EMMA PIRHALA / NEWS EDITOR

The biggest names in golf teed up during  the Genesis Invitational   at La Jolla’s famous Torrey Pines South Course this past weekend. The tournament assembled the top seven golfers in the global rankings — Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Hideki Matsuyama, Nick Taylor, Ludvig Åberg and Wyndham Clark — for a swing at a piece of the $20 million dollar payout. 

On the final day of the tournament, scores were neck and neck with lots of movement within the leaderboard. However, in an outstanding birdie on the 18th hole, Åberg broke a tie with Maverick McNealy and took home the trophy and $4 million in prize money. The win marked Åberg’s first win in a PGA Tour signature event and his second Tour win in his career.

The PGA (Professional Golfers’ Association) Tour signature event has taken place in Los Angeles since its inception in 1924, yet after the detrimental wildfires that faced the region in January, tournament officials moved the match to San Diego. The tournament comes just three weeks after the annual Farmers Insurance Open held at Torrey Pines. USD first-year Thomas Huelskam regularly follows the PGA Tour and shared his excitement about the event’s move to the local course. 

“I think it is really, really cool. With the [Farmers Insurance Open] you didn’t get to see the biggest names, but you did still have top players like Ludvig Åberg in the Farmers,” Huelskam said. “But now that you have Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy down here at the Genesis in San Diego, I think it’s really, really cool. I think it was cool to bring Genesis down here because it ended up that Torrey was going to be a really challenging course for those players. You don’t see the minus 20 at the end, it’s the single digits barely breaking into single digits.”

Ludvig Åberg after winning the 2025 Genesis Invitational. Photo courtesy of @thegenesisinv/Instagram 

In an effort to uplift and support the victims of the recent LA fires, a portion of proceeds from ticket sales and special edition merchandise will be donated to the “California Rises” campaign. The campaign was started by Tiger Woods’ foundation (TGR), the PGA Tour and Hyundai Motors Company — Genesis’ parent company.

The campaign will fundraise for American Red Cross, California Fire Foundation, World Central Kitchen and Genesis Inspiration Foundation. First-responders were also given the opportunity to be honorary observers on the grounds while their favorite golfers played. The tournament’s director, Mike Antolini, shed light on the decision to partner with nonprofit organizations in an interview with Golf Digest.

“Obviously, we’re here because of a catastrophic set of circumstances,” Antolini said. “And we’re trying to harness that energy into making next week as successful as it can be, because we’re able to use the week to increase support for the region, the community and the wildfire victims.”

Ahead of the Invitational, hosted by Tiger Woods and his TGR Foundation, Woods intended to compete in his first PGA Tour start since last July. However, following the passing of his mother, Woods withdrew on the preceding Monday. In a statement on X, Woods explained his decision to take a step back from the tees at Torrey. 

“I planned to tee it up this week, but I’m just not ready,” Woods stated. “I did my best to prepare, knowing it’s what my Mom would have wanted, but I’m still processing her loss.”

Players wore pins on their hats in remembrance of Woods’ mother, with his signature Sunday red color which symbolizes power — something that was certainly present within the golfers on the last day. 

Åberg finished with a score of -12, with an incredible eight birdies on the final day which secured him the win. Other notable highlights included Scheffler’s chip for birdie from the bunker on the 15th hole, as well as Keegan Bradley’s hole-in-one on the third hole.

Some USD students were lucky enough to watch these notable moments up close at Torrey Pines. USD sophomore Iggy Wozniak was among one of these students. 

“It was a fun event, [I] got here at 9 a.m. and got to watch Scottie [Scheffler] and Rory [McIlroy] behind the line and it was really cool,” Wozniak said. “It was hotter in the morning, but it cooled down and the wind picked up. You could definitely see them overcompensating for the wind. On one of the holes, Scottie overcompensated did too much, and landed in the bunker. It made him only seven feet away from me.”

Another Torero, USD junior Josh Bassetti, spectated at Torrey Pines. 

“My favorite moment of the Genesis was being on the 18 green and seeing all of the fan-favorite golfers getting cheered on by the crowd. Even if they weren’t playing well, the fans still showed   their love and made sure the golfers heard it. Also, the hot dogs were pretty good, so I enjoyed a couple of those.”

Although professional golf will be leaving the west coast until July after Genesis, golf-enthused students continue to follow their favorite PGA Tour players and enjoy the game from the comfort of their dorm rooms.

Torrey Pines lake and crowd during the Genesis Invitational. Photo courtesy of @kcalfredphoto/Instagram