Genesis Invitational Betting Picks and Predictions: Will Xander Schauffele Impress in California?
Genesis Invitational Betting Picks and Predictions: Will Xander Schauffele Impress in California?
After a brief stint in the desert, the PGA Tour leads back to California for the Genesis Invitational, a staple on the schedule since 1926. Previously the Los Angeles Open, this tournament has a long standing tradition as one of the most iconic stops on Tour. After rotating through multiple venues, the event finally settled on Riviera Country Club, one of the great American architectural masterpieces by famed Golden Age designer, George Thomas. We have been coming to Riviera since 1973, and while the track has certainly evolved over the years, it's a still course we have become incredibly familiar with.
This year, the Genesis Invitational will be taking on a similar format to the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The field will comprise of just 80 players (top-50 from prior season's FedEx Cup, nos. 51-60 from the prior season's FedEx Cup Fall, the top-five FedEx Cup earners in-between Signature Events, current year tournament winners, the leading finisher from the Race to Dubai, the top-30 in the OWGR, and four sponsor's exemptions).
One of those exemptions will be going to Tiger Woods, who will be making his 2024 season debut. We will also get a second look at Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland, who both hope to rebound off a disappointing showing at Pebble Beach. All of the other usual suspects, including Scottie Scheffler, Max Homa, Jordan Spieth, Ludvig Aberg, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, and Xander Schauffele, will be in attendance, yet unlike Pebble Beach, a 36-hole cut will be in place for the top-50 players and ties.
Genesis Invitational DATE, START TIME, AND WHERE TO WATCH
- Date: February 15-18, 2024
- Where: Riviera Country Club - Pacific Palisades, CA
- Where to Watch: Golf Channel, NBC, Peacock
Genesis Invitational: Course Preview
Riviera Country Club
Riviera was designed in 1926 by famed architects George C. Thomas and William Bell. Both from the "Philadelphia School" of golf course design, Riviera is one of the great American masterworks of the Golden Age of golf course architecture. It's tight off the tee, tree-lined, and set amidst rolling terrain in a canyon of the Santa Monica mountains. The bunkers are deep, Kikuyu rough is in play, and we return to West Coast Poa greens for the final time this season. In fact, Riviera's greens are far faster and more difficult than what we have seen at Torrey Pines and Pebble Beach, which is mainly climate related. Riviera is set in the middle of a canyon, which is why we see a lighter green hue, as sunlight reflects off the accompanying mountain range. Taming the fast, undulating greens are just one part of the equation, as Riviera also features one of the lowest driving accuracy percentages on Tour, as well as one of the lowest greens in regulation percentages.
This is a shot-maker's course in the truest sense. There is a creativity required synonymous with Augusta, which is why it should not come as a surprise that players such as Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, and Adam Scott have found so much success here. Even a course as spectacularly unique at Riviera has been compromised by the distance problem and abnormal amounts of January/February rainfall in Los Angeles. Each of the last two years, it has played outside of the top-ten most difficult courses on the PGA Tour. As the game has evolved, power off the tee and middle iron play have become a greater part of the equation at Riviera, and I will primarily be looking to identify well-rounded ball-strikers with a deft touch around the greens and a proven track record on Poa greens.
Genesis Invitational Key Stats
- Proximity 150-200 yards
- Strokes Gained Putting: Poa
- Strokes Gained Around the Green
Genesis Invitational: Outright Picks
Xander Schauffele +1600 Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
My numbers continue to suggest that Xander Schauffele is playing at an incredibly high level, and that PGA Tour victory number eight is coming soon. Schauffele possesses all of the tools to succeed at Riviera. He’s a powerful driver of the ball, an elite middle iron player, with a trustable short game who has had a tremendous amount of success on Poa greens. It should not come as a surprise that in six appearances at Riviera, Schauffele has recorded five top-25s, gaining over two strokes ball-striking in every appearance.
Coming off a disappointing 54th-place finish at the AT&T Pebble Beach, the former Olympic Gold medalist is carrying more value in the betting market than we are used to seeing from a player of this caliber. Only a few minor mistakes derailed Schauffele at Pebble Beach, and he still gained over two strokes on approach, and played much better golf as the tournament progressed. Many of the other elite players carry some legitimate question marks surrounding their recent form, while I trust Schauffele’s consistency above all.
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Article Author
Andy Lack is a PGA Tour writer and podcaster from Manhattan, New York. Andy came to OddsChecker in January 2022 after previously writing for Golf Digest, GolfWRX, Rotoballer, and the Score. Andy is also the host of a golf betting and daily fantasy podcast, Inside Golf Podcast, as well as "The Scramble” with Rick Gehman, and a recurring guest on the Pat Mayo Experience. In his free time, Andy is still grinding away at his lifelong dream of qualifying for the U.S. Amateur, and if not writing, can likely be found somewhere on a golf course.