Winners, losers, questions from the PGA Tour’s West Coast Swing

My heart is always at Riviera Country Club, but my body is in the middle seat on the way home. What better time to reflect on the PGA Tour’s West Coast Swing – the good, the bad, the rumored, the mysterious.

Here are the winners, losers and questions from the start of the 2026 PGA Tour season.

Winner: 26-year-olds

Chris Gotterup he’s won two of the first four events on this year’s calendar (given the unusual circumstances, we’re treating Sony as part of this year’s West Coast Swing), playing his best when things get messy at the WM Phoenix Open and establishing himself as a fan favorite, a guaranteed winner and arguably the best player on Tour 26 or under.

His current competition for that most unofficial title includes the guy who just won at Riviera; Jacob Bridgemanlike Gotterup, he is 26 years old. And while Gotterup took the weekend off (he missed the Genesis cut) Bridgeman knocked on everyone’s doors for three days and hung around on Sunday to make sure he, too, had what it took.

LOSER: Hawaii x PGA Tour

Is the PGA Tour moving back to Hawaii? Next year? When? Skip Kapalua this year under controversial circumstances. Its Sony sponsorship just ended. As the powers that be continue to rethink the ideal travel schedule, Hawaii remains a challenging entry that lacks a “mass market.” Rolapp and Co. How much will they value continuity, tradition and nostalgia? We will see.

QUESTION: Where are the 25 year olds?

Speaking of age, it’s surprising to browse through any version of the world rankings you can choose from and be surprised by the lack of young stars. The 26-year-olds may be having a moment, but we’re still waiting for the next new wave to emerge. There is no reason to despair: Akshay Bhatia (24), be Hojgaard twins (also 24) and Michaels (Brennan again Thorbjornseneach 24) may be on the verge of success. But with Tom Kim talking so little, it feels like we’re searching for Who’s Next. (Screaming again Blades Brownwho stole the show for most of the week in Palm Springs.)

Winner: 45-year-olds

OK, I promise this whole list won’t be old. In fact, lemme start with some hypocrisy: I wish we talked about it Justin Rose again Adam Scott that we will focus Underneath at their age. But it’s a useful way to combine two impressive Western shows; Rose’s victory at Torrey Pines is worth extra points, of course, but Scott’s Sunday 63 to finish fourth at Riviera was no laughing matter. These guys are remarkably similar ages, have remarkably similar jobs and are performing at remarkably similar levels right now. Let’s put them on the amazing leaderboard at the Masters.

LOER: Scandinavians

While athletes from Norway and Sweden dominated the Winter Olympics, their PGA Tour counterparts had a slightly tougher time on the West Coast. Viktor Hovland again Ludwig Aberg are among the tour’s biggest talents and fan favorites – but no one has had the best so far this year.

Hovland had a strong start at the WM Phoenix Open (T10) but faltered at Pebble Beach (T58) and Riviera (T41), where talk turned more to his coaching skills than his scores.

And Aberg was seriously ill for the second consecutive West Coast Swing — though the good news is that he seems to be improving. Going WD-MC-T37-T20 means I think he’s headed for a Masters win?

(In other Scandinavian news, Alex Noren he went MC-MC at Palm Springs and San Diego, but his T12 at Riviera was encouraging, too. Also representing Denmark, the Hojgaard twins each showed encouraging signs; Nicolai finished T3 at the WM and was one hole out of contention for the win.)

QUESTION: Will Tiger Woods play the Masters?

Tiger Woods he told me he would try. He then revealed that he would try again a second time. I don’t know if he the willbut I think he told us the truth — if he can, he will.

THE LOST: Scottie Scheffler’s Thursday

Scottie Scheffler’s The first Thursday of the season was 63 at American Express. So it is surprising that he is number 116 on the Tour in Round 1 Scoring Average. And it was amazing to see him in the end zone when the game was stopped last Thursday. Anyway…

WINNER: Some Days of Scottie Scheffler

Considering he was in last place on Friday morning and needed to make a seven-foot curler at 18 just to stay within the cut line, Scheffler’s T12 was another incredible display of skill and determination. Indeed, it ended his streak of 18 consecutive Top-10s. But it reinforced the idea that if you play enough rounds of golf, eventually Scheffler will rise to the top. Four games in, here’s how his scoring average looks per rotation:

Round 1: 70.50 (116th)

Round 2: 65.75 (2nd)

Round 3: 67.00 (7th)

Round 4: 64.50 (2nd)

(If you were wondering who could beat that 64.5, Will Zalatoris (he played one fourth round this year and shot a 64.)

QUESTION: So what happened to Scheffler on Thursday?

My best guess is still the version of “nothing, really; this was just a weird blip on the radar.” He led the Tour in scoring in the first round last year, after all, he had a fantastic start under unusual circumstances. Let’s wait for a large sample size before we panic here.

WINNER: Children of California

I think of two in particular: Collin Morikawafirst winner in a long time at Pebble Beach, too Jake Knappwho just quietly put together the best golf of his life. Knapp has not finished worse than T11 in his five starts this year. Morikawa’s win made sense on several levels – because of the timing, because of the location, because of everything that went into it, because he and his wife have a child on the way. It’s great to see West Coast kids eating West Coast Swing. And then there was another California sensation in the winner’s circle…

LOST: Haters and doubters of Anthony Kim

I write this tongue in cheek; I think Anthony KimHis win showed how many people have been by his side all along, looking for something special. But he’s used a pat on the shoulder to get here, and his shot at haters shows he’ll continue to draw on that. It’s great to note that one of the biggest moments in golf this month took place at LIV Golf, with a one-of-a-kind comeback story that was completed electronically in a story that was established for twelve years.

QUESTION: What’s next for Jon Rahm, LIV and the DP World Tour?

Big picture, this is one of golf’s most important questions moving forward; LIV and the DP World Tour still don’t seem to be sitting well and I’m curious how that will resolve. In the meantime the DPWT has reached an interim agreement with several of its LIV members, allowing them to play both circuits and maintain Ryder Cup eligibility. But why not Jon Rahm one of the players who took that deal, and is there a chance in the world that he doesn’t play on the European Ryder Cup team next year?

WINNER: CBS Golf coverage

These courses look great in person, they look amazing on TV and CBS continues to innovate to drive their coverage.

Also, the little things go a long way.

LOST: Wet conditions

There has been a lot of talk about moving these West Coast stops later on the PGA Tour schedule. Cold, chilly Pebble Beach followed by a feverish, chilly Riviera makes that case all the more appealing, with fans shivering on the ropes and golf balls hooking the green. A full two-day weekend closed out the Genesis in style, and wet and windy could be fun at Pebble, but each still lacked the strong, fast character it has.

QUESTION: Are we doing the August West Coast thing?

I leave California more confused than when I arrived. On paper it seems smart to have the best courses in the biggest spots on the PGA Tour calendar; what could be better than Pebble and Riviera as playgrounds? But there are problems with both sites at that time of year. Pebble has a car show and a full tee sheet and isn’t close enough to the center of the population to draw a playoff-worthy crowd. In LA, locals have suggested that the golfing crowd will be out of town in August and that the location on the calendar is actually perfect for getting people to actually be there.

If I were in charge, my first priority would be to remove playoff events from the hellish August humidity of Atlanta and Memphis. I don’t need them in California, though – Boston, Chicago and Seattle are calling, as are a dozen other mid- to high-rise cities with perfect summer days. I’m curious where they’ll end up, though.

And what the West Coast Swing will look like next year, and the year after that, when we’ll be watching the glorious golf coast again.

See you in Florida.

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