Monday Leaderboard: Matsuyama rewrites Genesis, Spieth DQ, Tiger's new predicament

Welcome to Monday's Leaderboard. Here are the weekend's top news from the great world of golf. Grab your Arnold Palmer and pull up a chair…and don't forget to add up your scores appropriately.

1. Hideki Matsuyama rewrites Genesis

There have been wins, there have been comebacks, and there has been something Hideki Matsuyama did on Sunday at the Genesis Invitational. He birdied three of the final four holes and overcame a six-stroke deficit to win by three strokes. As three-day leader Patrick Cantlay waned on Sunday, Matsuyama made three birdies in three innings to gain momentum up the leaderboard. Matsuyama's 62 on Sunday was the lowest final round ever recorded in this prestigious tournament.

Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion, has been an inconsistent player in recent years due to a lingering neck injury. He hasn't won a tournament since the 2022 Sony Open more than two years ago, and hasn't even had a top-10 card in a tournament since The Players last year. His dry streak nearly knocked him out of the world top 50 last month.

But when he plays, Matsuyama is without a doubt one of the best players in the world. Neither Tiger Woods nor Jack Nicklaus could win at Riviera, but Matsuyama has mastered it, further establishing himself as one of the greatest players of this generation, and winning the PGA Tour's long-awaited title when he hoists the trophy on Sunday night. Gave a star.

2. Jordan Spieth's costly mathematical mistake

The NFL has the “worst rule in football,” where you lose the ball if you fumble the end zone, but it's the worst rule in golf that some observers consider the worst rule in golf: signing the wrong scorecard. This is not a big deal compared to immediate disqualification. At least in soccer, they are allowed to continue playing in matches.

Jordan Spieth found himself in the thick of that rule Friday when he mistakenly signed a 3 on the fourth hole. He shot a 4 (which may have contributed to the confusion, as he hit 3s on the next three holes). He also sprinted off the course towards the clubhouse after finishing his round, which also (This may have contributed to the missed score.)

Spieth accepted his punishment as part of the match, but other observers were not so calm. Many critics gushed about the absurdity of golf, where thousands of cameras, leaderboards and shot links confirm what players already know. Supporters of this rule pointed out that at all levels, the core of golf is personal responsibility for maintaining one's score. The punishment in this case doesn't really match the crime, but we all know the risks of not matching the numbers.

At least Spieth kept his sense of humor and offered Matsuyama the following advice after Hideki's win:

3. LIV makes the jump to the British Open

LIV Golf was closed this weekend, but one LIV player, David Puig of Fireballs, had a very good week. Puig won the IRS Prima Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur, qualifying him for this year's British Open Championship.

This is a rare opportunity for ordinary LIV players to compete in the majors, and is further rebuttal to the idea that LIV players cannot compete at golf's elite level. Puig put up those numbers and shot 62-62 over the weekend to win the title.

Puig has played in just one major tournament in his career, finishing 39th at last year's U.S. Open. The 22-year-old is exactly the kind of player LIV Golf needs to attract to survive, and exactly the kind of player with real incentives. do not have Participate in LIV. Without a major exemption, Puig is barred from the Masters and PGA Championship and must qualify for two British Opens. Since he cannot rely on the Official World Golf Ranking to play at this time, his performance at Royal Troon in July and, if he qualifies, at the U.S. Open will help him qualify for future tournaments.

4. Will Zalatoris is back

Back in 2022, Will Zalatoris looked ready to take over the golf world. He finished 6th-2nd-2nd in the first three majors of the year, two of which he missed out on by mere inches of putts. But a series of back injuries sidelined him for much of 2023, and he's only now starting to get back into shape. Despite playing with a heavy heart over the weekend, he finished T2 behind Matsuyama.

Oh, and he won himself and his caddy a couple of new cars with a pretty good hole-in-one.

Not a bad week, not a bad week to get back to the top of the leaderboard. Hunting with him makes the tour more fun.

5. Tiger Woods' new troubles

If it weren't for bad luck, Tiger Woods wouldn't have any luck at all. The Genesis Invitational host this week celebrated his return to the PGA Tour and the debut of his new wear line, Sunday Red. Woods hasn't played in a full-field tournament since he withdrew from last year's Masters shortly after qualifying…and it didn't last that long this week.

Woods left the course Friday afternoon after playing just six holes. Woods' team, always cautious about his medical information, did not release any information about why, and the arrival of an ambulance and fire truck at the Riviera scene only added to the speculation. Woods later said in his statement that he was suffering from dehydration and the effects of the flu.

This departure means another early end to Woods' tournament, which is arguably more frustrating for Woods himself than for any observer. Woods has expressed a desire to play about once a month, but he is not sure where he will play again.

But whenever he does, there are always fans who are like:

mulligan

Overslept, stuck in traffic, uncomfortable breakfast burritos, and being way late for tea time, I know what it feels like. The difference between you and Tom Kim is that if you're late to a local game, the starters will frown at you. Arriving late to a PGA Tour event will result in disqualification.

Golfers run weirder than other athletes, probably because they don't have to run as much. Kim finished the tournament at 5 under and will receive a fairly modest paycheck of $164,857 for four days of work.now it is Anyone can sprint.