BlogGenesis Invitational Preview and Picks

Genesis Invitational

February 17th – 20th, 2022

Riviera C.C.

Pacific Palisades, CA

Par: 71 / Yardage: 7,322

Purse: $12 million

with $2,160,000 to the winner

Defending Champion:
Max Homa

by Sal Johnson

Founder, Chief Data Officer, GOLFstats

E-mail me at:
sal@golfstats.com

This week’s field includes:

The field includes 62 of the top 100 and 35 of the top 50 in the latest Official World Rankings, with all ten players from the top-ten: #1 Jon Rahm, #2 Collin Morikawa, #3 Patrick Cantlay, #4 Viktor Hovland, #5 Rory McIlroy, #6 Dustin Johnson, #7 Xander Schauffele, #8 Justin Thomas, #9 Scottie Scheffler and #10 Hideki Matsuyama.  Those not in the top=ten include #11 Cameron Smith, #14 Jordan Spieth, #15 Brooks Koepka, #16 Sam Burns, #18 Abraham Ancer, #19 Tony Finau, #23 Matt Fitzpatrick, #24 Sungjae Im, #25 Jason Kokrak, #26 Patrick Reed, #27 Paul Casey, #28 Kevin Na, #29 Will Zalatoris, #31 Thomas Pieters, #32 Joaquin Niemann, #33 Talor Gooch, #35 Max Homa, #36 Marc Leishman, #38 Tom Hoge, #39 Russell Henley, #42 Corey Conners, #45 Seamus Power, #46 Adam Scott, #47 Harold Varner III and #48 Sergio Garcia.

Last year there were 30 top-50 players in the field.

The field includes 22 of the top 25 on the FedEx point standings for 2022.  Those players are  #1 Hideki Matsuyama, #2 Tom Hoge, #3 Talor Gooch, #4 Scottie Scheffler, #5 Sungjae Im, #6 Luke List, #7 Sam Burns, #8 Cameron Smith, #9 Patrick Cantlay, #10 Max Homa, #11 Seamus Power, #12 Cameron Tringale, #13 Viktor Hovland, #15 Jason Kokrak, #16 Russell Henley, #17 Jon Rahm, #18 Mackenzie Hughes, #19 Maverick McNealy, #22 Will Zalatoris, #23 Rory McIlroy, #24 Collin Morikawa, #25 Marc Leishman.

Those not in the field are #14 Hudson Swafford, #20 Lucas Herbert, and #21, Matthew Wolff

The field includes 5 past champions: Max Homa (2021), Adam Scott (2020 & ’05), Bubba Watson (2018, ’16 &’14), Dustin Johnson (2017) and James Hahn (2015), and Charles Howell III (2007)

A perfect way for fantasy golfers to check on the past performance of all the players in the Genesis field is our performance chart listed by the average finish.  Another way to check who is the best is through a special formula worked out in Golfstats that gives us the best average performances at the Genesis in the last five years or check out our sortable 8-year glance at the Genesis.

Time to look at our who’s hot and who isn’t:

Who’s Hot in the field for the Genesis Invitational

Player Phoenix Open Pebble Beach Farmers Insurance Dubai Desert Classic American Express Abu Dhabi Sony Open Sentry TofC Hero World DP World, Dubai RSM Classic Houston Open Mayakoba
Viktor Hovland
(276.67 pts)
CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP Win
(132)
DNP T4
(53.33)
DNP T30
(13.33)
Win
(44)
DNP DNP DNP Win
(44)
Scottie Scheffler
(272 pts)
Win
(132)
DNP T20
(30)
DNP T25
(16.67)
DNP DNP DNP 2
(33.33)
DNP T57
(0)
T2
(33.33)
4
(26.67)
Patrick Cantlay
(263.33 pts)
2
(100)
T4
(80)
DNP DNP 9
(30)
DNP DNP 4
(53.33)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
Tom Hoge
(246 pts)
T14
(36)
Win
(132)
CUT
(-10)
DNP 2
(66.67)
DNP CUT
(-6.67)
DNP DNP DNP T4
(26.67)
T46
(1.33)
T56
(0)
Jon Rahm
(220.67 pts)
T10
(40)
DNP T3
(90)
DNP T14
(24)
DNP DNP 2
(66.67)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
Hideki Matsuyama
(182.67 pts)
T8
(50)
DNP T30
(20)
DNP DNP DNP Win
(88)
T13
(24.67)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
Justin Thomas
(180 pts)
T8
(50)
DNP T20
(30)
DNP DNP DNP DNP T5
(46.67)
T5
(23.33)
DNP DNP DNP 3
(30)
Seamus Power
(178.67 pts)
CUT
(-10)
T9
(45)
DNP DNP T14
(24)
DNP T3
(60)
T15
(23.33)
DNP DNP T4
(26.67)
CUT
(-3.33)
T11
(13)
Luke List
(173.67 pts)
T53
(0)
DNP Win
(132)
DNP T22
(18.67)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP T10
(13.33)
T11
(13)
CUT
(-3.33)
Collin Morikawa
(168 pts)
DNP DNP DNP T18
(32)
DNP T62
(0)
DNP T5
(46.67)
T5
(23.33)
Win
(66)
DNP DNP DNP
Matt Fitzpatrick
(162.67 pts)
T10
(40)
T6
(60)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP T12
(12.67)
T2
(50)
DNP DNP T64
(0)
Rory McIlroy
(156 pts)
DNP DNP DNP 3
(90)
DNP T12
(25.33)
DNP DNP 18
(10.67)
T6
(30)
DNP DNP DNP
Xander Schauffele
(144 pts)
T3
(90)
DNP T34
(16)
DNP DNP DNP DNP 12
(25.33)
T12
(12.67)
DNP DNP DNP DNP
Thomas Pieters
(143.5 pts)
DNP DNP DNP T12
(38)
DNP Win
(88)
DNP DNP DNP 15
(17.5)
DNP DNP DNP
Will Zalatoris
(143.17 pts)
DNP DNP 2
(100)
DNP T6
(40)
DNP DNP DNP DNP T37
(6.5)
DNP DNP CUT
(-3.33)
Talor Gooch
(143 pts)
T26
(24)
DNP T20
(30)
DNP CUT
(-6.67)
DNP T27
(15.33)
T15
(23.33)
DNP DNP Win
(44)
60
(0)
T11
(13)
Erik Van Rooyen
(142 pts)
DNP DNP DNP T4
(80)
DNP T12
(25.33)
T20
(20)
T25
(16.67)
DNP DNP DNP T54
(0)
DNP
Russell Henley
(135.33 pts)
T33
(17)
DNP DNP DNP T14
(24)
DNP 2
(66.67)
DNP DNP DNP T22
(9.33)
T7
(18.33)
T56
(0)
Sahith Theegala
(124.33 pts)
T3
(90)
T65
(0)
T25
(25)
DNP T33
(11.33)
DNP T48
(1.33)
DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-3.33)
T61
(0)
DNP
Sungjae Im
(123 pts)
DNP DNP T6
(60)
DNP T11
(26)
DNP CUT
(-6.67)
T8
(33.33)
DNP DNP DNP T19
(10.33)
DNP
Cameron Smith
(119.67 pts)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-6.67)
Win
(88)
DNP DNP T4
(26.67)
T15
(11.67)
DNP
Jordan Spieth
(119.33 pts)
T60
(0)
2
(100)
CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP DNP DNP T21
(19.33)
20
(10)
DNP DNP DNP DNP
Lanto Griffin
(117.33 pts)
DNP T16
(34)
T30
(20)
DNP T3
(60)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP T40
(3.33)
T64
(0)
DNP
Si Woo Kim
(107 pts)
T26
(24)
DNP T11
(39)
DNP T11
(26)
DNP T55
(0)
T23
(18)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
Troy Merritt
(106.33 pts)
T38
(12)
T4
(80)
DNP DNP CUT
(-6.67)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP T22
(9.33)
DNP T15
(11.67)
Brooks Koepka
(103 pts)
T3
(90)
DNP CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP DNP DNP T28
(14.67)
T9
(15)
DNP DNP CUT
(-3.33)
CUT
(-3.33)
Joel Dahmen
(90 pts)
T62
(0)
T6
(60)
CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-6.67)
T28
(14.67)
DNP DNP T29
(7)
T5
(23.33)
T45
(1.67)
Andrew Putnam
(89 pts)
CUT
(-10)
T6
(60)
DNP DNP T14
(24)
DNP T27
(15.33)
DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-3.33)
T41
(3)
T64
(0)
Cameron Tringale
(88.33 pts)
DNP CUT
(-10)
T3
(90)
DNP CUT
(-6.67)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP T7
(18.33)
CUT
(-3.33)
Adam Scott
(88 pts)
T38
(12)
DNP DNP T9
(45)
DNP T10
(26.67)
DNP DNP DNP DNP T37
(4.33)
T54
(0)
DNP
Aaron Rai
(86.67 pts)
DNP T65
(0)
T6
(60)
DNP T59
(0)
DNP CUT
(-6.67)
DNP DNP DNP T16
(11.33)
T19
(10.33)
T15
(11.67)
Christiaan Bezuidenhout
(86 pts)
DNP T14
(36)
T46
(4)
DNP T40
(6.67)
DNP T17
(22)
DNP DNP T32
(9)
DNP CUT
(-3.33)
T15
(11.67)
Pat Perez
(81.67 pts)
CUT
(-10)
T9
(45)
T6
(60)
DNP CUT
(-6.67)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-3.33)
CUT
(-3.33)
J.J. Spaun
(80.33 pts)
DNP T16
(34)
T34
(16)
DNP T25
(16.67)
DNP CUT
(-6.67)
DNP DNP DNP T16
(11.33)
T46
(1.33)
T27
(7.67)
Marc Leishman
(80.33 pts)
DNP DNP T16
(34)
DNP DNP DNP T36
(9.33)
T10
(26.67)
DNP DNP DNP T19
(10.33)
DNP
Joaquin Niemann
(76.67 pts)
DNP DNP T6
(60)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-3.33)
CUT
(-3.33)
T5
(23.33)
Maverick McNealy
(75.67 pts)
DNP T33
(17)
T30
(20)
DNP DNP DNP T27
(15.33)
DNP DNP DNP DNP T19
(10.33)
T11
(13)
Jason Kokrak
(74 pts)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP T17
(22)
38
(8)
DNP DNP DNP Win
(44)
DNP
Sergio Garcia
(73.33 pts)
DNP DNP DNP T12
(38)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP T16
(17)
DNP DNP T7
(18.33)
Patrick Reed
(66.33 pts)
DNP DNP T46
(4)
DNP T55
(0)
DNP DNP T15
(23.33)
T3
(30)
T32
(9)
DNP T61
(0)
T56
(0)
Ryan Palmer
(65 pts)
DNP CUT
(-10)
T16
(34)
DNP DNP DNP T12
(25.33)
DNP DNP DNP DNP T26
(8)
T27
(7.67)
Adam Hadwin
(64.67 pts)
T26
(24)
T16
(34)
CUT
(-10)
DNP T25
(16.67)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP T51
(0)
DNP T56
(0)
Mackenzie Hughes
(64.33 pts)
DNP T16
(34)
CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP 2
(33.33)
T29
(7)
DNP
Beau Hossler
(63.33 pts)
CUT
(-10)
3
(90)
CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-6.67)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
Alex Noren
(62.67 pts)
T6
(60)
DNP T39
(11)
DNP CUT
(-6.67)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-3.33)
DNP T45
(1.67)

How Player Rankings are Computed

Who’s Not Hot in the field for the Genesis Invitational

Player Phoenix Open Pebble Beach Farmers Insurance Dubai Desert Classic American Express Abu Dhabi Sony Open Sentry TofC Hero World DP World, Dubai RSM Classic Houston Open Mayakoba
Chesson Hadley
(-50 pts)
CUT
(-10)
CUT
(-10)
CUT
(-10)
DNP CUT
(-6.67)
DNP CUT
(-6.67)
DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-3.33)
CUT
(-3.33)
DNP
Nick Watney
(-36.67 pts)
CUT
(-10)
T65
(0)
CUT
(-10)
DNP CUT
(-6.67)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-3.33)
CUT
(-3.33)
CUT
(-3.33)
Emiliano Grillo
(-33.33 pts)
CUT
(-10)
DNP CUT
(-10)
DNP T63
(0)
DNP CUT
(-6.67)
DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-3.33)
DNP CUT
(-3.33)
Brandon Hagy
(-33.33 pts)
CUT
(-10)
T65
(0)
CUT
(-10)
DNP CUT
(-6.67)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-3.33)
CUT
(-3.33)
DNP
Brendan Steele
(-23.33 pts)
CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-6.67)
DNP CUT
(-6.67)
DNP DNP DNP T51
(0)
DNP 69
(0)
Rickie Fowler
(-23.33 pts)
CUT
(-10)
DNP CUT
(-10)
DNP CUT
(-6.67)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP T40
(3.33)
James Hahn
(-22.33 pts)
CUT
(-10)
DNP CUT
(-10)
DNP CUT
(-6.67)
DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-3.33)
T27
(7.67)
Henrik Norlander
(-21.67 pts)
CUT
(-10)
DNP CUT
(-10)
DNP T63
(0)
DNP T55
(0)
DNP DNP DNP CUT
(-3.33)
67
(0)
T45
(1.67)
Kyle Stanley
(-21.33 pts)
CUT
(-10)
CUT
(-10)
CUT
(-10)
DNP DNP DNP T27
(15.33)
DNP DNP DNP 69
(0)
CUT
(-3.33)
CUT
(-3.33)
Adam Schenk
(-19.67 pts)
CUT
(-10)
DNP T56
(0)
DNP CUT
(-6.67)
DNP CUT
(-6.67)
DNP DNP DNP DNP T29
(7)
CUT
(-3.33)

How Player Rankings are Computed

The Buzz:

So the seven-week west coast swing comes to an end this week, and with that, the Tour moves east to spend time on courses in Florida and Texas as players get ready for the Masters. In the next six weeks, there will be the Players Championship, a World Golf Championship event, and all of the courses will be in great shape with Bermuda greens, some of the players will love to say goodbye to Poa Annua greens and new challenges. So as we bid farewell to the west coast, we will see if players that have done well over the last 6 weeks like Cameron Smith, Hideki Matsuyama, Scottie Scheffler, and Viktor Hovland will continue to play well. One of the surprises of this year’s west coast swing is the caliber of winners and the fact that the last three winners never won before on the PGA Tour. Even more surprising, three of the six winners are in the top-25 of the Official World Golf Rankings, and the other three are in the top-68.

This week has a loaded field in Los Angeles as all top-ten players are in the field. Because of the upgrade of the Genesis to an invitational, the purse is up to $12 million, with the winner getting $2.16 million. It will join the Arnold Palmer and Memorial as the highest, non-major, Players or FedExCup playoff event. So no holding back this week. If you’re in a pick your pro, you will want to use your best player. Despite it being highly regarded, six of the winners in the last decade weren’t the players you thought could win. Defending champion Max Homa is a perfect example. Yes, he may have won the 2019 Wells Fargo, but many considered that a flunk as he wasn’t considered a player to win. On DraftKings, you could have bought him for just $8,200. The same the year before with Adam Scott, not many folks gave him much of a chance, you could have purchased him for 9,000. Or the previous winner J.B. Holmes, you could have paid only $7,200 on Thursday morning on Draftkings.  Same with guys like James Hahn in 2015 or John Merrick in 2013. It was his first and probably only win on the PGA Tour for Merrick. Since winning nine years ago, he has played in 140 PGA Tour events and only been in the top ten once, a T-6th in the 2013 RBC Canadian Open. He is not on the PGA or the Korn Ferry Tours, he only played twice in 2022, finishing 75th at Bermuda and withdrawing at Pebble after a first-round 78. So you see, he had his moment in the sun, and that was it. But the fact is, no matter how good the field is this week, there is always another John Merrick ready to surprise us all.

But before we say “adios” to California… 

we have one more stop and some unusual items this week.

Scottie Scheffler won his first PGA Tour event in Phoenix, showing how young the Tour has gotten. For 2022 seven players in their 20s have won eight events. Of the seven others, they range in years between 30 and 36 years old as Jason Kokrak is the oldest winner at 36 years, 5 months with his win in Houston.

This week is going to be very interesting. In looking at the Top-ten, everyone except Dustin Johnson is playing well and could contend this week. I like Rory McIlroy for some odd reason. I think his game is close, and if he could find a good mindset could win.

Dustin

Of those in the top ten, Dustin Johnson is in a weird place. He has only played in three events since the Ryder Cup and wasn’t in contention in any of them. He didn’t play bad, even in his T-45th finish at the CJ Cup, he didn’t play bad. The big question is if Johnson can find his mojo. People don’t understand that Johnson is just a few months away from his 38th birthday, and he has played at a high level since 2008. Life couldn’t be more extraordinary for Johnson. He is beyond being rich, which means he can do anything he wants. With one phone call Johnson can order up a jet and go to any hot spot in the world. He is close to finally getting married to Paulina Gretzky, the two of them have two sons. The point is that I have to wonder how much enthusiasm he has to play well. I have a funny feeling he just isn’t working on his game day to day like he did five years ago, and it’s starting to show. Look at his stats, in just about every category from tee to green, his game has declined. Now his putting is getting better, but it’s just not significant enough to carry the rest of his game. So with the decline of his game, he isn’t as productive as he used to be. Of course, he can change it around, but with a young family, unlimited funds, and a knack for having fun, we have to think we have seen the best days of Dustin Johnson behind him. So I don’t see Johnson having that great run as he had at the Masters two years ago.

Rory

In looking at his stats, the thing that sticks out is his production on the par 5s. In 2021 McIlroy was T-35th on par 5, scoring average of 4.58. In 2020 he ranked T-18th, in 2019, he ranked T-12th, in 2018 was T-6th. In 2016 and 2015, Rory was 1st, and even though he was 4.44 on par 5s, you can see he is losing close to a shot per event on the par 5s. This isn’t his only problem. McIlroy just isn’t putting as well, in 2021, he ranked 131st inputting inside ten feet, while in 2015, he ranked T-77th.  Just like Johnson, McIlroy is richer than ever and can wake up every day to do what he wants to do. He has a wife and kids, and I will bet he doesn’t work as hard on his game as he did a decade ago. Still, the difference between Johnson and McIlroy, Johnson doesn’t get in contention anymore while McIlroy does. Rory finds it tougher to close out a tournament, which is his biggest problem. We can see his frustration when at Abu Dhabi, he tore his shirt off after the round. We have seen this many times in the last two years. If Rory could have finished a bit better, he could easily have five or six more wins. Still, I have a feeling on Rory this week, he has been Jekyll and Hyde at Riviera, last year was a perfect example as he missed the cut, but if Rory is on his game, the course is ideal for his game. Look for Rory to contend and possibly win.

Someone who won’t win this week, Bryson DeChambeau

Boy, talk about a soap opera, Bryson DeChambeau is that right now. Between the end of February of 2020 and mid-March of 2021, DeChambeau was the best player globally, and with his added length was the main talk around golf. Ever since the advent of golf over a hundred years ago, length has always been the talk. Golf always had long hitters, but it wasn’t until Jack Nicklaus turned pro that we had someone who hit it lengthy and straight and was able to putt well. As he grew older, Nicklaus realized that control and accuracy were the key and was able to bring his game to new heights in the 70s, winning ten majors between 1970 and 1980. John Daly came around in 1991 and won the PGA Championship with the combination of length and fitness. The only problem with Daly, he wasn’t very mature and allowed personal issues to interfere with his game. Daly could have been the best of all time of any player to come out, he had more God-given abilities than anyone else but didn’t know how to do it.

When Tiger Woods came out in 1997, he had all the abilities, length off the tee, fitness around the greens, and a mind to handle everything. For close to a decade between 1999 and 2009, Tiger has been the best player ever to play the game.

When Golf returned in 2020 after the three-month hiatus because of COVID-19, Bryson DeChambeau showed up at Colonial with a worked-on body, looking a bit like a bodybuilder. He had a new way of playing golf, hit it as hard and far as humanely possible. During the week at Colonial, he hit a dozen drives over 350 yards. He hit it so far that he had nothing but a flip wedge into the green, even in the rough. After showing off his game for a few weeks, players were in total awe over this game. Bryson finished T-3rd at Colonial, T-8th at the Heritage, and T-6th at the Travelers. He won at the Rocket Mortgage, and just like that, golf had a new superstar.

DeChambeau showed a lot of vulnerability at Memorial in his next start, missing the cut. He was T-30th at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude but then came close to winning at the PGA Championship the following week. Despite not playing well at the FedExCup playoffs, Bryson changed the narrative at the U.S. Open when he won by six shots. For many “experts,” they were completely confused with DeChambeau’s win. The mystic of the U.S. Open was that length meant nothing because you had to hit it straight off the tee, hit lots of greens, and putt well. For DeChambeau, he showed the golf world that even classic courses like Winged Foot were nothing for DeChambeau’s long game. He only hit 23 of 56 fairways but was close enough to the green to hit a wedge on the green despite being in the rough. He hit 46 of 72 greens to rank T-5th.  But his short game and putting were superb, and he won. This sent shivers through the players of the PGA Tour. With that victory, many, including Rory McIlroy, went home and thought that too had to beef it up and gain as many yards as possible. But as quickly as DeChambeau was the man of the hour, two months later at the Masters, DeChambeau showed some problems with hitting it long and chasing the ball. He found problems in playing this way at Augusta National and finished T-34th. After that, Bryson struggled with his game but found it at the Arnold Palmer when he won. The following week at the Players, he finished T-3rd, but after that, Bryson struggled. Things got worst, he grew very inconsistent and had many final round struggles, the biggest coming at the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. He went into the last nine holes leading the U.S. Open and looking to cruise to back-to-back victories. But he stumbled to bogeys at 11 and 12, then made a double bogey on the par 5, 13th. After that, he made pars, but when he made an eight on the par 4, 17th, he saw in a matter of two hours dropping from the lead to finish T-26th.  Life became a struggle for Bryson. He stopped talking to the media and became a novelty attraction on the PGA Tour. He came very close to winning the BMW Championship, losing a six-hole playoff to Patrick Cantlay, which sent him into a dark spot. We don’t know what happened to Bryson, but he played once at the Ryder Cup after the Tour Championship and was seen next at the Hero World Challenge. Since he wouldn’t speak to the media, rumors circulated that he was close to giving up the game. He seemed to hurt his wrist at the Farmers Insurance during the round and missed the cut. He went to Saudi Arabia, but that didn’t work out as he withdrew after the first round.

Nobody knows what is up with Bryson. He isn’t playing at the Genesis as he is rehabbing a hip and hand injury. He says there is false reporting on his life and game, so we have to wait and see what happens when he returns,  But we have to wonder what happens to his game. In a way, the same happened to John Daly, he just couldn’t put up with the pressure, and after winning in San Diego in 2004, his game went downhill. He almost won the WGC-American Express Championship only to miss a very short putt on the second playoff hole to lose to Tiger Woods. John slithered off to Las Vegas that night and sat down at a $5,000-per play slot machine. Within the first half-hour, he lost $600,000. Luckily, his second-place finish at the American Express earned him $750,000, so he was still up $150,000 on the day. But Daly refused to walk away, taking out a $600,000 line of credit at the casino and losing that within two hours. He eventually lost $1.65 million in five hours, playing primarily slots. Sadly, little did we know at the time that Daly would never have a top-15 finish again on the PGA Tour.

Could the same faith happen to DeChambeau? Could we have seen the best of DeChambeau, it may sound hard to believe, but we know one thing, Bryson isn’t in a good place right now.

Who else should we be looking at? First, it’s good to see what some of the top bookmakers think, first is oddschecker.com from England.  

Next is a list of odds from the top bookmaker in Las Vegas

Things you need to know about Riviera and the Genesis Open

  • Riviera C.C. has held a U.S. Open, two PGA Championships. a Senior Open and the U.S. Amateur.  No other stop on the PGA Tour can claim the distinction of holding those three majors and the highest Amateur championship in golf. Of the 55 courses that will hold a PGA Tour event this year, Riviera, Pebble Beach and Bethpage are the only ones that have hosted both the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship.
  • In the history of this tournament, 71 different champions   50 of the 93 winners have also won a major championship.  Going a step further, 36 of the 58 winners at Riviera have also won a major championship  Of those 36, 22 have also won the Masters, so there is a link between winners at both Augusta National and Riviera.
  • Taking a step further, in tournaments going back to 1925, more Hall of Fame members have won at the Genesis than any other tournament.  The Genesis has been won 39 times by 25 different Hall of Fame members, the closet to it is the BMW Open which has been won 37 times by 22 different Hall of Fame players.  So you can see this event has an excellent track record for producing first-class champions.
  • One last thing to look for is the close finish.  There have been 19 playoffs at the tournament, with eight coming since 1998, including wins by Billy Mayfair (1998), Robert Allenby (2001), Mike Weir (2003), Adam Scott (2005) and Charles Howell III (2007), Bill Haas (2012), John Merrick (2013) and James Hahn (2015). Dating back to 1989, the tournament has ended either in a playoff (9 times) or with a one-stroke win (10 times).  So out of the last 31 times the event has been played – 19 have been won by a playoff or a shot. But we have now seen three years of rarities in the last four years.  In 2017 when Dustin Johnson lapped the field winning by five shots and in 2018 when Bubba Watson beat Tony Finau and Kevin Na by two shots. J.B. Holmes beat Justin Thomas by just a shot in 2019 but last year Adam Scott beat Matt Kuchar, Sung Kang and Scott Brown by two shots.
Course information:
  • Riviera Country Club
  • Pacific Palisades, Calif.
  • 7,322 yards     Par 35-36–71
  • The course has a 74.3 rating and slope rating of 139 from the championship tees. Riviera is a private club.
  • Last year Riviera was the 17th hardest course on tour with a 71.27 scoring average.  The year before it was the 10th hardest course on the PGA Tour with a 71.26 average.  In 2019 it also was the 10th hardest course on the PGA Tour with a 71.20 scoring average.  In 20018, Riviera was the 9th hardest course with a 71.76 average.  In 2017 it was the 23rd hardest course with a 71.01 average. In 2016 Riviera was the 21st hardest course on the PGA Tour with a 71.02 average. In 2015 Riviera was the 5th hardest course on the PGA Tour playing to a 72.59 average while in 2014 Riviera was the 24th hardest course playing to a 71.209 average while in 2013 Riviera was the 13th hardest course on the PGA Tour playing to a 71.85 average.
  • Riviera was designed by George Thomas, with some help from William Bell, and was opened in 1927.  In 2001, Riviera brought in architect Tom Fazio with the goal of improving the course for a bid to host the 2008 U.S. Open, which ended up going to Torrey Pines.  What Fazio did was lengthen several holes, enlarge some of the greens and restore five of the holes to their original design before a flood forced them to be changed.  Riviera also saw a significant renovation in 1993 when Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore renovated all of the greens. Four years ago the course had all of its bunkers restored.
  • In the summer of 2009, Riviera Country Club completed phase II of the restoration of hole #8 directed by Fazio Golf Course Designers. The modifications intended to restore the 1926 original design intent of George Thomas’ “Double Fairway built around a dry wash.” In 1939, the original design intent was lost to a strong flood that scoured the “dry wash” along with the right fairway. Phase I of the restoration, in 2000, involved restoring the right fairway. Phase II included restoring the dry wash barranca, thus cutting the fairway into two parts.
  • The average green size at the Riviera is 5,000 square feet, which is a little under the average on the PGA Tour.  The course has 57 bunkers and no water hazards, but there is a dry barranca that comes into play for the pros on six holes.
History of Riviera:

Riviera Country Club is one of golf’s most intriguing clubs.

In 1922, Frank Garbutt, who was the vice president of the downtown Los Angeles Athletic Club, was looking for a golf course site for the club. He found a piece of property in the Santa Monica Canyon,  about two miles from the Pacific Ocean.  As he stood on an 80-foot bluff overlooking the canyon, where  Riviera’s clubhouse stands today,  Garbutt knew he had found the perfect site.

Garbutt hired George Thomas to design the course, but when the noted architect made his first site inspection, he didn’t share Garbutt’s opinion.  Thomas wasn’t impressed with the property, and he told Garbutt that any course built on the site would cost the club a bundle. Garbutt told Thomas to create the best course in the world, at any cost.

Thomas brought in 200 men to clear the canyon. He installed a state-of-the-art irrigation system and hauled 19,000 pounds of grass seed and topsoil from the San Fernando Valley.  When the course was finished in 1927, it had cost $ 675,000, giving it the distinction of being the most expensive course ever built.  That didn’t include the architect’s fee, because Thomas, a wealthy man who dabbled in course architecture, never charged a dime for his work.

Bottom line, Thomas built what many considered the best course in the West.  In 1939, when the National Golf Foundation named the ten best courses in America, Riviera placed third behind Pine Valley and Pinehurst No. 2.  Seventy years later, it still ranks among the best in various course ratings and opinion polls.

Riviera gained fame as the club of choice for movie stars.  Among them were Douglas Fairbanks (who put up $1,000 of the $10,000 prize fund for the first Los Angeles Open), W.C. Fields, Basil Rathbone, Dean  Martin, Burt Lancaster and Sammy Davis Jr.  More recently the membership has included Glen Campbell, Peter Falk, James Garner and Robert Wagner.  Scenes from several movies were shot at Riviera, including “Pat and Mike,” “The Caddy,” and “Follow the Sun.”

Today, those familiar with Riviera as a PGA Tour stop also recognize it as the course with the Kikuyu grass and a bunker in the middle of the green.

Kikuyu is a robust and sturdy strain of grass that was imported from Africa more than70 years ago for use on polo grounds.  When Riviera opened, polo was popular in L.A., and there were several polo grounds in the neighborhood.  There are many stories about how Kikuyu appeared at Riviera, but the tale most often told is that one night after a local polo field was seeded, a windstorm carried the Kikuyu seed onto Riviera.  Since Kikuyu grass is essentially a weed, it proliferated. The course superintendent ignored its encroachment, and before he knew it, Riviera had been taken over by Kikuyu.

Instead of resisting its growth, Riviera learned how to perfect Kikuyu. Today it blankets the course, making pitch and run shots nearly impossible because the thick grass grabs the clubhead.  Many believe Kikuyu is the finest form of grass to playoff fairways because the ball sits up, regardless of the lie.

Riviera’s other unique feature is the sixth hole, a 170-yard par 3 that features a bunker in the middle of the green, making the putting surface into a doughnut shape. If a player’s tee shot lands on the wrong side of the bunker, he must chip over the sand or take several putts around it. For the average player, option No. 1 means taking a divot out of the green.

Riviera has held several major championships.  The 1948 U.S. Open was the first and won by Ben Hogan, who shot 8-under-par  276, an Open scoring record that stood until Jack Nicklaus posted a 5-under-par 275 in 1967 at Baltusrol.

In 1983, the PGA Championship was held at Riviera and won by Hal Sutton. The PGA returned in 1995, with Steve Elkington beating Colin Montgomerie in a playoff. Both shot 267, which remains the record for any major championship.

Riviera hosted a Senior Tour major in 1998 when Hale Irwin rebounded from a first-round 77 and claimed the title.

Unfortunately, the odds of Riviera holding another major are slim, even though it did hold the U.S. Amateur championship in 2017.  Now the course will host the Olympics in 2028. The course is regarded as one of the gems on the PGA Tour, but traffic is a mess, and the congested neighborhood offers limited options for parking, hospitality and merchandise tents.  Still, for the pros, it’s a special treat for most of them once a year.

Major Championships held at Riviera:
  • 1948 U.S. Open won by Ben Hogan
  • 1983 PGA Championship won by Hal Sutton
  • 1995 PGA Championship won by Steve Elkington
  • 1998 U.S. Senior Open won by Hale Irwin
  • 2017 U.S. Amateur won by Doc Redman

Let’s take a look at vital stats that are important for those playing on the Riviera:

This is based on Riviera’s most important stats, based on data from last year’s Genesis Open, and using data from all the players in the field with stats from 2022.
The scoring average of Riviera’s field last year was 71.27, and it ranked 17th hardest on Tour. In 2021 it was 71.26, it ranked the 10th hardest on Tour. Now, what controls this is the weather. Of course, when one thinks of a tournament being played in Los Angeles, they think of great weather and nothing but sunshine. Many people believe that all the pros play in sunglasses to protect their eyes from the sun’s glare, but that’s not the case. Riviera is located in Pacific Palisades, just outside of Los Angeles, and the course is on top of a hill about a mile from the Pacific Ocean. So during the day, it could be 85 degrees 15 miles away in Downtown Los Angeles but only 65 at Riviera. Despite what you may think of Los Angeles in mid-February, the weather can be venerable. In 2020, the weather couldn’t be better. Last year on Saturday, inclement weather, including winds up to 35 mph, played havoc. Still, things were good the rest of the time, so the scoring average was around par. But in 2019, when the scoring average was 71.20 (ranked 10th), it was rainy the first two days as all for days it never got warmer than 62, and over the weekend, the winds blew between 10 and 25 mph. Same with 2018, when the scoring average was 71.76, the course ranked 9th hardest. Now it doesn’t have to rain to make it play tough. In 2015 the course played hard, the average was 72.59 (ranked 5th hardest course for the year) as the course was dry and fast with high winds during the tournament playing havoc for the players.
The good news is that for this year, just like at Pebble Beach, the weather at Riviera is going to be perfect a bit cold with temperatures in the high 60s and winds in the ten mph range, but sunny skies all four days and no chance of rain. The one thing that this doesn’t help is short hitters, as the ball won’t fly as long.

In looking at Riviera’s stats, every year, greens hit, and driving accuracy is critical and a key to playing the course well. The course ranked 3rd in greens hit in 2021 and 2nd in greens hit in 2020, which is the norm for any year of perfect weather. In 2019 it ranked 10th, while in 2018, it ranked 1st.
In driving accuracy, the course was 2nd in 2021, 4th in 2020, 12th in 2019, and 5th in 2018. So the combination of hitting fairways and greens is essential. Last year, we saw this as Max Homa was T-3rd in Fairways hit and T-5th in greens hit. In strokes gained Tee-to-Green, he was 3rd, and in Strokes Gained Off-the-Tee, he was 2nd. Now in previous years, fairways hit weren’t as important. Homa was the best for any champion in 25 years as in that time period only three winners finished in the top-ten of fairways hit (Bubba Watson in 2014 & Nick Faldo in 1997)
A critical thing for Riviera is getting the ball close from the fairway; Riviera was 5th in Proximity to Hole last year was 4th in 2020, ’19 & ’18. It ranked T-6th in 2017 and 5th in both 2016 and 2015. So we see that players that are good from tee to green have a distinctive advantage. The winners haven’t seen to do well in this stat as Homa last year ranked T-34th, 2020 champion Adam Scott ranked T-18th, and 2019 champion J.B. Holmes was T-30th.

Putting also showed that you have to putt well. The reason for this, Riviera has probably the most problematic greens for players to putt on. With Poa Annua and close to the ocean, the greens along with Pebble Beach two weeks ago are probably some of the bumpiest on Tour. That is why the course ranked 5th on the PGA Tour in putting inside ten feet last year. In 2020 it ranked 3rd, in 2019 it ranked 2nd, in 2018, it ranked 4th in putting, while in 2017, it was 7th, it was 2nd in 2016, and 3rd in 2015. Last year it ranked 3rd in putting from 4 to 8 feet on the PGA Tour, while it was 2nd in 2020. In 2019 it ranked 3rd, 6th in 2018, 4th in 2017, 2nd in 2016, and was 1st in 2015. So it makes sense that putting is probably the 3rd most crucial stat for the players.

So how did the winner Max Homa do last year? It took a two-hole playoff for him to beat Tony Finau. He was a shot better than Sam Burns and three shots better than Cameron Smith, who finished 4th. So how did Homa win? He was 2nd in Strokes Gained Off-the-Tee, 3rd in Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green, 7th in Strokes Gained Putting, and 9th in Strokes Gained Around the Green. Homa hit a lot of fairways, 32 of 56 to rank 3rd, hit 45 of 72 greens to rank T-5th. Putting was good, yes he was T-23rd in putting inside ten feet, but he was 1st in putting average. Now the key for Homa was consistency, he made only 17 birdies to rank T-7th but also made only nine bogeys for the week. His final round 66 included five birdies, and he was one of three players (Viktor Hovland & Fin Furyk) to go bogey-free in the final round.

So how did 2020 winner Adam Scott do? He was two shots better than Matt Kuchar, Scott Brown, and Sung Kang and three shots better than Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama, Joel Dahmen, Max Homa, and Bryson DeChambeau. So how did Scott win? He wasn’t as good as others have been off the tee as he hit only 23 of 56 fairways, which ranked T-63rd, but he hit 52 of 72 greens, which ranked 1st. In Proximity to the hole, he was T-18th and was T-33rd rough Proximity. This is the big reason why Scott won, it wasn’t due to putting. In Strokes Gained Putting, he ranked 27th at Riviera. In putts from 4 to 8 feet, he ranked T-40th and was 51st in putts inside 10 feet. Scott was good in birdies making 21 to lead that stat, and it translated to 2nd in Par Breakers.

So let’s see how 2019 champion J.B. Holmes won. He floundered off the tee hitting 29 of 56 fairways, which ranked T-59th. But like Scott and Homa, he was good at hitting 52 greens to rank T-2nd. But the key for Holmes winning was his putter. He dispelled his reputation of not being a great putter when Holmes was 1st in Strokes Gained Putting for the week. In putting from 4 to 8 feet, he was 3rd, and in the inside 10 feet range was 10th making 61 of 68 putts in that range. So let’s see how Bubba Watson won the Genesis in 2018. He was two shots better than Kevin Na and Tony Finau. So how did Watson win? He was good from off the fairway, Watson was T-7th, hitting 46 of 72 greens, and was 9th in Proximity to hole. He ranked T-27th in fairways hit. In Par Breakers, he was 1st making an eagle and 20 birdies. Talking about birdies on the three par 5s, he played them in 8 under par, since 1997, only five champions played the par 5s better.

109 of the 120 players from this year’s field with stats from this year (Rory McIlroy, Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson have not played in the minimum of 9 rounds):

So here are our four choices for the most critical stats from players to do well at Riviera:

*Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green: A way to gauge how players save shots from tee to green. Important because Riviera is a “shot-makers” course, and those that are good from tee to green tend to do well at Riviera. Now the rough isn’t harsh at Riviera, but hitting the 5,000 square foot greens is tough.

*Greens in Regulation: Important to see who hits the most greens at Riviera, since the greens are middle size hitting them is important and is the reason for player success at Riviera.

*Putting inside 10 feet: In 2012 & ’15, Riviera had the most challenging greens to putt on for the year. In 2013, ’14, ’16, and ’19, they were the 2nd hardest on Tour. Last year it ranked5th while the year before it ranked 3rd. Players are sometimes puzzled by the greens, which get bumpy and very hard to read in the afternoon. So making those putts are crucial in winning.

*Par 5 scoring average: Two of Riviera’s three par 5s are easy to get home in two and score well on. The longest of them is 17th, and most of the time is played downwind, thus making that hole a birdie hole. The winner will do good on the par 5s.

Click any column title in the table header to sort columns.

Here is the link to all the player stats for the year

DraftKings Prep

Of the 120 in the field, 103 have played at least once in the Genesis since 2010.  Here are the players with the most under par totals at the Genesis in the last five years:
  • Dustin Johnson is 82 under in 44 rounds, playing 12 years
  • Adam Scott is 43 under in 34 rounds, playing 9 years
  • Matt Kuchar is 30 under in 40 rounds, playing 11 years
  • Bubba Watson is 28 under in 34 rounds, playing 12 years
  • Hideki Matsuyama is 25 under in 24 rounds, playing 7 years
  • Paul Casey is 22 under in 28 rounds, playing 7 years
  • James Hahn is 21 under in 30 rounds, playing 8 years
  • Rory McIlroy is 21 under in 18 rounds, playing 5 years
  • Xander Schauffele is 21 under in 16 rounds, playing 4 years
  • Jon Rahm is 19 under in 12 rounds, playing 3 years
  • Patrick Rodgers is 17 under in 22 rounds, playing 6 years
  • Cameron Smith is 16 under in 22 rounds, playing 6 years
  • Cameron Tringale is 16 under in 38 rounds, playing 10 years
  • Jordan Spieth is 15 under in 32 rounds, playing 9 years
  • Sergio Garcia is 15 under in 28 rounds, playing 8 years
  • Talor Gooch is 15 under in 12 rounds, playing 3 years
  • Adam Hadwin is 14 under in 28 rounds, playing 7 years
  • Carlos Ortiz is 14 under in 18 rounds, playing 5 years
  • Max Homa is 14 under in 16 rounds, playing 5 years
  • Luke List is 13 under in 20 rounds, playing 6 years
  • Patrick Cantlay is 13 under in 20 rounds, playing 6 years
  • Tony Finau is 13 under in 24 rounds, playing 7 years
  • J.T. Poston is 12 under in 16 rounds, playing 4 years
  • Wyndham Clark is 11 under in 8 rounds, playing 2 years
  • Justin Thomas is 9 under in 24 rounds, playing 7 years
  • Matt Fitzpatrick is 9 under in 8 rounds, playing 2 years
  • Sam Burns is 9 under in 10 rounds, playing 3 years
  • Keegan Bradley is 7 under in 36 rounds, playing 11 years
  • Marc Leishman is 7 under in 40 rounds, playing 12 years
  • Viktor Hovland is 7 under in 4 rounds, playing 1 year
*Here are the ones with the best under par totals averaging it per year played (2 or more starts)
  • Dustin Johnson is 82 under, playing 12 years (-6.8)
  • Jon Rahm is 19 under, playing 3 years (-6.3)
  • Wyndham Clark is 11 under, playing 2 years (-5.5)
  • Xander Schauffele is 21 under, playing 4 years (-5.3)
  • Talor Gooch is 15 under, playing 3 years (-5.0)
  • Adam Scott is 43 under, playing 9 years (-4.8)
  • Matt Fitzpatrick is 9 under, playing 2 years (-4.5)
  • Rory McIlroy is 21 under, playing 5 years (-4.2)
  • Hideki Matsuyama is 25 under, playing 7 years (-3.6)
  • Paul Casey is 22 under, playing 7 years (-3.1)
  • Sam Burns is 9 under, playing 3 years (-3.0)
  • J.T. Poston is 12 under, playing 4 years (-3.0)
  • Max Homa is 14 under, playing 5 years (-2.8)
  • Patrick Rodgers is 17 under, playing 6 years (-2.8)
  • Carlos Ortiz is 14 under, playing 5 years (-2.8)
  • Matt Kuchar is 30 under, playing 11 years (-2.7)
  • Cameron Smith is 16 under, playing 6 years (-2.7)
  • James Hahn is 21 under, playing 8 years (-2.6)
  • Thomas Pieters is 5 under, playing 2 years (-2.5)
  • Bubba Watson is 28 under, playing 12 years (-2.3)
  • Luke List is 13 under, playing 6 years (-2.2)
  • Patrick Cantlay is 13 under, playing 6 years (-2.2)
  • Adam Hadwin is 14 under, playing 7 years (-2.0)
  • Sergio Garcia is 15 under, playing 8 years (-1.9)
  • Tony Finau is 13 under, playing 7 years (-1.9)
  • Jordan Spieth is 15 under, playing 9 years (-1.7)
  • Alex Noren is 5 under, playing 3 years (-1.7)
  • Cameron Tringale is 16 under, playing 10 years (-1.6)
  • Lanto Griffin is 3 under, playing 2 years (-1.5)
  • Justin Thomas is 9 under, playing 7 years (-1.3)
  • Collin Morikawa is 2 under, playing 2 years (-1.0)
  • Sebastian Munoz is 2 under, playing 2 years (-1.0)
Historical ParBreakers

Here is a look at those playing this week and who has made the most eagles and birdies:

So it makes sense that the top players on this list are guys that will make lot’s of points this week

DraftKings Picks

*Here are the guys that are very costly:
  • Jon Rahm – $11,300
  • Patrick Cantlay – $11,000
  • Justin Thomas – $10,700
  • Collin Morikawa – $10,400
  • Dustin Johnson – $10,200
  • Xander Schauffele – $9,900
  • Rory McIlroy – $9,700
  • Viktor Hovland – $9,400
  • Hideki Matsuyama – $9,300
  • Scottie Scheffler – $9,200
  • Cameron Smith – $9,100
  • Brooks Koepka – $9,000

Have to say this, a great field this week at Genesis gives you a lot of options.  But one option you won’t have is taking two players over $10,000.  That will make it even harder.  A key that could help is lots of good players in the 9,000 range, it’s possible to take three of them.  If you take say McIlroy, Hovland, and Scheffler the three will cost $28,300 leaving you with $21,700 or about $7,233 per your next three choices.  Look at our list of those that make the most cuts at Genesis and you will see a lot of great players under $7,600 that you can choose from that could surprise you.  You can even go with a Paul Casey at $7,600 or a Cameron Tringale at $7,300 and Adam Hadwin at $7,100 or possibly a Charl Schwartzel or Brendan Steele at $6,300 to help average things out.

Jon Rahm is $11,300 and very high when you think that he has only one win in the last 16 months.  Yes, he was 2nd at Sentry and T-3rd at Farmers, but you need a win.  He collects an average of 84.85 DraftKings points per event (check our GOLFIQ list for these), but you can get 90.82 points from Xander Schauffele for $1,400 cheaper.  Is Rahm a good pick, not really and we can do better.  Patrick Cantlay at $11,000 is high and after the disappointment at Phoenix and the fact that his best finish is T-4th at Riviera, maybe good to pass on him.  He too is low on DraftKing points of 81.85 so I am passing on him.  Justin Thomas at $10,700 is also a tough decision, yes he was 2nd in 2019 but missed the cut last year and in 2020.  Be warned that Thomas has been in contention in his last five starts on the PGA Tour including a T-8th last week in Phoenix.  Collin Morikawa at $10,400 is also a no for me, in two starts at Riviera he was T-43rd last year and T-26th in 2020.  Morikawa didn’t play well in Abu Dhabi or Dubai, but he has played well on the PGA Tour.  Dustin Johnson at $10,200 is a good possibility.  He has played well at Riviera with ten top-tens in 14 starts.  He won in 2017 and you have to think he will find a way to get you a top ten.  Xander Schauffele at $9,900 is also a judgment call, his only top-ten at Riviera was a T-9th in 2018, yes he will make the cut but you may not get a top-ten finish.  Have to remember he came close to winning in Phoenix so he is playing well.  I really like Rory McIlroy at $9,700.  Yes, he missed the cut last year but was T-5th in 2021 and T-4th in 2019.  Just think he has played well in all his starts and if he catches a break could win.  Viktor Hovland at $9,400 is also a good buy, forget him missing the cut at Phoenix, he had very little prep time at home with all the snow, so he didn’t practice much before Phoenix.  He was T-5th last year at Riviera so expecting a lot out of him.  Hideki Matsuyama at $9,300 is also a hard choice, he missed the cut last year but was T-5th the year before.  One stat that really sticks out is those that do well at Augusta National seem to also play well and win at Riviera so watch him.  Scottie Scheffler at $9,200 is off his win in Phoenix, he has not played great or bad at Riviera, but since he won last week I would pass on him.  Cameron Smith at $9,100 is a good buy, he was 4th last year and won at Kapalua five weeks ago.  Just like Brooks Koepka was a tough pick last week in Phoenix, Brooks Koepka at $9,000 will be a hard choice.  He has never played well at Riviera so I am passing on him.

Here is our new feature in which we help you decide which guys make the cut the most in a tournament.  The importance of picking six players that play 72 holes is vital in playing well in Draftkings, and this list will help.  It’s a look going back to the 2010 Genesis on who has made the most cuts.  Of course, those who make a lot of cuts and are priced low are very helpful.  To get on this list, you have to make at least three Genesis starts:

  • Paul Casey made 7 cuts in 7 starts for a 100.0%.  His DraftKings cost is 7,600.
  • Adam Hadwin made 7 cuts in 7 starts for a 100.0%.  His DraftKings cost is 7,100.
  • Xander Schauffele made 4 cuts in 4 starts for a 100.0%.  His DraftKings cost is 9,900.
  • J.T. Poston made 4 cuts in 4 starts for a 100.0%.  His DraftKings cost is 6,400.
  • Talor Gooch made 3 cuts in 3 starts for a 100.0%.  His DraftKings cost is 8,000.
  • Jon Rahm made 3 cuts in 3 starts for a 100.0%.  His DraftKings cost is 11,300.
  • Alex Noren made 3 cuts in 3 starts for a 100.0%.  His DraftKings cost is 7,500.
  • K.H. Lee made 3 cuts in 3 starts for a 100.0%.  His DraftKings cost is 6,900.
  • Cameron Tringale made 9 cuts in 10 starts for a 90.0%.  His DraftKings cost is 7,300.
  • Adam Scott made 8 cuts in 9 starts for a 88.9%.  His DraftKings cost is 8,200.
  • James Hahn made 7 cuts in 8 starts for a 87.5%.  His DraftKings cost is 6,500.
  • Dustin Johnson made 10 cuts in 12 starts for a 83.3%.  His DraftKings cost is 10,200.
  • Patrick Rodgers made 5 cuts in 6 starts for a 83.3%.  His DraftKings cost is 6,500.
  • Cameron Smith made 5 cuts in 6 starts for a 83.3%.  His DraftKings cost is 9,100.
  • Matt Kuchar made 9 cuts in 11 starts for a 81.8%.  His DraftKings cost is 6,800.
  • Jason Kokrak made 8 cuts in 10 starts for a 80.0%.  His DraftKings cost is 7,700.
  • Brendan Steele made 8 cuts in 10 starts for a 80.0%.  His DraftKings cost is 6,300.
  • Rory McIlroy made 4 cuts in 5 starts for a 80.0%.  His DraftKings cost is 9,700.
  • Carlos Ortiz made 4 cuts in 5 starts for a 80.0%.  His DraftKings cost is 7,000.
  • Ryan Palmer made 4 cuts in 5 starts for a 80.0%.  His DraftKings cost is 7,000.
  • Jordan Spieth made 7 cuts in 9 starts for a 77.8%.  His DraftKings cost is 8,900.
  • Charley Hoffman made 9 cuts in 12 starts for a 75.0%.  His DraftKings cost is 6,600.
  • Sergio Garcia made 6 cuts in 8 starts for a 75.0%.  His DraftKings cost is 7,800.
  • Charl Schwartzel made 6 cuts in 8 starts for a 75.0%.  His DraftKings cost is 6,300.
  • Tom Hoge made 3 cuts in 4 starts for a 75.0%.  His DraftKings cost is 7,500.
  • Anirban Lahiri made 3 cuts in 4 starts for a 75.0%.  His DraftKings cost is 6,000.
  • Abraham Ancer made 3 cuts in 4 starts for a 75.0%.  His DraftKings cost is 7,700.
  • Justin Thomas made 5 cuts in 7 starts for a 71.4%.  His DraftKings cost is 10,700.
  • Hideki Matsuyama made 5 cuts in 7 starts for a 71.4%.  His DraftKings cost is 9,300.
  • Harold Varner III made 5 cuts in 7 starts for a 71.4%.  His DraftKings cost is 7,100.
  • Tony Finau made 5 cuts in 7 starts for a 71.4%.  His DraftKings cost is 8,400.

(Those that I like are in bold)

*Players in that $7,500 to $8,900 price range, which ones are worth the money?:

Have to say that Will Zalatoris at $8,800 could be a good choice.  He is getting over COVID-19 but before he got it was playing well.  He was T-15th last year at Riviera but I like that in our GOLFIQ DraftKings insight he averages 86.93 DraftKings points.  Sam Burns at $8,700 should be considered.  He was T-3rd last year at Riviera but missed the cut at Farmers and Phoenix, still, he can regain his form in a heartbeat.  Bubba Watson at $8,500 should be seriously considered.  First, he won three times at Riviera and I like that in his only 2022 start was T-14th at Phoenix and 2nd at the Saudi International, he could easily find his form and win.  Now Max Homa at $8,300 is worth looking at he won at Riviera last year, was T-5th the year before.  He was T-14th last week at Phoenix with a 71 in the final day.  Last week I was very high on Matt Fitzpatrick and even higher this week with him priced at $8,100.  He was T-5th last year at the Genesis and was T-6th at Pebble and T-10th at Phoenix.  He is very high on my list.  Talor Gooch at $8,000 is a very good buy, last year he was T-12th at Riviera and T-10th the year before.  He was T-26th at Phoenix and T-20th at the Farmers, so worth the price.  Jason Kokrak at $7,700 is someone that can do great things at this price.  He has played ten times at Riviera and finished once in the top-ten, T-2nd in 2016.  So he can play well on this course and has done well winning on other tough courses like Riveria.  I can see him finishing in the top ten this week.  Paul Casey at $7,600 is also a steal when you consider he has played at the Genesis ten times and made nine cuts.  Yes only one top-ten, but that was a T-2nd in 2015.  His last start was T-12th at Dubai.  Kevin Na at $7,600 is also another good buy, he was T-2nd at Riviera in 2018 and T-4th in 2017.  Three others to watch at this price range are Seamus Power, Alex Noren, and Tom Hoge at $7,500.

What are the “Bargains” out there?

Many will not see this but watch Thomas Pieters at $7,400, he has played twice at Riviera and was T-2nd in 2017.  But in his two starts in 2022 won at Abu Dhabi and was T-12th at Dubai, don’t miss this real bargain.  Lanto Griffin at $7,200 is worth watching, like that in his last three starts was T-3rd at American Express, T-30th at Farmers, and T-16th at Pebble.  Francesco Molinari at $7,000 is a good price considering that Riviera is Molinari’s home course now and he was T-8th last year.  He has played OK this year including a T-6th at the American Express.  Also like Charley Hoffman at $6,600, yes I know that he was involved with a lot of media stuff which caused him to play poorly, look for things to be better for him this week.

Here are some of the secrets of what it takes to play well at the Genesis

The key stat for the winner:

What I find very interesting is that of all the courses on the PGA Tour year in and year out, Riviera has been in the top ten every year since they have kept track in 2003 of making the least amount of putts from 10 feet and in.  The reason for that, is the poa annua greens are very tricky to putt and late in the afternoon get bumpy which creates more challenges ever.  So look for a player that has lots of patience with the putter and can overcome these obstacles.

So the stat shows that you have to make those pesky putts if you want to win, look at how it’s been done since 2003.

  • In 2021 players made 86.14%, which ranked 5th on tour.  Winner Max Homa made 88.89% ranking 51T-23rd.
  • In 2020 players made 85.10%, which ranked 3rd on tour.  Winner Adam Scott made 83.787% ranking 51st.
  • In 2019 players made 85.33%, which ranked 2nd on tour.  Winner J.B. Holmes made 89.717% ranking 10th.
  • In 2018 players made 85.79%, which ranked 4th on tour.  Winner Bubba Watson made 87.67% ranking T-32nd.
  • In 2017 players made 86.20%, which ranked 7th on tour.  Winner Dustin Johnson made 92.54% ranking 6th.
  • In 2016 players made 84.69%, which ranked 1st on tour.  Winner Bubba Watson made 91.67% ranking T-5th.
  • In 2015 players made 85.15%, which ranked 1st on tour.  Winner James Hahn made 82.05% ranking 65th.
  • In 2014 players made 84.87%, which ranked 2nd on tour.  Winner Bubba Watson made 88.57% ranking 18th
  • In 2013 players made 83.37%, which ranked 2nd on tour.  Winner John Merrick made 85.53% ranking T33rd
  • In 2012 players made 84.39%, which ranked 1st on tour.  Winner Bill Haas made 87.14% ranking 22nd
  • In 2011 players made 84.84%, which ranked 1st on tour.  Winner Aaron Baddeley made 91.18% ranking 6th
  • In 2010 players made 86.48%, which ranked 8th on tour.  Winner Steve Stricker made 84.51% ranking 61st
  • In 2009 players made 85.67%, which ranked 7th on tour.  Winner Phil Mickelson made 87.84% ranking T29th
  • In 2008 players made 85.08%, which ranked 5th on tour.  Winner Phil Mickelson made 91.55% ranking 4th
  • In 2007 players made 85.35%, which ranked 6th on tour.  Winner Charles Howell made 91.78% ranking 2nd
  • In 2006 players made 85.30%, which ranked 3rd on tour.  Winner Rory Sabbatini made 82.89% ranking T63rd
  • In 2005 players made 86.53%, which ranked 8th on tour.  Winner Adam Scott made 85.71% ranking T57th
  • In 2004 players made 85.04%, which ranked 4th on tour.  Winner Mike Weir made 93.75% ranking 4th
  • In 2003 players made 84.90%, which ranked 1st on tour.  Winner Mike Weir made 85.71% ranking T38th
Here are some more key stats to look for this week:

Unbelievable and bizarre stat:

  • Riviera is a classic layout and a different breed than most courses on the PGA Tour. So you would think to place drives in the right spot is essential.  Consider some of the champions over the last 26 years:  Adam Scott, Dustin Johnson, Bill Haas, Steve Stricker, Charles Howell III, Rory Sabbatini, Mike Weir, Len Mattiace, Nick Faldo, Kirk Triplett, Craig Stadler, Corey Pavin, Tom Kite, and Ted Schultz have the reputation of being the best in placing drives in the right spot.  So that means only one thing, driving is significant at Riviera?  Sorry but that isn’t the case.  Before last year the last winner to finish in the top ten in driving stats was 2014 winner Bubba Watson who was T8th, but before that, it was Nick Faldo in 1997.  But last year Max Homa showed that hitting fairways was important as in his win in 2021 ranked 3rd in Fairways hit, 32 of 56,  Of the 25 since 1997, only seven have finished in the top-25, so that means that 18 of them were out of the top-25, amazing.  In 2020 Adam Scout was T-23rd, in 2019 J.B. Holmes was T-59th in driving accuracy. So being a straight driver is not an advantage at Riviera even though Max Homa proved that wrong last year.
  • Experience is key. The list of champions in the last 25 years includes Adam Scott, Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, Phil Mickelson Fred Couples, Tom Kite, Corey Pavin, Craig Stadler, Nick Faldo, Ernie Els and Mike Weir, all major championship winners.  There have been 25 different Hall of Fame members that have won 39 championships, so the cream seems to always come to the top.
  • Not many shotmaking courses left on the PGA Tour.  Outside of Riviera can only name about a half dozen, from Pebble to PGA National to Hilton Head to Colonial.  So for most of the pros, hitting lot’s of greens and shaping the ball into the proper position is essential. So it only makes sense that players who hit lots of greens always do well at Riviera, right?  Of late that stat has been important, in the last 25 years, nine winners have been in the top-five for the week in greens hit while ten have been out of the top ten.  Bill Haas was the worst in 2012; he was ranked T58th hitting only 36 of 72 greens, in 2011 Aaron Baddeley was 3rd while in 2010 Steve Stricker was T10th while in 2009 Phil Mickelson was T9th in greens hit at Riviera.  In 2013 John Merrick ranked T23rd hitting 46 of 72 greens while in 2014 Bubba Watson ranked T3rd hitting 51 of 72 greens and in 2015 James Hahn hit 40 of 72 which ranked T-28th. In 2016 Bubba hit 51 of 72 greens which ranked T-7th, while Dustin Johnson in 2017 led the stat hitting 56 of the 72 greens.  In 2018 Bubba won hitting 46 of 72 greens and ranked T-7th while in 2019 J.B. Holmes hit 52 of 72 greens and was ranked T2nd.  In 2020 Adam Scott became the 3rd player in the last 24 years to lead the greens hit category hitting 52 of 72 greens.  Last year Max Homa did great finishing T-5th hitting 45 of 72 greens.
  • Putting has become more important in the last couple of years.  You have to make a lot of putts, especially in the under ten feet range to do well.  In 2012 Bill Haas had the least amount of putts with 103, while in 2010 Steve Stricker had the least amount of putts with just 104.  In 2014 Bubba Watson ranked T15th taking just 108 putts while James Hahn took 107 putts and ranked T-10th in 2015.  Bubba Watson took 113 putts in 2016 which ranked T-25th, while in 2017 Dustin Johnson took 114 putts which ranked T-48th.  In 2018 Bubba Watson had 108 putts which ranked T-16th while in 2019 J.B. Holmes had 111 putts which ranked T-11th.  In 2020 Adam Scott had 114 putts which ranked T-43rd while Max Homa was T-10th last year taking 106 putts.
  • Players who are good scramblers do well at Riviera, especially those who can play the delicate shots around the green from the Kikuyu grass.  In 2011 Aaron Baddeley led the scrambling stat for the week getting it up and down 18 of 20 times.
So how have the past winners done scrambling in their winning year?  Of the 17 winners since 2002, nine of them have been in the top-10.
  • In 2021 Max Homa was T-24th getting it up and down 18 of 27 tries (66.67%)
  • In 2020 Adam Scott was 17th getting it up and down 12 of 20 tries (60.00%)
  • In 2019 J.B. Holmes was 17th getting it up and down 14 of 20 tries (70.00%)
  • In 2018 Bubba Watson was T-20th (worst winner performance since 2008) getting it up and down 18 of 26 tries (69.23%)
  • In 2017 Dustin Johnson was T-5th getting it up and down 13 of 16 tries (81.25%)
  • In 2016 Bubba Watson was 4th getting it up and down 16 of 21 tries (76.19%)
  • in 2015 James Hahn was 13th getting it up and down 22 out of 32 tries (68.75%).
  • In 2014 Bubba Watson was T16th getting it up and down 15 out of 21 tries (71.43%).
  • In 2013 John Merrick was 19th getting it up and down 17 out of 26 tries (65.38%).
  • In 2012 Bill Haas was 7th getting it up and down 26 out of 36 tries (72.22%).
  • In 2011 Aaron Baddeley was 1st getting it up and down 18 out of 20 tries (90.00%).
  • In 2010 Steve Stricker was T8th getting it up and down 19 out of 24 tries (79.17%).
  • In 2009 Phil Mickelson was T29th getting it up and down 14 out of 21 tries (66.67%).
  • In 2008 Phil Mickelson was 4th getting it up and down 20 out of 26 tries (76.92%).
  • In 2007 Charles Howell III was T6th getting it up and down 16 out of 21 tries (76.19%).
  • In 2006 Rory Sabbatini was T62nd getting it up and down 14 out of 24 tries (58.33%).
  • In 2005 Adam Scott was T14th getting it up and down 8 out of 10 tries (80.00%).
  • In 2004 Mike Weir was T7th getting it up and down 20 out of 26 tries (76.92%).
  • In 2003 Mike Weir was 6th getting it up and down 19 out of 26 tries.
  • In 2002 Len Mattiace was T11th getting it up and down 22 out of 28 tries (78.57%).
  • In 2001 Robert Allenby was 69th getting it up and down 11 out of 20 tries (55.00%).
  • In 2000 Kirk Triplett was 71st (dead last) getting it up and down 5 out of 14 tries (38.46%).

Last but not least, the weather will be perfect all week with sunny skies and temperatures each day in the high-60s.  Winds will blow off the ocean at 10 mph.

Who to watch for at the Genesis Invitational

Best Bets:

Rory McIlroy

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
CUT T5 T4 T20 T20

You can say I have a feeling he is going to be super this week, has played well in the past at Riviera, and did well in the Middle East a few weeks ago.

Viktor Hovland

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
T5

Look for him to brush aside that missed cut from last week and pop back into form this week.

Matt Fitzpatrick

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
T5 T30

Been close the last two weeks, he fits the model of a player to win at Riviera.

Best of the rest:

Collin Morikawa

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
T43 T26

Yes he can do well this week, surprised that he hasn’t done better in his two previous starts.

Justin Thomas

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
CUT CUT 2 T9 T39 T54 T41

He is one that can also do well and has played well at Riviera when he was 2nd in 2019.

Patrick Cantlay

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
T15 T17 T15 T4 CUT CUT

Has been very consistent at Riviera including a T-4th in 2018, the only question is how he will react to losing the playoff last week.

Xander Schauffele

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
T15 T23 T15 T9

his only top-ten at Riviera was a T-9th in 2018. Have to remember he came close to winning in Phoenix so he is playing well.

Bubba Watson

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
CUT CUT T15 Win WD Win T14 Win CUT T13 WD CUT

He won three times at Riviera and I like that in his only 2022 start was T-14th at Phoenix and 2nd at the Saudi International, he could easily find his form and win.

Will Zalatoris

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
T15 CUT

He is getting over COVID-19 but before he got it was playing well losing a playoff at Farmers. He was T-15th last year at Riviera.

Solid contenders

Jon Rahm

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
T5 T17 T9

Getting tired of him being a favorite each week, he only has one win in 16 months. Has played ok, but not great at Riviera.

Hideki Matsuyama

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
CUT T5 T9 CUT T11 T4 T23

People that win at Augusta tend to do well at Riviera. The course is perfect for his game.

Paul Casey

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
T37 T25 T49 T39 T39 T2 T12

He has played at the Genesis ten times and made nine cuts. Yes only one top-ten, but that was a T-2nd in 2015. His last start was T-12th at Dubai.

Jason Kokrak

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
T32 CUT T37 T20 T22 T2 T41 CUT 79 T34

He has played ten times at Riviera and finished once in the top-ten, T-2nd in 2016. So he can play well on this course and has done well winning on other shot maker courses like Colonial. I can see him finishing in the top ten this week.

Talor Gooch

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
T12 T10 T20

Last year he was T-12th at Riviera and T-10th the year before. He was T-26th at Phoenix and T-20th at the Farmers.

Kevin Na

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
T38 CUT T33 T2 T4 CUT T61 CUT CUT 76 3 T10

He was T-2nd at Riviera in 2018 and T-4th in 2017

Long shots that could come through:

Thomas Pieters

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
T68 T2

He has played twice at Riviera and was T-2nd in 2017. But in his two starts in 2022 won at Abu Dhabi and was T-12th at Dubai.

Francesco Molinari

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
T8 CUT CUT CUT T52 CUT T40

Riviera is Molinari’s home course now and he was T-8th last year. He has played OK this year including a T-6th at the American Express.

Charley Hoffman

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
T52 CUT CUT T41 T4 T63 T30 T12 T68 CUT T55 T37

Looking to bounce back after a lot of turmoil last week.

Worst Bets:

Dustin Johnson

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
T8 T10 T9 T16 Win 4 T2 2 CUT T4 CUT T3

Just hasn’t been sharp in a while, he has played well at Riviera in past years including winning it in 2017 but think he will struggle to get a top-ten.

Scottie Scheffler

2022 ’21 ’20 ’19 ’18 ’17 ’16 ’15 ’14 ’13 ’12 ’11 ’10
T20 T30 CUT

Big win last week I think will take its toll on him this week.

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