The Genesis Invitational 2024 has once again provided an exciting display of golf. The Riviera Country Club never fails to deliver, and after three rounds, the competition for the trophy is wide open. Patrick Cantlay, a native of Long Beach, has maintained his strong position on the leaderboard since the first eighteen holes and heads into the final round with an impressive overall score of -14.
While Cantlay had a comfortable lead after the second round, he faced some challenges on moving day, especially towards the end of his eighteen holes. Standing on the tee of the 14th, he had just scored two birdies in the last three holes, bringing his round score to -2 and seemingly on the verge of a significant breakthrough.
However, he encountered a temporary setback. Cantlay ended up with a bogey on the par 5 17th due to an errant tee shot and approach. Nevertheless, his approach and putt on the 18th were crucial in salvaging a par and securing a third-round score of 70 (-1).
The 31-year-old American now enters the final round with a two-shot lead over his closest competitors: Xander Schauffele and Will Zalatoris. Schauffele and Zalatoris are tied for second place at -12 and are fully in contention for the title.
Both players finished their Saturday rounds with impressive scores of 65 (-6), making a strong finish that brought them much closer to the top. At one point during the day, they were four shots behind the leader. The final pairing for the fourth round will consist of Cantlay and Schauffele, who are not only fierce competitors but also close friends on the Tour.
They often team up in Ryder Cup doubles, frequently play tournaments together, and have a strong off-course camaraderie. Joining them in the final group will be Zalatoris, who is gradually returning to his exceptional golf after a significant break.
Sitting in fourth place on his own is American golfer Luke List (-11), ahead of a high-quality duo tied for fifth at -10. This duo includes American Harris English and Australian Jason Day. Further down the leaderboard, in seventh place at -8 and seemingly out of contention for the title, is a trio consisting of Hideki Matsuyama from Japan, Corey Conners from Canada, and J.T. Poston from the United States.
Completing the top 10 with a score of -7 are Adam Svensson, Adam Hadwin, Beau Hossler, Tom Hoge, and Mackenzie Hughes. The Genesis Invitational lost one of its main attractions as it was supposed to mark the seasonal debut of Tiger Woods. Unfortunately, the legendary golfer had to withdraw during the second round due to flu-like symptoms, preventing him from completing his eighteen holes.
According to the Source tennisworldusa.org