sinking a 23-foot birdie putt on 18, putting an exclamation on Rahm’s day and his effort.

“It was a great round of golf,” Rahm. “I took advantage of a couple good lies in the rough and made every putt that I needed to keep the round going, highlighted by the one on 13 (a 12-foot putt that saved par). I’ve seen that putt (on 18) hit a million times and we all leave it just a couple, a couple rolls short, so I just wanted to get it there. Felt good obviously making it, it’s a huge bonus, right? To be able to make one and extend the lead going into tomorrow, it’s a big bonus.”

Rahm opened the year with back-to-back wins, but the last two starts he’s come up short on the final day despite playing in the final group both times.

With the strength of the field in this week’s event and how challenging Riviera can be, Rahm knows he needs to come out and post another low score if he hopes to claim his first Genesis Invitational title.

“Somebody’s going to come out tomorrow and shoot a round of 4, 5, 6, 7 under, it happens every single tournament we play in,” Rahm said. “So, I have to be aware that somebody’s going to make a run and I’m going to have to shoot a 60s round for sure to give myself a chance to win as well. Just aware that I need to keep doing what I’ve been doing.”

With three top 20 finishes in his four previous starts at Riviera, it’s clear that it’s a course that Rahm feels comfortable playing. He said his comfort starts with having grown up playing on poa annua grass, the same grass used on many golf courses around California. Beyond the grass, Rahm said he likes Riviera because it’s a ball-striker’s golf course.

“There’s a reason Ben Hogan had that success here and why it’s very difficult to be able to have people win back to back or win three, four times,” Rahm said. “You can’t really just get lucky, you have to come out here and be the best. I think that’s where it kind of helps me. My ball-striking level on average is usually pretty high and that’s why I have consistent finishes. This week I’ve been hitting my irons very precisely, giving myself a lot of chances for birdie. That’s why I’m in the position I’m in.”

Homa is trying to become one of those rare two-time winners, but he knows to do that he will have to play his best golf of the week today to chase down Rahm.

“Chasing down the hottest golfer on the planet, it’s an exciting opportunity,” Homa said. “I relish it. It’s exciting. It’s an opportunity, and I think in this life it’s just about opportunities, getting them and then when you have them, take advantage. So I’m excited to test myself with that.”

Homa matched Rahm shot for shot through the first 14 holes Saturday, but back-to-back bogeys on holes 15 and 16 leave the Burbank native with some work to do in order to win his seventh career title.

His score of 2-under 69 on Saturday was his highest of the week, but Homa actually felt like he struck the ball better in the third round than he had the day before when he shot 68.

“Yesterday I was scrappy and I hearted it out for 68,” Homa said.

“Today I played great but I didn’t feel like I got the bounces. I didn’t feel like I got a lot out of the shots I was hitting, so tomorrow will be a different day.”

In five of his six wins, including his most recent at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, Homa rallied from behind in the final round to win. His history, along with his growing belief in his golf game, give Homa confidence that he can create more winning magic today.

“I feel like I have haven’t really matched everything up yet this week minus the first day, and even then I could have driven it a little better,” Homa said. “I’m excited to do that tomorrow. I’m going to have to play a really good round of golf. This place is tricky. I know it very well and I feel like I’ll know when to pick my spots. I’m trusting in everything I’m doing right now, which I think is the key, so I feel good.”

After making the cut on the cutline, tournament host Tiger Woods came out on Saturday and played his best round since winning the 2019 Masters.

Starting his round on the back nine, Woods birdied his opening hole and went on to fire a 4-under 67, leaving him in a tie for 26th after three rounds. Woods had three birdies and an eagle, but he just missed several other birdie putts that could have allowed him to post something really low.

“It’s the best I have played (since returning from his accident), Woods said. “I wanted to get in touch with the leaders today, I was hoping to shoot something a little bit lower than I did just so I could reach out to them. Hopefully tomorrow go out and play a good one.”

Having not walked 72 holes since last year’s Masters, Woods admitted his body is a fairly sore, so he’s looking forward to finishing with a strong final round and then giving his body a few days to recover.