🐅 Tiger's big reveal

Hey there! The PGA Tour tees off today at the historic Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles for the Genesis Invitational.

• It’s a Signature Event, which means the Tour’s best players will be on hand with plenty of money on-the-line ($4 million to the winner, which is more than double what Nick Taylor took home last week).

🔥 Since it’s a big tournament, let’s spice things up a bit and try something new. 

• Reply to this email and tell me the name of the player who you think is going to win this week at Riviera. (Here’s a list of the full field.)

• The golf starts early today, so I’ll accept responses until noon ET.

• The reader who picks the outright winner correctly will take home the $50 grand prize. (It’s totally free to play along.)

• If multiple readers pick the correct winner, I’ll split the $50 among them.

• Sound good? I’ll look forward to your replies and announce the winner(s) on Monday. Good luck!

Now, onto the news …

Top stories:

• Sun Day Red

• Riviera cheat sheet

• Verne’s last Masters

1. After recently parting ways with Nike, Tiger Woods unveiled his new clothing line “Sun Day Red” earlier this week.

In partnership with TaylorMade, the brand will reportedly sell polos between $115 and $175, cashmere sweaters for as much as $350, and other items like golf shoes, which Woods took for a test drive during practice rounds this week.

• The logo (a tiger) has 15 stripes representing Woods’ 15 majors, and its name stems his long tradition of wearing red on Sundays.

But, the big question coming out of Monday’s big reveal: Why three words?

• You can watch TaylorMade CEO David Abeles try to explain the reasoning for Sun Day Red vs. Sunday Red, though your head may explode.

• Abeles said the “rule of three” played a big part in the decision. But honestly, who knows!

My take: Some people thought the logo looked a lot like Slazenger's or, when turned on its side, “like a bunch of vertebrate that have been surgically fused together.” (Which is hilarious.)

• I struggled seeing “Sun Day” broken up mostly because “Sunday” itself carries so much meaning in golf.

• Sun Day Red’s acronym also gives me trouble. When I see it on their designs, I’m immediately transported to my first job out of college when the only thing “SDR” meant was “sales development representative.” (Sorry if you can’t unsee that now.)

Still, the more photos I see of Tiger wearing his new brand, the more it’s growing on me.

• The understated tiger logo on his hat and sweater is kind of a clean look.

• And, the athleisure sweater he wore during Monday’s announcement is admittedly pretty cool.

Will I buy something from Sun Day Red when they start taking orders May 1st?

• No. But granted, that’s coming from someone whose new attire mostly comes from Costco.

2. Here’s what you need to know heading into this week’s Genesis Invitational.

Tournament host Tiger Woods will play this week — his first event of the 2024 season.

• Surprisingly, Woods has never won at Riviera, the site of his first professional tournament as a 16-year-old back in ‘92.

• On his bag for the first time is Lance Bennett, who’s caddied for Matt Kuchar and Sungjae Im in the past.

Twenty-three out of the top 25 players in the world (based on OWGR standings) will tee it up in LA.

• Recent LIV additions Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton are the only two missing.

Unlike most Signature Events, the Genesis will have a 36-hole cut —though most will make it to the weekend.

• Specifically, the top 50 and ties (out of 70 golfers), as well as those within 10 shots of the lead will play on Saturday and Sunday.

Riviera is one of the most revered courses in the world, and it’s been the main host of this tournament (known originally as the LA Open) since 1929.

• It’s also the future site for the 2026 Women’s US Open, 2028 Olympics, and 2031 Men’s US Open.

Look out for the bunker in the middle of the green on the Par 3 6th, as well as the drivable Par 4 10th — which can turn into a big number, fast.

• Also, watch the strategy off the 15th tee, as Viktor Hovland and others might elect to hit their drives onto the 17th hole instead.

3. Good posts ⌨️

Pretty disappointing that Tiger isn’t a pickle guy. But man, can you get better than In-N-Out at Riviera?

This can’t be real, but it was fun.

And, this answer from Joel Dahmen’s caddie Geno Bonnalie was wonderful.

4. Netflix dropped its first trailer for “Full Swing” season 2, which premiers March 6. Watch 👇

5. And finally … Legendary announcer Verne Lundquist will call his 40th and final Masters this April.

• News of the 84-year-old Lundquist’s retirement on Wednesday prompted many to revisit the most memorable moment of his career (when Tiger chipped in on 16 at the 2005 Masters).

• Lundquist’s call was perfect (“In your LIFE have you seen anything like that!?”) and never gets old.

• Take a minute to rewatch it yourself 👇

That’s all for today! Thanks so much for reading y’all and a reminder to reply to this email with your pick for the Genesis Invitational. It’s free! And hopefully, it’ll be fun for you to follow throughout the weekend.

Talk soon! - Nick Bastone

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