Teeing It Up

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

It’s Genesis Invitational time at Riviera Country Club and the annual PGA TOUR event tees off Monday when tournament host, 15-time major winner and former world No. 1 Tiger Woods leads Team Woods against Team Watson, captained by three-time Riviera champion Bubba Watson in the Celebrity Cup.

New to the Celebrity Cup this year is presenting partner CDW, a leading provider of integrated technology solutions, which with the help of Microsoft Surface, will power the event by infusing technology into the action on and off the golf course. In addition, CDW and Folds of Honor will help lead Team Woods and Team Watson with members of the military serving as assistant team captains to Woods and Watson.

“I’m looking forward to kicking off an exciting week at Riviera with the Celebrity Cup,” Woods said. “It’s great to have Bubba as my opposing captain and, with CDW’s support, we’re able to provide an elevated experience to celebrity participants.”

In its second year, the Celebrity Cup operated by TGR Live will bring together two teams comprised of six celebrities each for a team competition at Riviera. The teams will square off against each other in a four-ball net better ball match play format. Teams will play six holes—the 10th  followed by the 14th through 18th—with points being awarded for each hole won and the overall match won. A total of 21 points are on the line with Team Woods needing 10.5 points to retain the cup.

Woods shocked the world by winning the Masters for the fifth time last April and went on to captain the U.S. President’s Cup team to victory over the Internationals in December in Melbourne. Last week, Woods announced Joseph Bramlett as the recipient of the Charlie Sifford Memorial exemption into the 2020 Genesis Invitational field. The exemption represents the advancement of golf diversity.

Practice rounds begin Tuesday and a Pro-Am is Wednesday. The 72-hole tournament is next Thursday-Sunday. Watson won here in 2014, 2016 and 2018.