American golfers just have one more reason to look forward to the 2028 Olympics. The home soil advantage was already there: the Olympics will return to Los Angeles for the third time, the first since 1984. For the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, and others, the good news is the greens will be even more familiar. 

The International Golf Federation announced that the 2028 Olympics golf tournament will be hosted at the Riviera Country Club. Antony Scanlon, Executive Director of the International Golf Federation, said in the official statement, “The Riviera Country Club will offer a prestigious and continuously challenging backdrop for golf’s most elite players, and we look forward to sharing one of the finest courses with our fans around the world.”

Riviera has hosted the 1995 PGA Championship, 1998 U.S. Senior Open, and 2017 U.S. Amateur before. It will also host the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open and the 2031 U.S. Open as well. For American golfers, it’s an added advantage. 

The USA’s record at the Ryder Cup in Europe is, of course, depressing. The Stars and Stripes have yet to win on away soil in more than 30 years. The American players have historically underperformed on European soil. On the other hand, in the Tokyo Olympics, only Collin Morikawa, and Xander Schauffele (the gold medalist) came inside the top 20. In the Women’s stroke play, besides Nelly Korda (the gold medalist), none came inside the top 10. 

Aside from the support of the home crowd, Riviera is significant for one more reason. It’s the yearly stop for the Tiger Woods-hosted Genesis Invitational. Courtesy of being a signature event, the $20 million-purse tournament draws all the big names to the venue. 

The Genesis Invitational is also one of the three player-hosted events that have a cutline despite the Signature status. The small field event with the cream of the crop but not just for the PGA Tour pros, the 2028 Olympics holds something significant for the LIV golfers as well. 

How LIV Golf pros can benefit from the Olympics Committee’s decision

On the other hand, by 2028, a consensus between the PGA Tour and PIF, which bankrolls LIV Golf, is expected to be reached. As many predicted, in the new format, the Signature events could become the potential venues where both LIV Golfers and the PGA Tour pros will go head-to-head. 

If that’s what the future holds, even players like Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, and Dustin Johnson, who love the Genesis Invitational, by the way, can look forward to teeing up at a future Olympics venue again. Aside from that, since Riviera has hosted the Genesis Invitational, even before LIV Golf’s inception, they already have past experience on the course. 

Keeping in mind the merger timeframe, by 2028, the OWGR snag is likely to be solved as well. Currently, LIV Golf events don’t receive any world ranking points through which the Olympics Committee determines the field. Moreover, major organizers have hinted at creating a direct pathway for LIV golfers. The Olympic committee might follow suit. The familiar greens of Riviera Country Club will be an added boost to the USA golfers, undoubtedly.