Elevated status for Genesis Open

LOS ANGELES: The Tiger Woodshosted Genesis Open was granted ‘‘elevated status’’ on the PGA Tour yesterday, promising a bright future for the tournament to go with its rich history.

The tour announced that starting next year the tournament formerly known as the Los Angeles Open will join Jack Nicklaus’s Memorial tournament in Ohio and the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida in the special category.

This means the field will be reduced from 144 to 120 players, the winner will receive a threeyear exemption instead of the usual two years, and prize money will rise $US1.9 million ($NZ2.8 million) to $US9.3 million.

Played at Riviera Country Club, the event has been won over the years by a ‘‘Who’s Who’’ of golf — Palmer, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Tom Watson, Nick Faldo, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson — although Nicklaus and Woods are notable exceptions.

Woods has played no tournament on tour more often without tasting victory.

‘‘In recognition of Tiger’s place alongside Jack and Arnold as a modernday golf icon who hosts a homebased PGA Tour tournament . . . elevating the Genesis Open is an important and deserved step towards further cementing Tiger’s legacy in our sport,’’ tour commissioner Jay Monahan said.

‘‘This announcement comes at a particularly relevant time as Tiger continues to chase history and Sam Snead’s record of 82 PGA Tour victories.’’

Woods (43) enters this week’s event with 80 tour victories and still has plenty of time to break Snead’s record.