Time to tee up a full field.
West Virginia bettors can observe a rare gem in the $12 million Genesis Invitational, which runs Thursday-Sunday at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles.
For the first time in this tournament, the top 10 players in the Official World Golf Rankings will appear. It’s the first time since last year’s Tour Championship that all 10 in the OWGR will compete in the same PGA Tour event.
That conveys something special.
For bettors, it also means top prices as the world’s most elite players have good value.
The latest DraftKings WV Sportsbook odds to win include the following:
- Jon Rahm +800
- Patrick Cantlay +1000
- Justin Thomas +1400
- Dustin Johnson +1600
- Hideki Matsuyama +1800
- Colin Morikawa +1800
- Rory McIlroy +2200
- Xander Schauffele +2200
- Cameron Smith +2200
- Scottie Scheffler +2200
Genesis Invitational odds at WV sportsbooks
“This is a good tournament to bet,” Johnny Avello, the director of race and sportsbook operations for DraftKings, told PlayWV. “All the big names are here.”
“Last week, the crowd was really loose in Arizona; the players were having a good time buying into what the crowd was doing. Now they will get serious again, no noise when they are trying to make a shot, etc. They have to concentrate more.”
Here is a sample from Caesars WV:
Winning margin
- One shot +250
- Two shots +350
- Four or more strokes +330
- Playoff +300
There was a playoff last year. Max Homa, +4000 at Caesars, topped Tony Finau in extra holes.
The winning score of -12 last year means the course is capable of holding its own while yielding a few birdies. Its difficulty is a little above average.
How to watch the Genesis Invitational
- Thursday, 4-8 p.m. on the Golf Channel
- Friday, 4-8 p.m. on the Golf Channel
- Saturday, 1-3 p.m. on the Golf Channel, 3-7 p.m. on CBS
- Sunday, 1-3 p.m. on the Golf Channel, 3-6:30 p.m. on CBS
Player notes for the Genesis Invitational
Scheffler is coming off his first-ever PGA championship. He triumphed at the Phoenix Open in a playoff last week. Carryover or emotional hangover?
Brooks Koepka may have some momentum. He had back-to-back rounds of 66 last weekend before finishing in a tie for third with Sahith Theegala. He’s +3500.
Cantlay was second at the Phoenix Open and brings a hot game into this week.
Homa has entered into the tournament. Although he hasn’t started the year strongly, Homa is a plump +5000, or 50-1.
Betting on the PGA Tour
Head-to-head matchups of individual players for the entire tournament are an excellent bet to get down before it starts.
Head-to-head matchups in each round is another. These can be found in groups of two and three, sometimes even four. It enables a bettor to conduct a tournament within the tournament.
Adjusted leaderboard odds are often available after every round. There is still good value after the first and second days.
Next-hole props are easier than ever for bettors to hook into. The popularity of in-game betting has soared. Just like a next-drive prop in football, the next-hole prop lays out the odds of one’s selected player on the ensuing hole.
Par will be the score most often, yet that will be reflected in short odds.
Individual holes at the Riviera Country Club
Holes that play into each possibility:
No. 1 represents an excellent birdie opportunity. It’s a 503-yard par 5 from an elevated tee. The players will attack the stick, often trying to reach in two for a possible eagle putt. If they keep the drive-in play, birdie has a strong chance.
Hole No. 2 is the most difficult hole on the course. It is a 471-yard par 4 with a narrow landing area for the tee shot. Out of bounds on the left and trees on the right emphasize placement on the first shot and a long second to the green. Par may feel like a birdie.
The 10th is a signature hole, a drivable green surrounded by traps. This will bring risk-reward into play. Sure, the pros can reach it, but the green is microscopic and surrounded by bunkers. Looks like more risk than reward.
The 11th is an excellent birdie hole. It’s nearly 600 yards, but straight.
Hole No. 14 is considered the easiest. The par 3 has a big green that’s easy to read, and players will think birdie here.
The 15th hole is the hardest green to read on the course; some 3-putts could produce bogeys. It is regarded as the second-hardest hole on the course. A definite bogey threat.
Aesthetic features include the par-3 fourth, which has a bunker in front of the green that is larger than the green itself. And the sixth, another par 3, has a pot bunker right in the middle of the green.
The Riviera course is a true test. There is no water, but fairway traps require perfect approach shots to greens that break sharply.
