Genesis Invitational betting: Rory primed to add marquee victory to resume

The PGA TOUR makes the short trip south from the Monterey Peninsula to Los Angeles for the Genesis Invitational this week. Host Tiger Woods welcomes the field for the signature event back to Riviera Country Club after the tournament couldn't be played there last year due to wildfires.

We followed up hitting on Chris Gotterup at the Phoenix Open with our second runner-up result in the last three weeks. Sepp Straka finished one shot behind Pebble Beach champion Collin Morikawa but still cashed a +190 top-20 wager, as did Shane Lowry at +200.

Let's keep the wins coming and hopefully nail another tournament outright with a short - but mighty - betting card for Riviera.

Tournament winner odds

⛳️ Check out the full list of Genesis Invitational markets available at theScore Bet here

Rory McIlroy

🏌️ Bet: To win outright (+1200)

I'm going to bypass tournament favorite Scottie Scheffler (+300) even though he feels primed to win again and go with the second favorite instead.

McIlroy's never won at Riveira but, after winning Pebble Beach last year, he made it known he wants to win all of the PGA TOUR's biggest events at the best courses. The Genesis Invitational falls into that bucket. The reigning Masters champ has played well at the L.A. venue throughout his career, with two top-five showings and four additional top-25 results in eight appearances.

Last week was very promising for McIlroy. He ranked third in strokes gained: tee to green, came fourth in strokes gained: approach, and finished brilliantly with an 8-under closing round. He was third in birdies with 25 and only made three bogeys all week. However, three double-bogeys and a triple-bogey derailed his chances. If he'd turned those four forgettable holes into bogeys, he'd have met Morikawa in a playoff.

Riviera will play extremely long this week because of the rain that's fallen leading into the event. That will play to McIlroy's strengths as one of the longest drivers and best long-iron players in the field. I expect McIlroy to clean up the big mistakes and be firmly in the mix late Sunday.

Matt Fitzpatrick

🏌️ Bet: To win outright (+3500)

I was on Fitzpatrick last week at a similar number, and even though he didn't win, he played well enough to make me want to go back to the well.

Fitzpatrick finished T14 at Pebble Beach but was third in strokes gained: approach and 10th off the tee. Had he not lost an uncharacteristic three strokes around the green, he would have had a much better finish.

I trust Fitzpatrick to carry his strong form into a U.S. Open-caliber venue that will reward quality long-iron play. The Englishman has only competed at Riviera four times but did finish T5 in 2021.

Pierceson Coody

🏌️ Bet: Top-20 finish (+200)

I'm not ready to back Coody to win a signature event when some of the best players in the world are in fantastic form, but I think he has a better chance to contend than his odds imply.

The 26-year-old is one of the best drivers in the field, ranking second in the field in strokes gained: off the tee over the past four events. His distance will give him a leg up on the wet Riviera, and his long-iron play should allow him to separate from the pack. He finished as a runner-up at Torrey Pines (a driver-heavy course) and was T10 in Phoenix, another venue that rewards distance and approach play.

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