It's fair to say Rory Mcilroy isn't the biggest fan of changes made at Riviera Country Club, describing one in particular as "horrible" ahead of the Genesis Invitational.
The $20m Signature Event hosted by Tiger Woods is one of the biggest stops on the PGA Tour schedule, due in part to the history and tradition of the event, the course and the name attached to it.
Formerly known as the Los Angeles Open, the tournament is being staged for the 100th time this year.
As Riviera CC also celebrates its 100th anniversary, several tweaks have been made to 'Hogan's Alley' including both the iconic fourth hole and the cinematic 18th both being lengthened.
The closing hole up to the grand old clubhouse has gained 24 yards to make it a tougher 499-yard par four up the hill, while the par-three fourth has been stretched by 37 yards to a whopping 273.
Already a tough par three, the signature fourth hole is now an even more difficult prospect for even the PGA Tour's finest - and McIlroy is definitely not a fan.
"I don't think four plays any differently, you're just hitting a slightly longer club. I actually think it's a horrible change," said McIlroy after a practice round at the Genesis Invitational.
"And 18, yeah, 18 played downwind today and I hit driver, 8-iron. So certainly it's a bigger hole than it was, so 18's probably the better change."
The new Grand Slam champion says extending the fourth hole was not a change that was needed given how tough it was to find the green in the first place.
McIlroy also feels Riviera needed to amend the surrounds to the fourth green, with the grass type not conducive to players being able to run the ball up onto the putting surface from such a hefty distance.
"Well, like 15 percent of the field hit the green last time when it was played at its original yardage at 230," McIlroy explained. "If you want it to be a 275-yard par-3, you have to change the apron leading up onto the green.
"It can't be kikuyu, it has to be another type of grass that can help you run it onto the green because again, in the right conditions, you try to fly that ball on the green with a 3-iron, it's going to land - it's going to finish up on the fifth tee box.
"That's sort of what I mean by why it's not a great change."
With the famous old Californian classic celebrating its centenary, McIlroy says the difficulty of the greens is a particular reason for Riviera continuing to be a challenging favourite on the PGA Tour even after all this time.
"I think the green complexes are a big part of it," he said. "We haven't been here in a year obviously and I just, I don't know why I was surprised but some of the movement and some of how much break you have to play on a lot of the putts out here, it just, I don't know why I didn't remember but it's like 'wow'.
"So the greens provide a challenge in themselves. Then you get a little bit of wind and it starts to swirl in this valley a bit and it starts to play pretty tricky."
Could Genesis move to August?
And the course may play even trickier if the event is moved to August in the new PGA Tour future schedule - as Tiger Woods himself hinted it could.
"If you do get it in August where the greens are firm, there's more of a consideration of strategy off the tee especially and it starts to make the guys think a little," McIlroy said.
"But it certainly becomes a much more strategic golf course in that way.
"I mean, same as Pebble last week as well. We mightn't be able to play that in August because of the car show and everything else that goes on at that time of the year there, but even if you moved it a little bit later in the year there just to have the opportunity to have better weather and firmer conditions, that would be a good thing."
