You know the PGA Tour is getting serious when the game’s big guns start pegging it up. And we’ll see the biggest gun of them all this week with Tiger Woods scheduled to play in the Genesis Invitational. The tournament always attracts a strong field but even more so this year as a ‘designated event’ on the schedule. All of the top 30 golfers in the FedExCup standings will take a twirl around fabled Riviera Country Club highlighted by outright betting favorite Jon Rahm and new OWGR No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who moved ahead of Rory McIlroy with last week’s win in Arizona. And the top three favorites are all included in tournament matchups with a host of wagering options created by the top players in the sport. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of matchup betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
Genesis Invitational Matchup Odds
Jon Rahm -127 vs. Rory McIlroy +106
Jon Rahm -134 vs. Scottie Scheffler +112
Rory McIlroy -123 vs. Scottie Scheffler +103
Justin Thomas -105 vs. Xander Schauffele -115
Justin Thomas +100 vs. Tony Finau -120
Xander Schauffele -127 vs. Tony Finau +106
Collin Morikawa -110 vs. Sungjae Im -110
Collin Morikawa +113 vs. Patrick Cantlay -135
Sungjae Im +112 vs. Patrick Cantlay -134
Viktor Hovland -115 vs. Sam Burns -105
Viktor Hovland -120 vs. Cameron Young +100
Sam Burns -129 vs. Cameron Young +108
Tom Kim +115 vs. Jordan Spieth -138
Matthew Fitzpatrick -125 vs. Hideki Matsuyama +105
Jason Day -110 vs. Tyrrell Hatton -110
Adam Scott -115 vs. Justin Rose -105
Keegan Bradley -125 vs. Rickie Fowler +105
Sahith Theegala -110 vs. Alex Noren -110
Wyndham Clark -115 vs. Taylor Montgomery -105
Si Woo Kim -115 vs. Tommy Fleetwood -105
Shane Lowry +108 vs. Seamus Power -129
Corey Conners -105 vs. Keith Mitchell -115
Nick Taylor -110 vs. Tom Hoge -110
J.T. Poston -110 vs. K.H. Lee -110
Scott Stallings -120 vs. Billy Horschel +100
Taylor Moore -120 vs. Matt Kuchar +100
Gary Woodland +108 vs. Beau Hossler -129
Thomas Detry -129 vs. Christiaan Bezuidenhout +108
Patrick Rodgers -129 vs. Kurt Kitayama +108
Brendon Todd +100 vs. Emiliano Grillo -120
Tiger Woods +106 vs. Luke Donald -127
Max Homa +120 vs. Tony Finau -144
Will Zalatoris -165 vs. Rickie Fowler +137
Need to Know
Not a lot has changed with this tournament over the years. The 7,322-yard, par-71 Riviera Country Club will serve as host, like it’s done with a few exceptions since 1973, and looks very similar to what players have seen over the last decade or so. With six par-4s that play over 455 yards and a pair of 580-plus yard par-5s, the course plays longer than its length making drivers a weapon of choice. There are no water hazards, but accuracy is a must with narrow fairways, strategically placed bunkers and a layer of thick rough that swallows golf balls serving as obstacles. Now with ‘designated’ status the field was increased from 120 to 134 players. And there will be a new champ for the 14th straight year with Joaquin Niemann off to LIV Golf.
Genesis Invitational Matchup Picks
Tony Finau +106 vs. Xander Schauffele
You don’t often catch players like Finau at plus odds in a matchup so beware when that happens. Going against Schauffele is the down side of this wager and I had a tough time deciding on who to back. What swayed me was the price since I’m always looking for value, and Finau has matched some of the best this season winning in Houston while collecting four other top-20s. Both players have performed well at Riviera over their careers with Finau’s pair of runner-up finishes in his last five starts also a factor.
Scottie Scheffler +103 vs. Rory McIlroy
I could use that first sentence about Finau in this slot using Scheffler’s name. The new OWGR No. 1 started his player of the year season with a win in Arizona last year and Scheffler repeated with a 2-swing victory last week. That doesn’t mean we’ll see him go on a tear but he hasn’t really slowed down. This could be a mistake since McIlroy had his first hiccup in some time last week though he played well after an opening 73 left him off the pace. Still, Scheffler is damn good and I’ll take the plus odds.
Rickie Fowler +105 vs. Keegan Bradley
I must say I have a new appreciation for Fowler after seeing him in the Super Bowl commercial for the golf documentary “Full Swing.” Oh, and he’s been playing some really good golf lately, too, after making some changes. He started the fall with a T6 in Napa and was runner-up at the ZOZO. He was T11 at the FIO and among the top-10 last week. I’m sensing a pattern here and while I’m not ready to back him for the outright I’ll take Fowler at plus odds in this matchup.
Adam Scott -115 vs. Justin Rose
Few probably realize Scott is the all-time money winner at this tournament. He’s played in only two PGA events this season but he’s been busy around the world with consistency still his trademark. And given his history at Riviera it’s no surprise he’s competing. He has a win and two other top-7s in his last four starts and he also won here in 2005 with two other runners-up. In all he’s played the weekend in 13 of 14 starts with 10 top-20s.
Viktor Hovland -115 vs. Sam Burns
Hovland has been steady this season and in two starts at Riviera giving me the confidence to back him in this matchup. He’s 6 for 6 and also has a win at the unofficial Hero World Challenge while scoring par or better in every round. His 2021 debut at Riviera resulted in a T5 and he one-upped that last year with a T4.
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