Rory McIlroy has hit out at the changes at Riviera Country Club ahead of the 2026 Genesis Invitational. The Northern Irishman described the adjustment to the fourth hole as “horrible.” Riviera officials said the changes were made in order to align the hole better with designer George Thomas’s original vision, and this has stirred up controversy in certain quarters.
McIlroy Says Change To Fourth Hole Is “Horrible”
The fourth hole is a classic par-3 but has now been stretched significantly longer than it has ever been. The hole was originally played at around 230 yards and was one of the toughest on the course the last time Riviera hosted the Genesis Invitational. Only a handful of players hit the green in regulation, and scores ballooned as golfers struggled to find a rhythm on the tricky Redan-style layout.
Despite this, Riviera’s grounds crew and tournament officials decided to bump the hole out by nearly 40 yards, stretching it up to around 273 yards from the new back tee. That means players are hitting fairway woods or even drivers into a par-3. At its previous yardage, players could take advantage of the slope and the grass to run the ball on and work shots around the breaks. But with the hole now much longer, those options are limited. While that may sound exciting on paper, McIlroy doesn’t think it improves the hole.
“I don’t think No. 4 plays any differently,” McIlroy told reporters. “You’re just hitting a slightly longer club. I actually think it’s a horrible change. Well, like 15% 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.”
Fourth Hole Change Leads To Debate Among Stars
McIlroy isn’t the only star to have voice his concern. Fellow major champion Jordan Spieth has also questioned the change. Collin Morikawa, winner of last week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, described the change as a “very long par-3” while J.J. Spaun said the Redan can’t really be used as it’s intended to be by design.
Riviera’s thick kikuyu grass around the green makes it really difficult to run the ball onto the putting surface. At nearly 275 yards, players are forced to hit long irons or even fairway woods. This means that a shot that lands with too much spin can bound over the back, while one that comes up short won’t release onto the front of the green.
Despite expressing his dissatisfaction with the fourth hole change, the 36-year-old was still impressed by Riviera Country Club. The 2025 Genesis Invitational was moved to Torrey Pines following the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires.
Main Photo Credit: © Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
