The Genesis Invitational, at historic Riviera Country Club, has attracted a great deal of attention since last week’s announcement of the return of Tiger Woods. Tiger will make his 2023 debut after golf fans and sports fans alike watched him struggle through his leg pain last year. He sustained the leg injury in a 2021 car accident leading up to the Genesis Invitational. Even without the hum of the buzz created by the mere presence of Tiger, the PGA put out an extremely entertaining product last week at the WM Phoenix Open. A golf fan can only hope that same level of golf carries over to the challenging Riviera Country Club.

The Field:

This week the field is again a top tier of the best golfers the PGA and the world has to offer. The top 25 FedEx Cup point leaders and 9 out of the 10 of the top ranked golfers in the world will be present for the Genesis Invitational. This week Tiger stated that “he is most definitely playing to win the tournament”. He will be heavily matched up with the talents of new world #1 ranked golfer and winner last week Scottie Scheffler. Scottie’s play in the last two rounds and more specifically the back nine on Sunday shows why he is currently the best of the best. Although, once you are at the top, especially in sports, everyone is coming to knock you off your spot. The fiery Spaniard Jon Rahm may be the one to do it this week. Rahm has been playing well and had more lip burners for birdies miss last week that ended up being the difference between finishing first and taking home third place. Will it be one of the local stars to come out victorious this weekend? Max Homa and Patrick Cantlay have both been playing good golf and will be playing in their backyards. That advantage can make the difference when it comes to familiarity with course conditions and strategy. Whomever ends up holding the trophy on Sunday afternoon, we fans are hoping for more of the same level of entertainment from last week.

The Course:

The Riviera Country Club is a top course on any golfer’s bucket list but it is private and one of the most exclusive clubs in the Los Angeles area. The course has played host to majors, NCAA national championships and many other prodigious golf tournaments. The Riviera is known for its very narrow fairways, unrelenting rough with firm and fast Poa annua greens. These will all be challenging obstacles for the field this week. In addition, the natural elevation changes that come with being set in the base of the Santa Monica mountains and unique bunker layout will be one of the most challenging these professionals will face this season. The weather forecast for the tournament has the temperatures a little lower than normal with slight wind. As an amateur golfer, it is always fun to see that sometimes even the best golfers in the world can struggle with a difficult course.

Predictions:

Texhoss TOP 5: Max Homa, Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Young, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas

Computer picks:

We have a DDSN Golf Algorithm that attempts to calculate the Top 25 finish of the majority of PGA tournaments that we will see this season. Use this Top 25 to help guide you through any daily fantasy contests, tournament bets, pools with friends or any type of wagering possible. We are confident in the DDSN Golf Algorithm that has been developed for the past 5 years and now being showcased. We will keep track of the correct % of the Top 25. Any specific questions regarding wagers? Leave a comment! Enjoy.

WM Phoenix Open Stats:

Top 5 : 60%

Top 10: 40%

Top 25: 28%

Genesis Invitational Projected Top 25:

1. Viktor Hovland

2. Justin Thomas

3. Adam Scott

4. Max Homa

5. Tony Finau

6. Rory McIlroy

7. Jon Rahm

8. Xander Schauffele

9. Wyndham Clark

10. Hideki Matsuyama

11. Collin Morikawa

12. Patrick Cantlay

13. Jordan Spieth

14. Sam Burns

15. Adam Hadwin

16. KH Lee

17. Scottie Scheffler

18. Matt Fitzpatrick

19. Patrick Rodgers

20. Will Zalatoris

21. James Hahn

22. Dylan Frittelli

23. Luke List

24. Alex Noren

25. Chez Reavie