout blow. The Seahawks eventually grinded out a 41-6 win, which boosted them into the next round against the winner of the Los Angeles Rams-Chicago Bears game. 

The postseason goes on. The Niners do not. The Super Bowl will be played at the Niners Levi’s Stadium in three weeks. The thought that San Francisco would be one of the teams was exciting, but, sigh, all too unrealistic. 

No, the Niners won’t get a chance for the Big One coming to their home field, yet after what happened, the injuries to such stars as Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and even last week, George Kittle, were perhaps too much to overcome.

No less so was Shaheed’s stunner seconds into what would become the final game of the year.

“We were really disappointed,” said Kyle Shanahan, who despite the defeat, should be recognized for the job he did this year as San Francisco’s coach.

“We didn’t have it,” Shanahan continued. “I thanked them (the players) for the season, for the way they battled. I’m proud of them.”  

He should be.

The Niners were lacking on defense—ironically Seattle’s strength—and often only had Christian McCaffrey as their offense, along with, of course, their quarterback Brock Purdy, who frequently was throttled by the swarming Seahawks. He did complete 15 of 27 passes for 140 yards, but lost a fumble in trying to escape the pass rush, one of three Niner turnovers. 

For a second consecutive game against the Seahawks, the Niners, beaten by Seattle 13-3 two weeks ago, failed to score a touchdown. For a team known for its offensive success, that’s notable failure.

That’s also a tribute to the Seahawks’ unrelenting defense. 

“Their style of play,” said Purdy, “is to get the offense to mess up and to make us not capitalize on the 3rd down.”

Although the time of possession wasn’t that much different—Seattle had the ball for 31 minutes—the Seahawks managed to keep San Francisco from converting on key third downs.

The Niners have to believe next season the football gods will offer more than a few smiles, that their big names will not be out of action. 

And maybe they can pick up a needed lineman or three in the draft or in trade.

So the Niners, along with the rest of us, will watch the remainder of the playoffs and Super Bowl on television, thinking about what was and also what might have been. Sometimes it doesn’t end the way you want it.

Niners defense and a few key offensive plays get them past the favored Eagles

Choose your label for this 49er Wild Card victory: amazing, surprising, wonderful. All of the above. Yes, this was a great day for the team named for those who came to California to collect the riches found deep in the earth.

Sunday was supposed to be the end of this season for San Francisco’s NFL franchise. They were 5.5-point underdogs to the defending Super Bowl Champions, the Philadelphia Eagles; they were without many key players, especially on defense, and they lost one of their best offensive players, George Kittle, late in the first half; and they were on the road in Philly where the weather was cold and windy, a recipe for gloom and doom.

But the gloom, figurative of course, lasted only two plays from scrimmage. Brock Purdy and Demarcus Robinson connected for 61 yards on the second play that would lead to a touchdown, and also led to the belief that the Niners might be able to get a victory. When things came to a conclusion, it turned out to be a justifiable idea, San Francisco eventually winning 23-19 on a Purdy to Christian McCaffrey pass for a TD with fewer than three minutes to go.

So, the Niners will face the Seahawks in Seattle in the NFC Divisional round, the third time the teams will meet this season. And of course, only two weeks after Seattle defeated the Niners in the last game of the regular season. 

After that game, the possibility of San Francisco winning even in the Wild Card round and advancing seemed unlikely if not improbable. Yet here they are defying expectations and keeping alive the possibility, as remote as it may be, that the 49ers could get to Super Bowl LX to be held in their own stadium in Santa Clara. 

“We were resilient to the end,” said McCaffrey, who caught two scoring passes and rushed for 48 yards. He is supposed to be the heart of the 49ers' offense, and in this game, he very much was.

But the defense was the key for the Niners. The Eagles couldn’t keep control of the ball, making first downs only 31% of the time, as compared to 54.5% by the Niners. A defense that had been criticized more than on one occasion this season played with great effectiveness. 

“The defense came through huge,” said Niners quarterback Purdy, who was a bit erratic, throwing two interceptions but also connecting on several big plays, including the early one to Robinson and the game-winner to McCaffrey. 

“It was not an easy task for us to overcome it,” said Purdy. “There have been times in my career, and there are moments that come to me. I have to believe in myself and take one play at a time.”   

The game plan of Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan deserves credit. The defense arranged by coordinator Robert Saleh did what it needed. 

Shanahan wasn’t to be restrained. He had wide receiver Jauan Jennings throwing as well as catching, and Jennings, a one-time high school quarterback, hit McCaffrey for a 25-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

What next? We’ll find out this coming Sunday. So far, you’d have to say, so good. 

Seahawks' defense doesn’t give the Niners a chance

It wasn’t so much a match but a mismatch. The score was relatively close. But the game wasn’t.  

It wasn’t so much that everything fell apart for the San Francisco 49ers, it was the Seattle Seahawks, with a magnificent defense, taking control of a game that left the Niners perhaps as bewildered as they were defeated.  

The game that was going to open the door for the Niners, who with a victory, could have gone to the Super Bowl without leaving their home stadium, closed with a disappointing 13-3 loss Saturday night at Levi’s.

Here is some statistical verification. Total yards: Seattle 361, Niners 173. Net rushing yards: Seattle 180, Niners 53. 

Christian McCaffrey, around whom San Francisco’s offense is built, rushed for only 23 yards and caught 6 passes for 34 yards. His inability to wrap up a Brock Purdy pass in the 4th quarter resulted in a Seattle interception on the Seahawks' 3-yard line. “We've got to be better,” said McCaffrey. “They were the better team today. I have to make the play to prevent the interception.”

San Francisco did have a couple of chances to keep things interesting if not triumphant, but after Kenneth Walker burst for 19 yards on a 3rd and 17 in the 3rd quarter and then McCaffrey losing the pass, the Niners were finished.

Kyle Shanahan is recognized as one of the finest offensive minds in the NFL, but the classic contention is that defense wins, and it certainly did this time. 

“We knew the Seattle defense was a challenge,” Shanahan conceded. “We couldn’t get the running game going. We only had 12 runs. They kept the ball from us.”

That’s because the Seahawks, using the schemes of second-year head coach Mike MacDonald, wouldn’t let them, occasionally using extra defensive backs and keeping the Niners off balance and guessing. 

Now the Seahawks, with seven straight victories, have a 14-3 record, while the Niners' own streak of victories has ended at 6, are 12-5, and are forced to travel for the postseason, as long as it lasts. 

“We have to do it the hard way,” said Shanahan. “It would have been nice to play the rest of the games here. It is what it is. We will be ready to play.”

It also would have been nice to have All-Pro offensive tackle Trent Williams, who along with defensive stars Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, missed the game. And it could be argued that San Francisco really felt the loss of wide receiver Ricky Piersall. Then again, the NFL is a league of survival. This season, the Niners survived until they couldn’t.

The argument can be made that with all their injuries, the Niners accomplished a great deal. Although yes, the philosophy of the front office is that any season that concludes without a Super Bowl triumph is unsatisfactory. 

Which means since the 1994 season, the 1995 Super Bowl, there has been plenty of dissatisfaction.

Indiana’s Mendoza gets to experience the Rose Bowl with a victory

This is where I came in. A Big Ten football team overwhelming an opponent in the Rose Bowl. However, there is a difference. The Big Ten team doing the overwhelming used to be Ohio State or Michigan, and it would beat up on Cal, Stanford, or even USC.

College football, as everything else in the world, has certainly changed. New Year’s Day this time, it was Indiana, once the doormat, with the big win. And if the Hoosiers’ 38-3 victory in the bowl game, nicknamed the Grandaddy of them all, wasn’t impressive enough, then consider who they beat, Alabama, forever one of the very best in the sport.

Asked what he thought about the rapid and stunning improvement since he took over, going from 3-9 in 2023 to 13-0 this season, Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti said, “It would be a hell of a movie.”

A perfect comment in Pasadena, where the Rose Bowl is located, fewer than ten miles from Hollywood.

The Rose Bowl used to stand alone in its prestige and importance. Now, in the great scheme of college athletics, it’s merely a part of the playoff system.

So the game Thursday was not only the Rose Bowl, it was a quarter-final in the college playoff schedule, and the No. 1-ranked Hoosiers now will play Oregon in a semifinal Saturday night in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta.

Yes, they met on October 11th, and Indiana won 30-20. The rematch doesn’t figure to be much different. Indiana has an excellent offensive line, perhaps the finest. And quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the Cal transfer, is the Heisman Trophy winner. 

Against Alabama, Mendoza had more touchdown passes (three) than incompletions (two), going 14 for 16 for 192 yards.

“One of the best venues ever,” said Mendoza.

He gets no disagreement from yours truly. I grew up in the LA area and started attending the Rose Bowl game in 1954 as a program salesman. And before calling it quits three years ago, I was at 70 straight games in Pasadena (no, didn’t travel to the Covid game in Dallas). I watched this one and the last two on TV, albeit within punting distance of the competition, because it became too much of an effort to get into the press area of the stadium I love so much.

Maybe this particular game lacked the excitement of several others, UCLA defeating Michigan State in 1966, and most of all Texas overcoming USC 41-38 in the final seconds of  2006. But to me, they are all special.

My alma mater, UCLA, is trying to flee the Rose Bowl to play its games in luxurious and soulless SoFi Stadium in downtown LA. That’s unfortunate. 

There is no place like the Rose Bowl. It hasn’t rained for the game since 1955, although in the fourth quarter in 1996, there was some very heavy mist. 

The place has history, and it has sunset vistas that are unmatched in sports. That ought to be enough to keep the game where it belongs and to keep creating comments like the one from Fernando Mendoza. One of the best venues, indeed.