The PGA Tour heads back to California this week finishing up the West Coast swing at Riviera Country Club for the annual Genesis Invitational. The event always attracts the best players and it’s getting the best of them all with Tiger Woods pegging it up. Woods makes his first Tour start since the 2023 Masters where he retired after three rounds. This tournament last year was the last full event on Tour for Tiger before he was shelved due to an injury. Always a draw when he plays you can expect the Big Cat will have has share of followers, and bettors. The lengthy time off is an issue, though, with Woods listed in the 150/1 range on the early line. Making a valiant bid for a three-peat at the Phoenix Open last week, Scottie Scheffler enters as the betting favorite with Rory McIlroy next in line. They are the only two golfers with shorter than 10/1 odds, but with nine of the top 10 ranked players in the world in the field it’s really anyone’s tournament. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of betting odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
Genesis Invitational Betting Odds
Scottie Scheffler +750
Rory McIlroy +900
Xander Schauffele +1400
Viktor Hovland +1500
Max Homa +1600
Justin Thomas +1800
Patrick Cantlay +1800
Collin Morikawa +1950
Ludvig Aberg +2000
Sam Burns +2250
Jordan Spieth +2500
Adam Scott +3000
Tony Finau +2800
Sahith Theegala +3300
Cameron Young +3600
Tommy Fleetwood +3300
Matt Fitzpatrick +4000
Wyndham Clark +4500
Tom Kim +4500
Sungjae Im +4500
Russell Henley +4500
Will Zalatoris +5000
Jason Day +5000
Nicolai Hojgaard +5000
J.T. Poston +5500
Keegan Bradley +5500
Si Woo Kim +5500
Byeong Hun An +5500
Eric Cole +5500
Odds Analysis
Ludvig Aberg +2000
With all the unexpected winners this season why not back Aberg. His price suggests he’s a lot closer to the top of the odds board than the bottom, and although he experienced a rough patch in Hawai’i he’s returned to solid ground logging a T9 at the Farmers and solo second at Pebble Beach. This is Aberg’s first foray around Riviera but his pinpoint accuracy on a narrow track will help his overall numbers.
Wyndham Clark +4500
His finish in Phoenix looked a lot worse than it was. Clark followed up his rain-shortened victory at Pebble Beach with two sparkling middle rounds at TPC Scottsdale only to have the hard work undone by a closing 75 that dropped him outside the top 40. What strikes me about Clark is his consistently strong play on a difficult Riviera layout scoring below par eight times with a T8 and T17 finish. He has to be confident in his ability after a strong start to the season and with several past winners in his price range I have no issues backing him.
Jason Day +5000
Day is another player that piques my interest when it comes to recent form, price and course history. He rebounded from a MC at the Farmers to collect his best finish of the season at Pebble Beach. His third round 63 vaulted him into a share of sixth and who knows where he would have gone if that wasn’t the final leg. It was also Day’s second top 10 in four starts this season. His power and precision were on display last year when he recorded a T9 at Riviera.
Max Homa +1600
With the past two winners jumping to LIV Golf, Homa is the most recent Genesis champion in the field. And his victory in 2021 is just one of several outstanding finishes at this joint. Giving all the issues and disturbances in Phoenix it may be a blessing that Homa endured a rare MC getting him out of that environment. Homa hadn’t missed a cut since last June so maybe it was expected, but his play at Riviera has been fabulous with three top 5s, including his win, among four straight top 10s.
Sahith Theegala +3300
I can see many more wins in Theegala’s future and I continue to back him not only in the outright market but also in tournament matchups. He got a win for me in Phoenix with his solo fifth, the second top 5 in five starts this season. He’s also perfect in three starts at Riviera with a best of sixth last year when he closed with three rounds of 68 or lower.
Course: Riviera Country Club – 7,322 yards, Par 71
The Riviera course hasn’t changed much from previous years, but that doesn’t mean it’s any easier. Long considered one of the best courses around, Riviera’s compact layout is a good test. The track plays longer than its listed yardage with six par-4s that each play at 455 yards or longer and two par-5s over 580 yards. The driver becomes a huge weapon this weekend. Those who can hit the ball a long way with accuracy have an advantage with the narrow fairways. There are no water hazards, but there are plenty of bunkers lining the playing area and thick rough that swallows golf balls. The layout screams conservative play, but as we know that doesn’t lead to playing in the final group on Sunday.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel, NBC
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