Genesis Invitational Preview: What to know for the TOUR's trip to Riviera
The PGA TOUR returns to California this week for the Genesis Invitational at the Riviera Country Club before it heads east for the Florida swing.
The event, hosted by Tiger Woods, features a field of just 120 players and is the first of four elevated-status tournaments throughout the season. The winner is awarded 550 FedEx Cup points.
The invitational will also carry the largest purse seen so far this season at $12 million.
When: Feb. 17-20
Where: Los Angeles, California
How to watch
| DAY | TIME (ET) | CHANNEL |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday | 4-8 p.m. | Golf Channel |
| Friday | 4-8 p.m. | Golf Channel |
| Saturday | 1-3 p.m. | Golf Channel |
| 3-7 p.m. | CBS | |
| Sunday | 1-3 p.m. | Golf Channel |
| 3-6:30 p.m. | CBS |
Last year's result
A two-hole playoff last year between Tony Finau and California-born Max Homa ended with the latter claiming his second PGA TOUR win. After both players parred the par-4 10th, Finau's bogey on the ensuing playoff hole gave Homa the chance to close it out in his home state.
Sam Burns finished one shot back of Finau and Homa, narrowly missing out on joining the playoff. Cameron Smith finished alone in fourth at 9-under, while Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland, and Matthew Fitzpatrick all tied for fifth at 7-under.
Previous winners
2021: Max Homa (-12) in a playoff over Tony Finau
2020: Adam Scott (-11) over 3 players
2019: J.B. Holmes (-14) over Justin Thomas
2018: Bubba Watson (-12) over Kevin Na, Tony Finau
2017: Dustin Johnson (-17) over Scott Brown, Thomas Pieters
2016: Bubba Watson (-15) over Jason Kokrak, Adam Scott
2015: James Hahn (-6) over Paul Casey, Dustin Johnson
2014: Bubba Watson (-15) over Dustin Johnson
The field
Homa, who's now looking for a fourth victory after winning the Fortinet Championship earlier this season, will return to Riviera to defend his title. Four of the other five winners since 2014 will also be in the field, with the exception being J.B. Holmes.
The world's top 10 players are all in the field, including 25-year-old Scottie Scheffler who notched a long overdue first career PGA TOUR victory last week at the WM Phoenix Open in a playoff over Patrick Cantlay.
The California-born Cantlay is also in the field this week, and the 29-year-old has yet to finish outside of the top 10 in any of the four events he's played in so far this season.
See full field.
Featured/marquee groups (all times ET)
Group: Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth
Thursday - 10:24 a.m. (No. 10 tee)
Friday - 2:59 p.m.
Group: Cameron Champ, Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele
Thursday - 10:35 a.m. (No. 10 tee)
Friday - 3:10 p.m.
Group: Hideki Matsuyama, Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland
Thursday - 2:59 p.m.
Friday - 10:24 a.m. (No. 10 tee)
Group: Max Homa, Dustin Johnson, Adam Scott
Thursday - 3:10 p.m.
Friday - 10:35 a.m. (No. 10 tee)
Group: Justin Thomas, Sam Burns, Cameron Smith
Thursday - 10:46 a.m. (No. 10 tee)
Friday - 3:21 p.m.
Group: Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed, Patrick Cantlay
Thursday - 3:21 p.m.
Friday - 10:46 a.m. (No. 10 tee)
The course
The 7,322-yard, par-71 Riviera Country Club course is a regular stop on the PGA TOUR. It has hosted three major championships and regularly hosts the Genesis Invitational.
Riviera's picturesque layout is without question one of the finest in the United States, and it was ranked as the No. 1 venue on the TOUR in an anonymous player survey conducted by Golf.com in 2019.
The course is also set to host both the 2028 Olympic golf competition and the 2026 U.S. Women's Open.
Betting corner
Jon Rahm +9,000
Patrick Cantlay +1,000
Dustin Johnson +1,400
Justin Thomas +1,400
Collin Morikawa +1,600
Hideki Matsuyama +2,000
Cameron Smith +2,200
Rory McIlroy +2,200
Xander Schauffele +2,200
Viktor Hovland +2,500
Scottie Scheffler +2,800
Will Zalatoris +2,800
Brooks Koepka +3,000
Sam Burns +3,500
Sung-Jae Im +3,500
Jordan Spieth +4,000
Matthew Fitzpatrick +4,000
Odds courtesy theScore Bet.