From Jon Rahm's dominance to Tiger Woods' return, 2023 West Coast Swing had it all

Sunday’s final round of the Genesis Invitational in Pacific Palisades was also the last round of the PGA Tour’s 2023 West Coast Swing. Some years that swing of seven tournaments in Hawaii, Arizona and California doesn't offer much excitement. But this year the West Coast Swing may have set up what could be one of the best years the PGA Tour has seen in years. Changes in schedules, red-hot stars and even the return of an all-time great to the fairways were just part of the start of 2023.

Here are the six most intriguing story lines from the West Coast Swing this year:

The rise of Rahm

There is certainly no question at the moment who is the best player in the world. Rahm won three of his five starts on the West Coast Swing to regain the No. 1 spot in the world rankings. The Spanish star did so by going 27-under par to win the Sentry Tournament of Champions, another 27-under par total to win his second The American Express title and a solid start-to-finish performance for a victory at Riviera Country Club in the Genesis Invitational. He’s the first golfer to win three events in a calendar year so fast since Johnny Miller in 1975. Where the fast start will take him this year is anyone’s guess. But Rahm rules the PGA Tour at the moment.

More:Playing to win: Jon Rahm embraces mentality of getting better even as one of golf's best

Max Homa, California kid

Homa has been on the rise on the tour for several years and might be a good bet to win a major in 2023. On the West Coast Swing he solidified his standing in the game with a strong win at the Farmers Insurance Open (at Torrey Pines, a major championship golf course) and a second-place finish at the Genesis Invitational (at Riviera, another major caliber course). Of his six PGA Tour wins, four have come in Homa’s native California. The U.S. Open this year is at Los Angeles Country Club, so you can assume there will be a lot of talk about Homa at the Open this year.

The designated events seem to work

Three of the seven West Coast events were so-called designated tournaments, designed to bring the top players in the game together more often. The plan seems to work, with Rahm winning twice and Scottie Scheffler once in the designated events. But in each event, the leaderboards were filled with big names, with Rahm holding off Homa, Patrick Cantlay, Will Zalatoris and Collin Morikawa at the Genesis event. If that’s the way it works 17 times a year, the PGA Tour will be an interesting place in 2023.

The Pebble Beach problem

The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am has been one of the highlights of a PGA Tour season forever, in part because of the magnificent courses on the Monterey Peninsula. But the tournament has struggled for a field in recent years, getting only one of the top-10 players in the world this year because of its position on the West Coast schedule and its position opposite a DP World Tour event. Long rounds and tough weather have always been part of the tournament, but the folks at the Pebble Beach tournament and the PGA Tour have to be looking at the event and wondering how it can be turned around.

The American Express field

If the AT&T tournament is hurting for top players, The American Express in La Quinta had an abundance of riches. Five of the top seven players in the world and 10 of the top 19 played in the La Quinta tournament, the strongest field the tournament has fielded this century. With Rahm winning and all 10 of the top players in the event making the cut, it was a big year for the improving American Express.

Hey, Tiger played

It was a surprise to hear that Tiger Woods decided to play a regular PGA Tour event, even if he is the host of that event at the Genesis Open. There were flashes of strong play, including three birdies to close his opening-round 69. But there was also some rust in the game, including five bogeys in his final round. Do we see this as Woods taking another step to competitiveness or as an example of what we can expect from Woods for the rest of his career. One thing seems sure. If he can play 72 holes at the Genesis Invitational, Woods will likely play at least one more event before the Masters in April.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: PGA Tour: Jon Rahm's dominance, Tiger Woods' return part of West Coast Swing