PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — Here’s a guarantee from Riviera Country Club, where Tiger Woods’ Genesis Invitational will be played this week.
No, we can’t provide you the tournament winner or how Woods will do playing in his first PGA Tour event since he withdrew from the Masters last April. But what we can tell you with certainty is this: The vibe around storied Riviera will be a lot more civilized than what took place last week at TPC Scottsdale, where the Waste Management Open was played before what felt like an overcrowded frat house of drunks.
For the record, I’ve always been 100 percent in favor of what the tournament and the Thunderbirds, the volunteers who run it, have done with the event — which is make it a weeklong party to go with the golf and set it apart from other tournaments. This is something that draws more young people to the game of golf, which has for too long drawn an older crowd.
The problem is the tournament has lost its way with the party part of it and allowed it to become ugly at times, as evidenced by the mess that took place last week — with officials having to suspend fan admission because of overcrowding and stop alcohol sales because of too much unruly behavior.
Some players complained about heckling from the gallery affecting their play, with 2023 Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson saying he’s “just sick of it” and telling some fans at one point to “just shut up.”
Billy Horschel scolded a fan for speaking during someone else’s backswing, saying, “Buddy, when you’re told to shush, shut the hell up. He’s trying to hit a golf shot here. It’s our f—ing jobs.”
Golf doesn’t need to be as stuffy as it’s been perceived for decades, but it doesn’t need to spiral into a disrespectful stage, either. There has to be a happy medium, and the WM Open has seemingly lost sight of that sweet spot.
The tournament they like to call “The Greatest Show on Grass” has morphed into “The Greatest S#&t Show on Grass.’’
Tuesday, two days ahead of the Genesis opening round, The Post spoke to a number of players about the WM Open, their impression of its state and what can be done to reel in the nonsense.
“I thought it was great and then on Saturday it just kind of tipped over,’’ said Sahith Theegala, who led the tournament on the weekend and finished fifth. “I fully embrace the tournament, because it’s so much fun. They just need to get [the unruly fans] figured out and contain the chaos.’’
To that end of it, Chance Cozby, the executive director of the Thunderbirds, told the Golf Channel on Monday that there will be changes to the tournament in light of last week’s incidents.
“For a stand-alone event, I think it’s pretty cool,’’ Rory McIlroy said. “Look, I think everyone knows what they’re going to get going into that event, so if you mentally prepare yourself it’s fine. It’s not as if we have to deal with it every week. Just as long as it doesn’t get to the point where it’s affecting the play on the course.’’
The problem is, that’s exactly what’s been happening.
“Every year, it tends to get a little rowdier,’’ Matt Kuchar said. “It’s kind of the nature of the beast. It’s still got a cool buzz and vibe to it. It’s kind of a shame that you got a handful of knuckleheads that try to mess with play. Now it’s kind of a free-for-all. If you ask me how you rein it in, I’m not really sure you can. I think the only solution if you have an issue with it is not to play.’’
Kuchar made the point that the top two players on the leaderboard last week, winner Nick Taylor and runner-up Charley Hoffman, “played well and happened to deal well with distractions.’’
“Everybody’s got to deal with it, and if you don’t want to deal with it, we have the choice to play or not,’’ Kuchar said.
Taylor, who defeated Hoffman in a playoff, called the incidents last week “unfortunate,’’ and added, “It’s been like that for a bit. I think the cat’s probably out of the bag. I don’t know how much they can change. It’s a week where the classic line is that, ‘I can do this for one week but multiple weeks? Probably not.’ ”
Wyndham Clark lives in Scottsdale and said, “I love the event. I think it’s one of the most amazing events in golf around the world.
“I love the vibe. … I love having all those people out there. It’s an amazing feel. It did cross the line just a little bit. You don’t want to put too much restriction on it, because it is an amazing event. Yes, it’s a party, but maybe the party’s gotten a little too crazy. I don’t want it to change too much, it just needs be maybe toned back.’’
