2023 Genesis Invitational leaderboard, grades: Jon Rahm continues on historic run with victory at Riviera

The Spaniard and soon-to-be world No. 1 claimed his third victory on the PGA Tour this year on Sunday

Stop if you have heard this before: Jon Rahm has won another golf tournament. That's right, the Spaniard has claimed his third title of the year on the PGA Tour with his triumph on Sunday over Max Homa and Patrick Cantlay at the 2023 Genesis Invitational. With the win, Rahm became the third-fastest golfer in history to record three PGA Tour wins in a calendar year before March 1. 

"I could explain exhaustion right now," said Rahm. "That was a tough week and a tough Sunday. Max battled out there and Patrick kind of gave us a scare. I am just glad I could come through in the end ...To reach a milestone of double-digit wins is pretty incredible, and to do it at a golf course with this legacy, this history and hosted by the man himself, Tiger Woods, is a true honor. I can't really explain it."

Entering the final round with a three-stroke lead, Rahm struggled at various points throughout the day but managed his way around Riviera Country Club in a manner only a champion could. Seeing his lead cut to two by the time the final group made the turn, Rahm would face his fair share of adversity on the inward nine.

It began when he arrived at the treacherous par-4 10th. Hitting his tee shot into the trees, Rahm left his approach pitch short before blasting his third over the putting surface and into a greenside bunker. A 6-footer was needed to save bogey and it was converted. With Homa in for birdie, the two were suddenly tied atop the leaderboard. 

A missed opportunity on the par-5 11th followed before a three-putt on the par-4 12th saw Rahm lose hold of the lead entirely, but that would be short-lived. After reclaiming a share of the lead, the newly minted world No. 1 pulled out in front entirely with an emphatic birdie from off the green on the par-3 14th.

"I kept telling myself after 12, even though it was a mistake that I made -- an unforced error -- it's a really freaking difficult golf course to finish at," said Rahm. "It's very difficult, and I told myself, 'If I can finish the last six holes under par, the last five holes under par, I knew I would have a chance.' Obviously it was highlighted by that great putt on 14 and that great shot on 16. When you're at that point, you just have to find the positive and change focus, and I kind of went a bit more on the attack."

Another birdie on the par-3 16th put a bow on Rahm's third title of the year as he finished the week at 17 under and two strokes clear of Homa. Good for his fifth worldwide victory in his last nine starts, the run Rahm is currently on can only be classified as historic.

The numbers, the tweets, the references, they're all just bonkers. Should this stretch trickle into April and major championship season, we may be witnessing just the beginning of the best season in quite some time. Not since Tiger Woods in 2006 has a man won a total of eight times on the PGA Tour -- two of which were major championships -- a number Rahm could very seriously threaten. Grade: A+

Here is the breakdown of the rest of the leaderboard at the 2023 Genesis Invitational

2. Max Homa (-15): If there is one moment where Homa will look back at with disdain it's the tee shot on No. 13. Having just jumped ahead of Rahm for the first time all day, the Californian hit a bizarre tee shot that barely got off the ground and hit dead in the center of a eucalyptus tree. He ended up making a pretty good bogey but lost much of the momentum he was slowly gathering throughout the second nine. 

A birdie from Rahm on the 14th was a punch in the gut from which Homa was never able to fully recover. He has always been lauded as a player to get the most out of his runs into contention, and before this week, had never finished runner-up on the PGA Tour. More Sunday battles will be in Homa's future as he is making a serious case for being the fourth-best player in the world. Now, let's see if he can do it out of the state of California on a more consistent basis. Grade: A+

3. Patrick Cantlay (-14): He had a very real chance to win this tournament despite it never really feeling plausible. Beginning the final round five strokes off the pace of Rahm, Cantlay carded five birdies in his opening 11 holes to get within one of the leaders. That was the closest he would get thanks to a pair of poor bogeys down the stretch. This marked Cantlay's first quality outing of 2023, and he will now turn to his attention to Florida where he has historically struggled. Grade: A 

4. Will Zalatoris (-13): Zalatoris was the lone top-tier player to skip the WM Phoenix Open and appeared sluggish out the gates at Riviera. He improved as the week progressed and put together a valiant final-round charge that featured eight birdies. Unable to truly threaten the leaders, he did rank inside the top 15 in each strokes-gained metric from tee to green on the week. The 26-year-old should be a legitimate contender at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in two weeks as any back concerns appear to be behind him. Grade: A-

Rick Gehman, Kyle Porter, Mark Immelman and Greg DuCharme break down Sunday's action at the Genesis Invitational. Follow & listen to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

5. Keith Mitchell (-12): I've been buying stock in Mitchell for the past two years, and his West Coast swing will only make me want more. The big-hitting Bulldog stood toe-to-toe with two of the hottest players in the game over the weekend at Riv, and had a few lip-outs lipped in, a completely different story could have been told. He's playing like a top-30 player in the world, and should he continue to play in non-designated events with regularity, his second career victory will come soon. Grade: B+

T45. Tiger Woods (-1): There was some good and there was some bad from Woods in his first competitive start since The Open at St. Andrews. Woods had plenty of speed the first three days but dwindled ever so slightly on Sunday. Still, this week was a good reminder of what to expect from Woods in the future. There will be moments where he hits shots that are reminiscent of his heyday and there will be moments that'll make you want to cringe. Who knows if he'll play at Bay Hill or TPC Sawgrass (my money would be on neither) before the Masters, but if he does, the reception will be no different than what it was at Riviera. Grade: A+

MC. Jordan Spieth: Coming off a week in Phoenix where he ranked third in strokes gained tee to green and second in strokes gained approach, Spieth appeared to be trending in the right direction. This rise was put to a screeching halt as he has now made only two of his last four cuts, one of which was directly on the number. Spieth is a past winner in the state of Florida, but this portion of the playing schedule has given him some fits in recent years as it is likely he tees it up at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship. Grade: F