For all their combined major championships and PGA Tour dominance, one prestigious tournament has remained stubbornly out of reach for both Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus. They have made 28 appearances in the Genesis Invitational. The event went through five different names during this period. However, neither of them won the tournament even once. Rory McIlroy has a chance to surpass both of them if he manages to claim victory at Riviera Golf Course this Sunday.

As per a post shared by Golf Digest on Instagram, “Tiger, Jack, and Rory have combined for 184 PGA Tour wins, but have never won at Riviera Country Club. 👀.”

Nicklaus and Woods alone have won a mammoth number of those trophies. McIlroy is pushing for his 30th this weekend. As per the graphic shared on Instagram, they have played 32 Genesis Invitationals together. The Irishman has played the four that Woods missed after 2020 since his accident and injuries.

Currently, the Big Cat has the best record in the event. In his 16 appearances, he achieved consecutive runner-up finishes in 1998 and 1999. Nicklaus has only finished in second place once, behind Gil Morgan in 1978. However, both legends have four top-10 finishes each.

At present, McIlroy holds the worst record in the event out of the three. He got a T4 in 2019 and a T5 in 2020. In total, the Irishman has three top-10s so far in his nine appearances in the event. Being the youngest of the lot with a few more years to play in the Signature event, his record will certainly improve over time.

That said, if he does win at Riviera Golf Course this weekend, then McIlroy will surpass Woods and Nicklaus in the elite list. In fact, he will win the Genesis Invitational before the current world #1. Scottie Scheffler hasn’t won the tournament once in seven attempts.

But winning at Riviera Golf Course won’t be easy for McIlroy this year, especially after the performance Jacob Bridgeman has delivered in the penultimate round.

Can Rory McIlroy surpass Tiger Woods & Jack Nicklaus this year?

Jacob Bridgeman’s approach shot on the par-5 11th hole on Saturday even left Tiger Woods impressed. Sitting in the commentary box, the Big Cat told Jim Nantz, “I wish I could hit it like that.”

That’s as good a compliment as you can get in golf. Bridgeman ripped through the field in the third round to take an emphatic 54-hole lead. Going into Sunday, he is six strokes ahead of Rory McIlroy in the 2026 Genesis Invitational.

The Irishman has certainly been in great touch at the start of the 2026 PGA Tour season. But covering a six-stroke deficit won’t be easy for him, especially considering the form Bridgeman is in at the moment. McIlroy will have to pull something magical out of the bag and hope his adversary makes a few mistakes for him to win the Signature event.

Hence, his triumph in the 2026 Genesis Invitational is not entirely dependent on his performance. Rory McIlroy will have to rely on his strokeplay and his Irish luck to turn things around in the last 18 holes. If he is able to achieve that on Championship Sunday, then he would certainly deserve the right to be considered a better player at Riviera Golf Club.