2024 PGA Genesis Invitational Predictions & Preview

It’s the third signature event of the 2024 PGA Tour this week and we will be providing you with Genesis Invitational predictions! 700 FedEx Cup and $4,000,000 are up for grabs for the winner. 

Tiger Woods is back in the field as he features for the first time since the Hero World Challenge last December. However, he still hasn’t played on the PGA Tour since last April at the Masters. He will host the Genesis Invitational here.

The world’s best golfers will be competing in California this week with players such as Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele and Justin Thomas leading the market. Be sure to check out our full preview and Genesis Invitational predictions below!

2024 WM Phoenix Open Results

Golf fans enjoyed playoff drama at the WM Phoenix Open last weekend. Last year’s runner-up Nick Taylor got redemption as he managed to win the event this time around, beating Charley Hoffman. 

The Canadian managed to continue the trend of longshot winners of the PGA Tour this season. All six winners have been outsiders heading into each event, making it incredibly difficult to predict the outcomes. 

Nevertheless, we’re back once again to deliver Genesis Invitational predictions. Take a look at my handicapper page, Ashlee Kiddell, to find out all of my picks for this week’s tournament. I’ve got a number outright winners and top 5 finish picks lined up.

2024 PGA Genesis Invitational Preview

When: Thursday, February 15th – Sunday, February 18th, 2024

Where: Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California

TV: Golf Channel / CBS / Peacock / ESPN+ / Paramount+

Field: 71 Golfers

Purse: $20,000,000 (Winner gets $4,000,000)

Jon Rahm won the Genesis Invitational last year as he defeated Max Homa by two strokes. However, he will not be defending his crown this time around after his move to LIV Golf. 

Homa won this event in 2021, beating Tony Finau in a playoff, and his second-placed finish last year proves it wasn’t a fluke. He’ll be popular amongst Genesis Invitational predictions this week, but will need to improve upon poor recent form.

He was the last American golfer to win the tournament, too, since Chilean golfer Joaquin Niemann was victorious in 2022. He defeated Collin Morikawa and Cameron Young by two strokes. 

Riviera Country Club Course Information

Riviera Country Club

Par: 71 / Yards: 7,322

Greens: Poa annua

Riviera CC first hosted the Genesis Invitational in 1929, and it has been the home of the tournament since 1999. Scottish golfer Macdonald Smith first won the event in Los Angeles, but Harry Cooper was the inaugural tournament champion in 1926 when it was known as the Los Angeles Open. Back then, it was played at Los Angeles Country Club. 

It will be tough to hit the greens this week, and a lot of the holes at Riviera are doglegs. Due to the length of the course, driving distance may play a role. However, past winners haven’t necessarily been great off the tee. 

Due to how hard it is to find the greens, it seems like a good idea to focus on SG: Tee-to-Green. It’s no surprise that Scheffler, Schauffele and Thomas are favored this week for Genesis Invitational predictions. 

Expert PGA Genesis Invitational Predictions for 2024

Scheffler (+650) is the clear favorite to win the Genesis Invitational this week. He’s had a very positive start to the 2024 PGA Tour, with form figures reading 5-17-6-3. He was three shots off the winner last week at the Phoenix Open, tying with Sam Burns. 

Hitting the greens will be of paramount importance this week, and it’s one of Scheffler’s strengths. He has the best Greens In Regulation (GIR) percentage (88.38%), and leads the whole tour in SG: Tee-to-Green. The only thing that will let him down is his putting as he ranks 107th in SG: Putting. Scheffler has failed to crack the top-5 in any of his last five attempts in LA, with his best finish being T7 in 2022. 

Due to Homa (+1800) winning this event in 2021, and then securing T10 and second-placed finishes in 2022 and 2023, he will be a top contender for Genesis Invitational predictions this week. However, he failed to make the cut at the Phoenix Open last weekend so isn’t in the best of form. He also finished T66 at Pebble Beach. However, Homa still ranks 17th in SG: Tee-to-Green. 

Many sharps are liking the odds of Patrick Cantlay (+1800). He finished T11 in his most recenting outing at Pebble Beach, and finished third in last year’s edition at Riviera. Cantlay secured top 20 finishes in back-to-back years at this event in 2020 and 2021 so he clearly enjoys playing on this course.

Top Contenders to Win the 2024 PGA Genesis Invitational

A name that I am considering for this event is Schauffele (+1550). He ranks second in GIR (80.30%) and fifth in SG: Tee-to-Green. However, similar to Scheffler, his putting may let him down. He ranks 141st in SG: Putting this season. Despite a positive start to the PGA Tour with form figures of 10-3-9 over his first three events, Schauffle finished T54 at Pebble Beach. The last time he cracked the top-10 in this event was back in 2018 (T9). 

Following the trend of hitting the greens, Tony Finau (+2800) could be a good value pick this week. He ranks third in GIR (79.29%) and tenth in SG: Tee-to-Green. Just like Scheffler and Schauffele, though, he has been poor with the flat stick (ranks 169th in SG: Putting). Finau has had past success at Riviera, however, finishing second in 2021 and T2 in 2018. 

Jordan Spieth (+2500) is another top contender for Genesis Invitational predictions this week. He was solid at the Phoenix Open (T6), and the statistics are reading well for him too. He ranks 20th in SG Tee-to-Green, T5 in GIR (78.79%), 19th in SG: Putting and second in Putting Average. 

Longshots to Win the 2024 PGA Genesis Invitational

Longshot winners have been the key theme of the 2024 PGA Tour so far, and the Genesis Invitational has had its fair share of outsiders win the tournament in recent history. Therefore, we are examining the top longshot contenders. 

Could Christiaan Bezuidenhout (+12500) be a good play for Genesis Invitational predictions? The South African has been in good form so far, and finished second at the American Express last month. His T20 and T28 finishes at Pebble Beach and the Phoenix Open were respectable too. He leads the PGA Tour in Putting Average, and his ranking of 35th in SG Tee-to-Green is solid as well. 

Another longshot shout we could consider is Nicolai Hojgaard (+6000). He currently ranks 11th in SG: Tee-to-Green and 32nd in SG: Putting. The Dane has performed well on the PGA Tour this season, too, finishing second at the Farmers Insurance Open and T31 at Pebble Beach. 

Si Woo Kim (+6000) is also showing some good value. He ranks fourth in GIR (78.89%), 12th in SG: Tee-to-Green, but is only 60th in Putting Average. Still, his ability to hit the greens is impressive, and it’s hard to ignore his price. He also finished T12 at the Phoenix Open last weekend, and T14 at Pebble Beach a week prior. 

2024 PGA Genesis Invitational Predictions – Outright Winner

I’ve got a bunch of outright winner picks for you this week in my Genesis Invitational predictions. That contains a mix of shorter odds and longshot contenders. 

One of the favorites is going to snap the streak soon and find a win this season. However, we can’t ignore the recent trends and miss our chance of a huge payout from one of the outsiders. 

I’ve also got a couple of top 5 finish picks locked in too which you can view in the next section. 

Best Bet: SIGN IN TO ACCESS PICK 

2024 PGA Genesis Invitational Predictions – Top 5 Finish

The value of Spieth (+500) to secure a top 5 finish here is too good to pass up. All the statistics are pointing in his favor, and he’s been in good form of late as well. He hasn’t finished inside the top 20 in this event since 2021, but he’s in better shape of late. 

I’m also backing Finau (+550) for a similar reason. He’s got the statistics that match up for success, and he’s had success in this event before. If he can sort out his issues with the putter, there’s a good chance he does well again here. 

Make sure that you check out my handicapper page, Ashlee Kiddell, to gain full access to all of my Genesis Invitational predictions. 

Best Bet: Jordan Spieth (+500) & Tony Finau (+550)

2024 PGA Genesis Invitational Odds

Here are the odds for the top 30 golfers at the 2024 PGA Genesis Invitational (subject to change):