The 2026 Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club hasn’t even teed off yet, but that didn’t stop Rory McIlroy from grumbling about the golf course before hitting a single shot.
Ahead of the second Signature Event of the 2026 season, McIlroy took a shot at Riviera for lengthening the par-3 fourth hole to 270 yards, calling it a “horrible change.” In fact, he wasn’t the only PGA Tour player to voice his displeasure about the monster par 3. As much as professional golfers complain about petty issues, they might have a point on this one.
Rory McIlroy Protests Lengthened Par 3 at Genesis Invitational
The par-3 fourth hole at Riviera Country Club was already a brute at its original yardage. Measuring 230 yards with a pesky green that slopes from front to back, even the best players in the world had trouble hitting the putting surface in one shot. The firm, sloping green propelled balls off the back edge regularly, and the sticky kikuyu rough short of the putting surface made it nearly impossible for players to land the ball short and play for a bounce forward.
In 2024, the last time Riviera hosted the Genesis Invitational, players hit the green in regulation just 15.4 percent of the time and finished 49-over par for the week, per Jamie Kennedy of Golf Digest. For reference, the PGA Tour average for greens in regulation percentage this season is 69.72 percent.
Despite how difficult the fourth hole played every year, Riviera decided to push it back from 230 yards to 273 yards. McIlroy clearly isn’t thrilled with the change.
“I actually think it’s a horrible change,” he said on Wednesday, per Golfweek. “Well, 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 has caught heat in the past for whining about golf courses or the state of professional golf, but he’s spot-on here. The fourth hole was already borderline unfair at 230 yards. Now, it’ll feel like a miracle if a player escapes with par.
McIlroy Isn’t the Only PGA Tour Pro Complaining
GettyRory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth disagree with Riviera’s decision to lengthen the par-3 fourth hole.
McIlroy has been the most vocal critic of the change, but he isn’t the only one.
“It’s the only weak spot on the course, in my opinion,” Jordan Spieth told Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine this week.
Collin Morikawa, who’s coming off a win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, also highlighted how difficult the fourth hole will play this year.
“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,’” he said, per 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.”
It won’t be fun for the players, but it sure will be entertaining for fans to watch the carnage unfold this week. The 2026 Genesis Invitational begins on Thursday at 10:15 a.m. ET.
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