The PGA Tour’s new elevated event format is giving a lot of tournaments the electricity just below that of a major. The WM Phoenix Open had its usual rock concert vibe last weekend, and now the Genesis Invitational looks to do the same as Tiger Woods has announced his plans to play for the first time since the Open Championship last July.
There will be a new champion crowned in 2023 as last year’s winner Joaquin Niemann is off to the LIV. Another LIV player, Cameron Smith, is the only player in the top 20 of the OWGR not at the Riviera Country Club this weekend.
About the Genesis Invitational
Like many tournaments, the Genesis Invitational has had multiple sponsors over the years, and sometimes this event is simply known as the Los Angeles Open. After a short stop in Scottsdale last weekend, the tournament at Pacific Palisades is the traditional wrap-up for the early season West Coast swing before heading to Florida next weekend.
Tiger Woods has been the host of this event since 2020 when the format changed from open to invitational. The winner gets $3.5 million and a 3-year exemption, one of the best purses for any non-major all season.
The Riviera Country Club
There is a lot of course history to study for 2023 Genesis Invitational betting, as this event has been held at the Riviera Country Club very consistently over the past 50 years. Moving to Rancho Park GC in 1983 and Valencia CC in 1998 are the only times this tournament hasn’t been at the Riviera since 1973.
The Riviera CC is a beautiful course with a backdrop of Los Angeles, but it’s also a very tough place to play. Niemann’s -19 winning score last year was just a stroke back of the all-time record but was also an anomaly, as nobody had posted better than -14 in the four previous tournaments. The cut line is generally over par here.
2023 Genesis Invitational Betting
With such a stacked field, there are a lot of different ways to approach betting on this event. Do you load up a card with the heavy favorites like Jon Rahm (+800), Rory McIlroy (+900), and Scottie Scheffler (+1100), or is there just as good of value on Patrick Cantlay at +2500 or Tom Kim at +3300?
Niemann won at +6000 last season, as did Max Homa in 2021. Dustin Johnson’s 2017 win at +900 was the only time somebody has cashed inside of +3300 in the last ten years at this event.
Wild cards are also in play at the Riviera, as we saw John Merrick get a win here in 2013 at +25000, while James Hahn hit at +2000 in 2015 and J.B. Holmes at +15000. Odd years seem to favor the long shots.
Homa (+1600), Holmes (+50000), and Hahn (+30000) are all past champions in this field, as 2X winner Adam Scott (+6000).
It should be noted that Woods is +9000 to get the surprise victory this weekend, but he’s -175 to miss the cut.
