Cole Rueck of Boise State won the 2024 Genesis Invitational Collegiate Showcase at Riviera Country Club, defeating Petr Hruby of Washington in a playoff on the second playoff hole after both golfers finished at even-par. 

Rueck and Hruby both made par on the first playoff hole, the iconic No. 10. A birdie on the par-5 No. 11 for Rueck earned him the win after Hruby made a par. 

The amateur group playing with Hruby secured the team competition and earned a $50,000 donation to the University of Washington golf program.

The sophomore at Boise State finished as a semifinalist in the 2023 Oregon Amateur and made the final 16 in the 2021 PNGA Amateur. 

At Boise State so far, he appeared in all eleven of the Broncos events during his freshman season and was second on the team with a 73.55 scoring average across 29 rounds. He recorded one top-10 finish and three top-25 finishes.

In the fall portion of his sophomore season, he shot rounds of 69-71-71 to shoot 6-under and finish tenth at the Island Resort Intercollegiate, posting career lows for a single-round and 54-hole score. He also led the Broncos with rounds of 70-73-75 to shoot 2-over and finish in the top 25 at the Kansas State Wildcat Invitational.

Cole Rueck

He has collegiate sports in his blood, being the son of Oregon State women's basketball coach Scott Rueck.

Caleb Shetler of San Jose State, Chuan-Tai Lin of Washington, and Riccardo Fantinelli of Princeton finished T3 at 1-over.

Kristopher Stiles, the 2024 Pathway Player, finished in solo eighth place.

Swinging right into tournament week, these collegiate golfers left their mark on the course during the #GenesisInvitational Collegiate Showcase. pic.twitter.com/rNXaDDYmt3

— The Genesis Invitational (@thegenesisinv) February 13, 2024

PREVIEW

For the 10th straight year, a limited field of top collegiate golfers will play Riviera Country Club on the Monday of Genesis Invitational week, with a spot in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event on the line. And while that event is no longer the Genesis Invitational at Riviera -- due to its new elevated status -- it's still a fantastic opportunity for the winning player to play their way into The Genesis Scottish Open field in July.

After a wet couple of weeks in Southern California (to put it lightly), the forecast calls for a sunny sweater weather kind of day, with a high of 61 degrees. Let's hope it stays that way this week for the tournament.

The Collegiate Showcase allows universities to compete for a $50,000 donation to support their golf program. The Collegiate Showcase allows your golf program to experience Riviera during one of the PGA TOUR’s Signature events while awarding the winning collegiate golfer the opportunity to compete in a co-sanctioned PGA TOUR & DP World Tour event outside of your college golf season.

RELATED:
Texas Tech's Jack Wall eagles the second playoff hole to win the 2023 Genesis Collegiate Showcase

Michael Brennan won in 2022 (AG photo)

Each collegiate golfer is paired with three amateurs representing a college/university competing in both a team and individual competition. The team’s three amateurs play a best-ball round, with the top three-person team winning the donation to their school's program.

The 2024 field is truly international in nature, with The USA, Italy, Korea, The Czech Republic, Chinese Taipei, and China all represented.

The highest-ranked player in the field is Michael Brennan of Wake Forest, currently sitting at No. 29 in the AmateurGolf.com World Rankings. Brennan has the additional experience of capturing the showcase in 2022 with a 66, getting the chance that year to compete at Riviera in the Genesis Invitational. 

Kristopher Stiles

Kristopher Stiles of San Jose State University has been named the 2024 Pathway Player -- an invitation awarded annually to a collegiate golfer with a minority background who excels on the golf course and academically.

A Southern California native, Stiles’ family first took him to a driving range at the age of five after seeing him swing a virtual club while playing a round of Nintendo Wii Golf. Quickly finding out he was natural at the sport, a year later he would compete and place second in his first golf tournament at Rancho Vista Golf Club in Palmdale.

Stiles, currently a senior at San Jose State, is a three-time California State Junior champion and was considered one of the top junior golfers in the country.

“I feel very grateful to participate in the Genesis Invitational Collegiate Showcase and take great pride in being recognized as the 2024 Pathway Player,” Stiles said. “I can’t wait to hit the course at Riviera and take on some great competition while representing the Spartans.”

The low collegiate golfer will earn an exemption into the 2024 Genesis Scottish Open with the following benefits:

• PGA TOUR U points.
• Possibility of playing for qualifying into The Open (Final Qualifying for The Open is the week prior to the Genesis Scottish Open).
• Player can turn professional and play as a pro in the tournament.
• Playing in a co-sanctioned PGA TOUR & DP World Tour event
• Playing in an elite field that drew 8 of the top 10 in the world in 2023, and continues to grow in stature.