The Punter's De-brief: Marvelous McNealy denied at the death at Torrey Pines

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Having switched from Riviera Country Club to the South Course at Torrey Pines, following January's wildfires in Pacific Palisades, excitement was mounting at the halfway stage of the Genesis Invitational as Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy threatened to dominate the event heading into the weekend.

The world number one trailed the halfway leader, Davis Thompson, by a stroke with Rory a further two strokes back in solo fourth.

Sheffler was trading at around 11/82.38 and McIlroy was a 4/15.00 shot so hopes were high that we may experience one of those rare weekends when the world's best duel it out to lift a prestigious trophy, but it wasn't to be.

Scheffler was matched at 1.9420/21 after he'd birdied the fifth, but he fell apart after that, eventually posting the worst round of the day - a four-over-par 76 - that saw him tumble down the leaderboard and into a tie for eighth.

Rory's putting was simply awful over the weekend, and he drifted away but Scheffler rallied in round four, posting a five-under-par 31 around the front nine.

The world number one was back in with a chance and he was matched for plenty at 4/15.00 and below but the man to make the biggest move of all was pre-event 75.074/1 chance, Maverick McNealy, who birdied five of the first six holes on Sunday.

McNealy had been matched at 1000.0999/1 after a slow start to the event. After a 75 on Thursday, he was two-over par through 12 holes in round two before an eagle at the par five 13^th turned his fortunes around, but he was still trailing by nine at halfway.

The recent RSM Classic winner still had plenty to do with 18 to play, trailing by five and trading at 30.029/1, but after holing a 38 foot par putt on the first, he played his first 13 holes in a remarkable nine-under-par and he led the event by two over 54-hole leader, Patrick Rodgers, with Patrick Cantlay and the first round leader, Denny McCarthy, tied for third and three back.

At that stage, Sheffler, who's title charge was fading after 14 holes, was tied for fifth and four off the lead alongside the eventual winner, Ludvig Aberg, who was about to par the 12^th.

McNealy was matched at a low of 1.261/4 as he looked on course to win his second PGA Tour title in seven starts, having played in 141 events before getting off the mark in November, but after a sloppy approach and a poor bunker shot, he dropped his first shot of the day on the 14^th and the door was ajar.

McNealy's play was a bit scruffy after that and he could only par his way in, as Aberg soon closed the gap with a magnificent run of three straight birdies from the 13^th.

Having trailed Rodgers by two after 54 holes, the pre-event 30.029/1 chance, Aberg, who was matched at a high of 55.054/1 when he trailed by six after round one, had been the 4.216/5 favourite with 18 to play and the market was right to side with him.

McCarthy and Rodgers both started nicely enough, and both were matched at a low of 3.185/40 early in round four but it was Aberg that emerged triumphant when he holed form just inside seven feet for birdie at the 72^nd hole.

A birdie for the win @TheGenesisInv!

Soak it in, Ludvig pic.twitter.com/H8KkZNqiON

-- PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 16, 2025

It was impossible not to feel some sympathy for McNealy, who would have won but for the brilliant finish by Aberg.

Europeans win four in five

It's been a poor start to the PGA Tour season for the American contingent with Harris English, who won the Farmers Insurance at Torrey Pines last month, the only winner in seven events.

Hideki Matsuyama and Canada's Nick Taylor won the first two events of the year in Hawaii but four of the last five tournaments have now been won by a European and the latest to notch has been well backed to win again in April at Augusta.

Aberg impressed on his US Masters debut last year, finishing second, so it's no surprise to see he's now a 14/115.00 chance, having been matched at as low as 12/113.00.

Now up to number four in the Official World Rankings, the 25-year-old's career is back on track following arthroscopic surgery on his torn meniscus in September and a first major title could be on the cards.

Sea Island successes for the first and second

It may well be purely coincidental but it could be noteworthy that the last two editions of the RSM Classic at Sea Island have been won by last week's first and second, McNealy and Aberg.

The big names don't tend to play in what's usually the final event of the PGA Tour season so crossover form between Torrey Pines and the Seaside Course, which hosts the RSM Classic, is eye-catching and it could be something to consider going forward.

Patrick Rodgers, who failed to convert his fifth 54-hole lead or co-lead last week, is yet to win on the PGA Tour but he has lost a couple of playoffs previously - at the Barracuda Championship in 2023 and the RSM Classic in 2018.

And Aberg isn't the only man to win at Torrey Pines and the Seaside Course. Ben Crane won the RSM Classic a year after winning the Farmers Insurance Open so there appears to be a correlation between the two venues.

*You can follow me on Twitter @SteveThePunter

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