The 2023 Genesis Invitational is an elevated event meaning for the second straight week, a $20 million purse is on the line. That type of prize money tends to draw a good crowd, and in fact, every eligible golfer in the top 20 is playing at The Riviera Country Club as well as all but four players inside the top 100.
Even with so many big names descending on the Pacific Palisades this weekend, it’s an underdog who has drawn all the attention as Tiger Woods is making a surprise start here. He’s +9000 to win and even +130 just to make the cut, but every tournament gets a little more excitement when Woods is in the field.
There have been some nice long shot wins in this tournament over the past decade, such as John Merrick at +25000 in 2013, James Hahn at +20000 in 2015, and J.B. Holmes at +15000 in 2019.
The last two winners have both cashed at +6000, Max Homa in 2021 and Joaquin Niemann in 2022. Will that trend continue in 2023?
Cameron Young +4000
Cameron Young had an amazing rookie season with five runner-ups and two other third-place finishes. We’re still waiting on that in his sophomore campaign, but one of Young’s runner-ups a year ago came at the Genesis Invitational with a field low for bogeys for the weekend.
Adam Scott +6000
Adam Scott would be the best bet for a third straight +6000 winner at the Riviera Country Club, considering he’s already taken home two Genesis Invitational titles in 2020 and in 2015 (then called the Nissan Open). Scott also has two runner-ups at one of his favorite courses and finished fourth here last season.
Keegan Bradley +6600
There aren’t a ton of courses on Tour that compare to Riviera CC, but Keegan Bradley has fared well at some of the other more difficult scoring locales on the Tour.
Bradley has struggled at this event recently, with his best finish in the last seven years being 34th, but he’s also playing well in 2022/23, winning the ZOZO Championship last October but also getting second at the Farmers Insurance Open and T20 at the WM Phoenix Open his last two events.
Chez Reavie +50000
Chez Reavie is worth a lottery ticket play this week just because of his past three years at this event which have included two top-10 finishes. Reavie missed the cut last week at the WM Phoenix Open, even in front of his home fans as an Arizona State grad, but at the very least, it gave him the weekend to rest.
Tiger Woods +9000
Why not, right? Woods is playing in his first non-major since 2020 and his first event since The Open last July, but if he does have a magical weekend, it’s much more fun if you have him on your ticket.
Woods is -175 to miss the cut, so get your viewing on Thursday and Friday, but this is a tournament he’s never conquered, and he’s still tied with Sam Snead with 82 career Tour victories.
