A viral WAG, Tiger’s pro-am round, my famous colleague

Tiger Woods at the Genesis Invitational

Tiger Woods at the Genesis Invitational.

Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Hey pals! I am once again writing to you all from the media center at Riviera, where I’m sipping on an iced vanilla latte from the coffee station.

The coffee station in the Genesis media center
The coffee station in the Genesis media center Claire Rogers

Following Tiger

This place truly has it all! I’ve had quite the few days here at Riviera. From watching Tiger on the range to walking with Rory, I don’t have a single complaint. But if I had to find something to whine about, it’d be the wind here.

We’ve had a few very chilly days here at Riviera. It’s been so windy and cold that in photos, I don’t appear to be enjoying myself at all out on the course, which could not be further from the truth.

My sincerest apologies to both Rory McIlroy and Tom Kim for looking miserable out there on Tuesday. The wind got the best of me.

I was going to say I treated following Tiger like my own version of the Masters today (AKA without a cell phone), but that’s only half true. The reason I didn’t have my phone out at all while following him was because my hands were simply too cold. Luckily, there were a handful of Getty photographers that did the hard work for me.

Tiger and Joe LaCava at Riviera
Tiger and Joe LaCava at Riviera Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

I’m not usually a big fan of the beanie over the golf hat, but somehow Tiger managed to make it look somewhat cool. His walk looked a lot more comfortable than it did in the 2022 majors. And shoutout to my colleague, Ryan Barath, for noticing the nod to Tiger’s 15 major victories on his bag.

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan came out to follow Tiger for a few holes, as did Aaron Rai.

Respect to Aaron Rai for telling it like it is!

Jay Monahan and Tiger
Jay Monahan and Tiger Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images

I may not have had my phone out much during Tiger’s round on Wednesday, but I’m officially on Ringtone Watch for Mr. Woods. His cell phone went off during his presser on Wednesday, and again on the 17th green today. As someone who always has their phone on do not disturb and silent, I simply cannot relate to this. I quadruple-check that my phone won’t make a peep before heading out to the course. I guess when you’re Tiger Woods, it’s okay if your phone goes off.

I’m a little disappointed that Tiger’s ringtone isn’t the Masters theme song, but Radiate is a solid choice as well.

My famous coworker

Full Swing” finally dropped on Netflix, and I’m having trouble focusing on my work because of the paparazzi. Unfortunately, they aren’t paying attention to me, but my colleague, Dylan Dethier, who is one of the stars of the new series. I’m sitting next to Dylan in the media center at Riviera and am serving as somewhat of an agent/bodyguard. I’m fending off media requests left and right, folks begging for autographs and fans trying to sneak photos.

If you haven’t watched Full Swing yet, do yourself a favor and check it out. Dethier offers lots of fun insight, and each episode offers a special look into life on the PGA Tour. And finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t try to profit off of my friendship, so hit me up if you’re interested in a Cameo video or signed picture from him. Our price isn’t cheap, but it’ll be worth it.

The queen WAG

I owe Mrs. Lacey Homa my sincerest apologies. A few weeks ago, I wrote that Layna Finau and Jessica Hadwin should be earning PIP points. This remains true, but I made a huge oversight. Lacey is private on Instagram, so I had basically accepted that I’d just get to learn about her through Max‘s Instagram.

Lacey Homa at the WM Phoenix Open
Lacey Homa at the WM Phoenix Open Max Homa

Don’t get me wrong. Lacey is one of my favorite golf wives (we’ve never met, but she seems lovely). I just assumed she was pretty offline. And folks, I was wildly mistaken. Lacey is star on my favorite social media app of all: TikTok.

@lacehoma

No babies were harmed during this celebratory moment ⚠️😂 @maxhoma25 #pgatour #pga #golf #farmersopen #sandiego

♬ Carrying Your Love – David Morris

Move aside, Max. Lacey is the Homa the golf world needs. Not only did the above video go totally viral, her entire page offers a special look into her life with Max Homa. I am now officially declaring Lacey Homa as No. 1 in the PIP rankings as of Genesis week. Keep up the good work!

That’s all I’ve got for today, friends. I’ll check back in after Round 1 tomorrow!

claire rogers

Claire Rogers

Golf.com Editor