- The Genesis Invitational from Riviera Country Club outside of Los Angeles, CA tees off Thursday, February 17th
- Jon Rahm is the +800 favorite to win over Patrick Cantlay
- We’ve narrowed down the golfers with the best chance of emerging victorious and provided the best value bets below
The PGA Tour concludes its west coast swing this week at famed Riviera Country Club, with an extremely deep field of players that features all of the top-ten golfers on the planet. They’re headed up by tournament favorite Jon Rahm, who tied for tenth at the WM Open, and Patrick Cantlay, who lost a playoff there to Scottie Scheffler.
Scheffler continued a trend that has seen three straight first-time winners on the circuit, with Luke List (Torrey Pines), and Tom Hoge (Pebble Beach), completing their maiden victories before him. James Hahn (2015), was the last player to make the Genesis Invitational their breakthrough win on the PGA Tour.
This championship is not an easy one to win, with a course that is penal and a diabolical short par-4, 10th hole that causes plenty of drama each year. The last four champions have won with an average score of 12-under-par, making Riviera a very stern test for the world’s best.
2022 Genesis Invitational Odds
| Golfers | Odds |
|---|---|
| Jon Rahm | +800 |
| Patrick Cantlay | +1000 |
| Justin Thomas | +1400 |
| Dustin Johnson | +1600 |
| Hideki Matsuyama | +1800 |
| Collin Morikawa | +2000 |
| Rory McIlroy | +2200 |
| Scottie Scheffler | +2200 |
| Xander Schauffele | +2200 |
| Cameron Smith | +2200 |
| Viktor Hovland | +2500 |
| Brooks Koepka | +3500 |
| Will Zalatoris | +3500 |
| Matt Fitzpatrick | +3500 |
| Jordan Spieth | +4000 |
| Sam Burns | +4000 |
| Sungjae Im | +4000 |
| Russell Henley | +4000 |
| Talor Gooch | +4000 |
Odds as of February 14th at DraftKings Sportsbook
Last year, Max Homa won a dramatic playoff against Tony Finau at this fabled track, with Homa getting up and down from a precarious position on the first playoff hole at the 10th, then winning after Finau made a bogey on the second playoff hole.
Dustin Johnson Loves Riviera
If there ever was a course and tournament perfectly suited to Dustin Johnson, Riviera is most certainly that. DJ has won at this venue in 2017, and has been perilously close to taking home other titles, twice finishing runner-up.
The former world #1 has seven top-10’s in his last eight attempts at this tournament, with the lone outlier still resulting in a respectable T-16th showing in 2018.
Unsurprisingly, his strokes gained stats in the last 36 rounds at Riviera have been outstanding.
Dustin Johnson’s Strokes Gained Last 36 Rounds at Riviera CC
| Total | Tee-To-Green | Ball Striking | Approach | Short Game | Off-The-Tee | Putting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
In his first two starts of 2022, Johnson hasn’t been his typical super sharp self, with a T-25th at the Farmers Insurance Open, and a T-8th at the Saudi International. Those results are decent enough that his odds of +1600 to win outright this week are attractive, however.
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Last Five Genesis Invitational Winners
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2021 | Max Homa |
| 2020 | Adam Scott |
| 2019 | J.B. Holmes |
| 2018 | Bubba Watson |
| 2017 | Dustin Johnson |
2022 Genesis Invitational Best Value Picks
- Sam Burns (+4000): Sam Burns very nearly left LA with this trophy in tow last year, when he was the 54-hole leader. A tough Sunday dropped him into a third place showing. He’s priced down the board more than he normally would be, due to two missed cuts in a row. However, the ten starts before that, he had nothing worse than a T-21, including six top-10’s, along with a victory at the Sanderson Farms Championship.
- Bubba Watson (+4500): The often mercurial Bubba Watson has been exactly that at this track. He’s a three-time champion of the Genesis, in 2014, 2016 and 2018. Yet he’s missed the cut the last two times at this event. It’s hard to predict which Bubba will show up, but these are great odds given his success here. In his last two starts, he’s been second at the Saudi International, and T-14th at the WM Phoenix Open.
- Patrick Reed (+9000): While he hasn’t been firing on all cylinders in 2022 (one top-15 in four starts), Patrick Reed at this price will always garner attention. When he does win, it’s at premium events and challenging courses, with the last being at Torrey Pines last year.
The post 2022 PGA Tour Genesis Invitational Odds and Picks appeared first on Sports Betting Dime.
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