With the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in the rearview mirror, the golfing world switches its focus to this weekend’s Genesis Invitational. The event is actually hosted by the legendary Tiger Woods, but he won’t be available to play due to his recent back surgery.
What makes this event so big is that the lineup is piled high with the best talent in the sport. It features the top four players in the current world ranking, as well as 11 of the top 15. It will no doubt be as close to a major championship as you can get without being one.
The tournament will be taking place at Riviera Country Club, a 7,340-yard par-71 course that will test these player’s skills and patience. This is a very difficult course, and the more experienced a golfer is, the better chance he will have to be victorious. Riviera ranked in the top-10 most difficult courses in 2020.
As with the Masters tournament coming up in April, Dustin Johnson is the current betting favorite at +550, and for good reason. DJ has been one of the best at playing Riviera, winning here just four years ago in 2017. He has nine top-10 finishes and hasn’t placed outside the top-20 since all the way back in 2013. He should be the favorite.
The defending champion is a pretty big longshot to repeat, and that is Adam Scott at +4000. For a guy that just won here last time out, those are some pretty valuable odds.
Something to look out for in this event: Each of the last three PGA Tour winners – Daniel Berger, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed – have missed the cut in their previous start where that previous start came in the previous week of the event. Understand that? Good.
Course Info
Dates: February 18-21, 2021
Course: Riviera Country Club, Los Angeles, California
Watch: Golf Channel/CBS
Tips And Picks
Patrick Cantlay +1600
If you read my article yesterday about some early info and value betting The Masters Tournament, you will know how high I am on Patrick Cantlay. He was great last weekend at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Where he struggled was his putting game, but if it wasn’t for that, he would have dominated the field. He led all golfers in strokes gained.
He has lots of experience playing here, and he will be playing in his own backyard so to speak. Cantlay was born nearby in Long Beach, California, and went to college at UCLA. So he’s very familiar with the territory. He has said that he used to play at Riviera Golf Club once a week back then. If Cantlay can correct his putting mistakes from last week, he will be very dangerous this weekend.
Longshot
Max Homa +7000
Homa went into Genesis last year with three top-15 finishes and finished top-5. In 2021, he has four top-25 finishes in his last four outings, including a top-7 finish last weekend. He has had success at the course, and he has had an arrow pointing upwards going into the event two years in a row. He has been striking the ball well, and he is well worth a look at 70-1 odds.
I would also take a look at a Homa top-20 finish for +200. Playing some of the best golf of his career, Homa has everything trending right for him to easily finish top-20. Playing in his hometown of Los Angeles, Homa comes with great value this weekend both outright and top-20.
