Genesis Open 2018: Time, TV schedule for Tiger Woods on Thursday

The Genesis Open is as must-watch as the PGA Tour gets. It’s impossible to overstate how good it is, and I’ve probably spent too many words this week already hyping it as such. It’s not a major championship, but consider this like a Sunday night Patriots-Steelers game or a Cavs-Warriors Christmas Day game. It’s the best of what the PGA Tour has to offer. The best field. The best course. The best scene and market on the schedule. I’d like to find reasons to knock it down a peg, but the circumstances have just come together perfectly for the event, the Tour, and fans this week.

The obvious headliner is Tiger Woods. He’s always the obvious headliner no matter where he plays and no matter the stakes or circumstances. The circumstances this week are Tiger’s second start after another year away recovering from back surgery. It’s also his first start at Riviera, the historic Los Angeles venue, in a decade. The classic George Thomas design has not treated Tiger well in his career. He says it fits his eye and he loves it, but he just can’t explain the underwhelming results. So the circumstances again should mitigate the soaring expectations that always attach to Tiger.

Even though Woods has looked better than expected, winning seems like a long shot. There’s just so much talent, and he’s still getting his “feels,” as he is wont to say. We saw that most acutely at Torrey Pines with his driver, where he missed fairway after fairway but somehow kept it together to make the cut and finish inside the top 25. It was an incredible grind and looked like a past vintage of Tiger, who has salvaged many would-be bad rounds from poor driving.

For the first two days, Tiger is matched up with Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas. That’s as good as it gets. I’ve been trying to recall stronger tee times in recent memory, and none really match it. Tiger changes everything, but Rory, when he’s cooking, is the most exciting player in the game. And JT is the reigning player of the year and hits it miles into the sky. It’s just an astounding trio, and one that’s possible when the field is this loaded and the headliners don’t need to be spread out so much.

Those three will be the subject of PGA Tour Live’s featured groups stream on Thursday morning. Right behind them are also Tommy Fleetwood, maybe the best Euro in the game right now, and Phil Mickelson. Maybe I haven’t said it enough yet — this field is absurd. If you want to spend the money for a one-month subscription to the Tour’s OTT service, now might be the time to do it. These kind of featured groups streams were free at one point, but the Tour’s OTT service has a stream that’s high quality and now has a couple full season under its belt. It will show Tiger’s entire round.

Here’s your full media schedule for the opening round at Riviera:

2 to 6 p.m. ET — Golf Channel

9:30 a.m. ET -- PGA Tour Live starts with coverage from the range and opening holes

Featured Groups (PGA Tour Live subscription required)

3 to 6 p.m. ET -- PGA Tour Live featured holes coverage (No subscription required)

2 to 6 p.m. ET — Golf Channel simulcast stream