Genesis Invitational: PGA Tour Golf Odds and Predictions
Genesis Open Background
It’s is the last leg of the PGA Tour’s swing through Hawaii, California and Arizona. There’s a stop in Mexico next week and then it’s off to Florida – which means the Masters is right around the corner.
The Genesis Invitational began as the Los Angeles Open way back in 1926 with storied Riviera Country Club – if a Hollywood movie star plays golf, he or she has surely teed it up here – hosting the first time in 1929. It has been the full-time host since 1999.
Riviera is a par 71 measuring around 7,322 yards and maybe the most notable hole is the par-3 No. 6 because it has a bunker in the middle of the green. When Los Angeles hosts the 2028 Summer Olympics, the golf competition will be at Riviera. The course also has hosted two PGA Championships, last in 1995. It’s often referred to as “Hogan’s Alley” because the legendary Ben Hogan won the Los Angeles Open three times and the 1948 U.S. Open on the course. Hogan is one of 16 players to win this tournament multiple times.
This is the first year the event is an invitational, which means a smaller field (expected to be 120), an increased purse and a three-year PGA Tour exemption instead of the usual two.
Genesis Invitational Betting Favourites
Rory McIlroy returned to No. 1 in the world rankings Monday for the first time since 2015 and is the +800 favourite this week. Brooks Koepka had held the No. 1 spot since winning the PGA Championship last May but dropped to No. 2 even though neither he nor McIlroy played last week. Rory’s best finish here was fourth last year.
Justin Thomas and Jon Rahm are both +900. Thomas had the 54-hole lead last year but shot a final-round 75 and was runner-up by a shot to J.B. Holmes (+6000 to repeat). Thomas also took last week off and was T3 Super Bowl weekend in Phoenix. Rahm was ninth in this event in his 2019 debut.
It’s very rare to find a course that Tiger Woods (+1200) has played multiple times where he hasn’t won, but this is one as Tiger is 0-for-11 at Riviera – his foundation runs this tournament. Tiger has been runner-up a couple of times.
Canadian Golfer Odds
Canada’s Mike Weir won here in 2003 in a playoff over Charles Howell III and then the next year by one shot over Japan’s Shigeki Maruyama. Dave Barr was one of four runners-up in 1993 to Tim Kite, and Al Balding was a co-runner-up in 1963 to Arnold Palmer.
The biggest riser in the world rankings this week was Nick Taylor, who went from No. 220 to 101 after winning the Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Sunday. His only other PGA title was at the Sanderson Farms Championship in his 2014 rookie season. Taylor is +10200 this week and was T33 a year ago. Adam Hadwin (+10900) was 75th in 2019. Corey Conners (+12800) makes his tournament debut.
Genesis Invitational Predictions
Bet McIlroy and three-time champion Bubba Watson for Top 10s, but the winner is Dustin Johnson at +1400. He won here in 2017 and has a couple of runners-up at Riviera.