Tiger Woods hosts the third of eight Signature Events on the 2024 calendar.
The Genesis Invitational
The Riviera Country Club
Pacific Palisades, California
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Sitting No. 1 in the OWGR, Scottie Scheffler (7/1) will look to add his name to the winners at The Genesis Invitational who have also won the Masters. Cashing T12 and T7 the last two seasons suggests he’s closing in on joining that club. I don’t need to remind you about his numbers in the Strokes-Gained department from last year or last week. The only question that follows the Texan is WHEN he will return to the winner’s circle.
Making his eighth start in Tinsel Town, Rory McIlroy (10/1) attempts to return to the form he used to start 2024 (WIN-T2). Pebble Beach wasn’t the soft landing he anticipated, and T66 wasn’t the payday he expected to take home. Rested after skipping WM Phoenix Open last week, the Ulsterman will look to add to his bounty of T29 or better in six of seven starts, including three top-10 paydays in Southern California.
A slow start from Norwegian superstar Viktor Hovland (14/1) has turned heads for the wrong reasons. Unable to breach the top 20 in Maui and not firing during the Pro-Am at Pebble Beach (T58), he was a late withdraw before the WM Phoenix Open last week. Cashing a pair of top-five paydays from three starts in Los Angeles, the Santa Monica Canyon might provide the tonic needed to swing his game into gear. The last two winners were in their 20s, but none were from a decade before. I’ll wait.
Xander Schauffele (16/1) leads the California contingent this week, even though he’s only painted the top 10 once from six starts. Running in the red to start the season, the San Diego native ran into the wind and weather of Pebble Beach (T54) and withdrew just before the WM Phoenix Open. Cashing four of his last six T15 or better, I’d lean into the top 20 (-170) as insurance.
Justin Thomas (18/1) embraced the tough conditions at Pebble Beach (T6) and was not deterred by the weather delays at TPC Scottsdale (T12). Since missing the cut at the 3M Open last summer, the two-time major champion has produced T12 or better paydays in seven consecutive starts on TOUR. The “new” swing changes have been replaced with the old, familiar action, and the results have followed.
Long Beach native Patrick Cantlay (18/1) pushed onto the podium last year with solo third. In the early days of 2024, he struggled to put all four rounds together, especially on Sunday. Sitting T11 after three rounds at Pebble Beach, he did not have a chance to wash away the difficult fourth-round mojo that had been following him to start the year. Cashing T17 or better in five of his last six here, hitching to a top 20 or top 10 might be the prudent play.
If there’s a track that will play Max Homa (18/1) into winning shape, I would point to this week. The 2021 winner, runner-up last year, has peeled off four straight paydays inside the top 10 and has not missed a weekend in five years. Cashing T13 in his defense at Torrey Pines, the Burbank native, born 20 miles up the street, didn’t fire at Pebble Beach (T66) and missed the cut last week in Scottsdale. A home game is just what the doctor ordered! Remember, four of his six wins on TOUR have come in his home state.
Ludvig Aberg (20/1) continues to produce results on premium courses against premium fields. The elements of Pebble Beach, the wind, weather, and Pro-Am, could not slow him down as he cashed solo second. Playing almost 7,800 yards, Torrey Pines kept him at T9. Experience is a must-have for most, but the Swedish star has been writing his own rules since last June.
Collin Morikawa (20/1) is another local who will be making noise this week. Finishing T2 in 2022 and cashing T6 in 2023, the La Canada-Flintridge native enjoys most ball-striking challenges. Sitting second behind Scheffler in SG: Approach the Green and fourth in SG: Tee to Green, he embraces tough layouts. A disappointing missed cut at Torrey Pines might distract investors. Not me.
Players to consider for Top 10, Top 20, or Top 40 action:
Adam Scott (30/1): The 2020 champ is the all-time leading money winner at the event and has produced top 20 or better results worldwide over the last three months. Lovely convergence.
Cameron Young (40/1): Backed up a solo third from the Middle East with his second top-10 in three starts with T8 last week in Phoenix. Tying for second on debut in 2022, he posted 62 in Round 2. Last year, he returned for T20.
Will Zalatoris (50/1): Riding into Hollywood on a sponsor’s exemption, just like Scott, he will look forward to repaying the faith shown in him by his host. Running fourth here last year, he closed with 64, his best round in four appearances.
Emiliano Grillo (110/1): Playing for the sixth time in seven weeks, the Argentine has produced T22 or better in his last four starts. The winner at Colonial, the other Hogan’s Alley, last spring can work it tee to green.
Tom Hoge (125/1): Making his seventh consecutive start to begin 2024, I’ll back the free roll. Hitting 28 of 36 GIR on the weekend in Phoenix, he cashed T17 for the second time in three starts on TOUR. The other payday was T6 at Pebble Beach.
NOW PLAYING:
| Host Course | The Riviera Country Club |
| Yards (per official scorecard): | 7,322 |
| Par: | 71 (35-36). |
| Greens: | Poa annua; 7,500 square feet on average. |
| Stimpmeter: | 12 feet and up. |
| Rough: | Kikuyu grass at two inches. |
| Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play | 58/0/0 |
| Architect(s): | George C. Thomas (1926). |
| Defending Champion (event): | Jon Rahm -17 |
| Multiple Champion(s) Entered: | Adam Scott (2020, 2005). |
| Course Record: | 61; Ted Tryba (1999). |
| 72 Hole Tournament Record | 264; Lanny Wadkins (1985). |
| Fact of the Week: | Before the last two editions, all of the winners from 2008 through 2021 were 30 or older. |
| Fact of the Week II: | Adam Scott was the last player to win on debut. His 36-hole victory in 2005 was unofficial. |
One of the classic American golf courses, The Riviera Country Club, designed by George C. Thomas, opened for business in 1927.
Hosting the former Los Angeles Open for the 62nd time, the Par-71 layout has stretched 7,322 yards since the 2016 edition.
The West Coast swing ends with another week on Poa annua greens. Running at 12.5 feet on the Stimpmeter, the large putting surfaces, averaging 7,500 square feet, rank in the top five largest on TOUR.
There’s no water on the course that runs through the Santa Monica Canyon. Kikuyu grass cut at two inches will provide nest-y, uneven lies off the fairways and around the greens. The bunkers, 58 of them, are penal. The Riviera Country Club ranks as one of the toughest tracks on the calendar when it comes to getting up and down out of the sand or, getting it close.
Taming Riviera requires a full array of shots, including a cooperative flat stick. Grinding out pars on the Par-4 holes, attacking the scorable Par-5 chances, and surviving the all-encompassing Par-3 holes will produce a worthy champion.
“Hogan’s Alley” has hosted the U.S. Open, won by Ben Hogan in 1948, plus two PGA Championships. The historical record includes a U.S. Senior Open and the U.S. Amateur, plus the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open and 2028 Summer Olympics yet to come.
Notes:
- Field of 70.
- The cut will be made after 36 holes. The top 50 and ties, plus anyone within 10 shots of the lead plays the weekend.
- The OWGR is represented by 41 of the top 50.
- $20 million – $4 million – 700 FedExCup points – Sentry, PLAYERS, and Masters ticket punched.
Season Winners
2023 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| Sentry Tournament of Champions | Jon Rahm |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Si Woo Kim |
| The AMERICAN EXPRESS | Jon Rahm (2) |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Max Homa (2) |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Justin Rose |
| WM Phoenix Open | Scottie Scheffler |
| The Genesis Invitational | Jon Rahm (3) |
| The Honda Classic | Chris Kirk |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Kurt Kitayama (first TOUR win) |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Scottie Scheffler (2) |
| Valspar Championship | Taylor Moore (first TOUR win) |
| Corales Puntacana | Matt Wallace (first TOUR win) |
| WGC – Dell Technologies MP | Sam Burns |
| Valero Texas Open | Corey Conners |
| Masters | Jon Rahm (4) |
| RBC Heritage | Matt Fitzpatrick |
| Zurich Classic of New Orleans | Davis Riley & Nick Hardy (first TOUR win for each) |
| Mexico Open at Vidanta | Tony Finau (2) |
| Wells Fargo Championship | Wyndham Clark (first TOUR win) |
| AT&T Byron Nelson | Jason Day |
| PGA Championship | Brooks Koepka |
| Charles Schwab Challenge | Emiliano Grillo |
| Memorial | Viktor Hovland |
| RBC Canadian Open | Nick Taylor |
| U.S. Open | Wyndham Clark (2) |
| Travelers Championship | Keegan Bradley (2) |
| Rocket Mortgage Classic | Rickie Fowler |
| John Deere Classic | Sepp Straka |
| Genesis Scottish Open | Rory McIlroy (2) |
| The Open Championship | Brian Harman |
| 3M Open | Lee Hodges (first TOUR win) |
| Wyndham Championship | Lucas Glover |
| FedEx St. Jude Championship | Lucas Glover (2) |
| BMW Championship | Viktor Hovland (2) |
| TOUR Championship | Viktor Hovland (3) |
| Fortinet Championship | Sahith Theegala |
| Sanderson Farms Championship | Luke List |
| Shriners Children’s Open | Tom Kim |
| ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP | Collin Morikawa |
| World Wide Technology | Erik van Rooyen |
| Butterfield Bermuda | Camilo Villegas |
| The RSM Classic | Ludvig Aberg |
2024 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| The Sentry | Chris Kirk |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Grayson Murray |
| The American Express | Nick Dunlap (a) |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Matthieu Pavon (rookie) |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Wyndham Clark (54 holes – weather) |
| WM Phoenix Open | Nick Taylor |
| The Genesis Invitational |
Recent Winners – The Genesis Invitational
Italics – not entered this week.
| Year | Winner | Notes |
| 2023 | Jon Rahm (-17) | Held off 2021 winner Max Homa by two shots. |
| 2022 | Joaquin Niemann (-19) | Became just the fourth wire-to-wire winner in event history. |
| 2021 | Max Homa (-12) | Defeated Tony Finau in a playoff. |
| 2020 | Adam Scott (-11) | Held off Matt Kuchar and two others by two shots. |
| 2019 | J.B. Holmes (-14) | Justin Thomas was 18-under with 17 holes to go. He finished 13-under and in second place. |
| 2018 | Bubba Watson (-12) | Won for the third time holding off Finau by two shots. |
Angles
Since 2007, every winner was 30 years or older until the 2022 and 2023 editions, when the winners were 23 and 28.
Masters champions have won this event 11 times since the turn of the century.
The last eight winners needed four or more starts before raising the trophy.
The last player to win on debut was Adam Scott in 2005. The victory was unofficial as the event, canceled due to weather, was only 36 holes.
The trio of Par-5 holes are some of the friendliest on TOUR.
The Par-4 holes are not.
Gaining strokes off the tee and into the greens will go a long way to determining the winner.
Bunkers this week are penal. Getting it close is rare. Getting it up and down is a struggle.
The fifth consecutive week on Poa annua greens will require concentration from outside the leather again. Look for the speed on the green to be the quickest yet on TOUR this season.
One and Done
I’ll be joining Spotter’s game again this season. Now, where did I put my checkbook…
35 events.
1 player per event (plus a backup pick if your guy gets kidnapped on Wednesday night and doesn’t make it to the first tee on Thursday).
1 use per year.
Add up the total money and Spotter is yer uncle!
| Event | Selection | Earnings |
| The Sentry | Collin Morikawa | 690,500 |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Corey Conners | 18,592 |
| The American Express | Adam Hadwin | 310,800 |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Jason Day | 0 |
| AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am | Jordan Spieth | 70,125 |
| WM Phoenix Open | Matt Fitzpatrick | 156,200 |
| Total Winnings: | 1,246,217 |
His game has more fun stuff to it so reach out @A340Spotter on Twitter or A340Spotter@frontier.com for more details and to join.
Recapping Last Week – WM Phoenix Open
Nick Taylor or Charley Hoffman was going to be a triple-digit long-shot winner.
Again.
Whatever.
MY CHOICE: Matt Fitzpatrick – T15 but 10 shots off the lead.
Other to Consider:
Scottie Scheffler: If I am going to use him once and only once, thems the rules, I’m going down in an event with BIG BUCKS on the table. Wonderful attempt for a three-peat. T3 is great, except when you put it next to what T3 this week pays.
Justin Thomas: Current heat mixes nicely with course form. At this point, I can’t talk myself out of him at Valhalla. You do you. T12 after a quiet Saturday round of 70.
Hideki Matsuyama: Legit course horse. T22 adds another top-25 payday to his career total here.
Max Homa: No, thanks. Next week. MC
Wyndham Clark: Following up a round of 60 in victory seems a bit of a stretch. Tough ask. T41.
Byeong Hun An: The putter isn’t the answer, but he won’t miss many Fairways and GIR. Crowd got under his skin. T66.
Longshots
Keith Mitchell – T17
Corey Conners – T28
Vincent Norrman – MC
Victor Perez – MC
This Week – The Genesis Invitational
West Coast players have feasted here over the years. Only Joaquin Niemann, who is ineligible this week, sticks out like a sore thumb from the list of recent winners. All he did was set the 36-hole and 54-hole scoring record in perfect conditions.
The third of eight Signature Events requires a show of nerves. Either you’re picking an ultra-premium player or you’re hoping to continue to stretch of winners outside 60-1.
With only 40-odd events to choose from, there is absolutely no need to go fishing this week. Save that for next week in Mexico when the field will lighten significantly.
MY CHOICE: Max Homa
It’s his major championship. It’s in his backyard. He’s won it and finished second in the last three editions. The streak of top-10 paydays is four.
No more overthinking.
Some would suggest I don’t think at all!
Who’s arguing?!?!?
With four of his six wins in his home state of California, I expect a bounce back after missing the cut last week. He’s fresh and ready to go.
Happy Valentine’s Day, you filthy animals.
Other to Consider:
Scottie Scheffler: I will not talk you out of him this week. This is not a putting contest and that will help him between the ears from the word go.
Collin Morikawa: I’d probably run him out before Scheffler. I like the grass match.
Adam Scott: I don’t think I need to dip to 50-1 this week. Might pop in a field with less lumber down the road.
Rory McIlroy: I’m good. See him in Florida or when the weather gets warmer.
Justin Thomas: T12 or better in every event over the last four months. I’m still holding out for Valhalla.
Patrick Cantlay/Xander Schauffele: If you’re not sold on Cantlay’s form, save him for Memorial. Schauffele is an auto-play at any major, especially a U.S. Open. If your game uses The TOUR Championship, that works as well.
Tiger Woods: Come on. Just no. He’s +320 to hit the top 20. Go there. Win there. Maybe.
Longshots
Sahith Theegala
Cameron Young
Will Zalatoris
Adam Schenk
Emiliano Grillo
Glass Houses 