Genesis Invitational
Torrey Pines Golf Course
South Course
La Jolla, California
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Chalk
My thoughts on the top players for betting purposes:
Scottie Scheffler: The front and back nines last Sunday created more questions than answers. Playing for the third week in a row, I would expect a more linear path on the weekend.
Rory McIlroy: Sticking the hottest player on the planet on a course that rewards his skillset is a no-brainer. He’s dominated Quail Hollow Club since 2010, and Torrey South is in that category.
Collin Morikawa: Hyper accurate off the tee, familiar grass will also help.
Justin Thomas: He’s tired of firing late on Sunday to play catch up. Let’s see if he breaks the streak of every other week after T6 in Arizona.
Hideki Matsuyama: Plenty of pop tee to green, but his short game might be the difference this week.
Ludvig Aberg: Thankfully, I’ve used all of my tokens on this ride. Is he sick? Healthy? Ready? Let me know.
Patrick Cantlay: I’ll be interested to see if he heats up in Florida. Plays well where he plays well and Torrey ain’t it.
Sungjae Im: Top 10s in three of his last four. Go.
Tommy Fleetwood: Big, long, and wet is how Torrey will play this week. The Englishman will need his litany of short-game magic to deliver to contend.
Taylor Pendrith: Hit it, find it, hit it again. Back-to-back top 10 paydays with seven of eight-weekend rounds par or better. Super putter.
Tony Finau: Two missed cuts and two top 10s in his last four here. Never worse than T24.
Shane Lowry: Battering the sprinkler line is never a bad plan. Only McIlroy was better at Pebble Beach.
NOW PLAYING: Torrey Pines South Golf Course
| Host Course | South Course |
| Yards (per official scorecard): | 7,765. |
| Par: | 72 (32-36). |
| Greens: | Poa annua; 5,000 square feet on average. |
| Stimpmeter: | 13 feet and up. |
| Rough: | Overseeded Rye and Poa annua around FOUR inches. |
| Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play | 82/1/1 (a pond in front of No. 18) |
| Architect(s): | William F. Bell and William P. Bell. (1957). |
| Defending Champion (event): | Hideki Matsuyama. |
| Defending Champion (course): | Harris English. |
| Multiple Champion(s) Entered: | Jason Day (2018, 2015). |
| Course Record: | 61; Tiger Woods (1999). |
| 72 Hole Tournament Record (Torey Pines South) | 22-under; Tiger Woods (1999). |
| Fact of the Week: | The Genesis Invitational was moved from The Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades to Torrey Pines because of the January wildfires. All information this week is based on COURSE, not event. |
| Fact of the Week II: | Harris English is the only American winner in the 2025 season, and he won on this track in late January at the Farmers Insurance Open. |
Notes:
- Field of 72.
- THE 36-HOLE CUT returns this week. The Signature Events with player hosts (Genesis, Arnold Palmer, Memorial) will cut to the top 50 and ties, plus anyone within 10 shots of the lead.
- The OWGR is represented by 46 of the top 50.
- $20 million – $4 million – 700 FedExCup points – Sentry, PLAYERS, and Masters ticket punched.
For those of you who do not read Horses for Courses at pgatour.com, you should.
The Genesis Invitational is annually played at The Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades. I’m not referring to any past performances on a course that is NOT BEING USED this week.
Right, Hideki Matsuyama is the event defending champion and closed with 62 last year. The course they play is more important than the name of the event.
Recent Winners
2025 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| The Sentry | Hideki Matsuyama |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Nick Taylor |
| The American Express | Sepp Straka |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Harris English |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Rory McIlroy |
| WM Phoenix Open | Thomas Detry (first time) |
2024 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| The Sentry | Chris Kirk |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Grayson Murray (Rest in Peace) |
| The American Express | Nick Dunlap (a) |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Matthieu Pavon (rookie) |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Wyndham Clark (54 holes) |
| WM Phoenix Open | Nick Taylor |
| The Genesis Invitational | Hideki Matsuyama |
| Mexico Open at Vidanta | Jake Knapp (rookie) |
| Cognizant Classic | Austin Eckroat (first time) |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Scottie Scheffler |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Scottie Scheffler (2) |
| Valspar Championship | Peter Malnati |
| Texas Children’s Houston Open | Stephan Jaeger (first time) |
| Valero Texas Open | Akshay Bhatia |
| 88th Masters Tournament | Scottie Scheffler (3) |
| RBC Heritage | Scottie Scheffler (4) |
| Zurich Classic | Rory McIlroy & Shane Lowry |
| THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson | Taylor Pendrith (first time) |
| Wells Fargo Championship | Rory McIlroy (2) |
| 106th PGA Championship | Xander Schauffele |
| Charles Schwab Challenge | Davis Riley |
| RBC Canadian Open | Robert MacIntyre (first time) |
| The 49th Memorial Tournament | Scottie Scheffler (5) |
| 124th United States Open | Bryson DeChambeau |
| Travelers Championship | Scottie Scheffler (6) |
| Rocket Mortgage Classic | Cam Davis |
| John Deere Classic | Davis Thompson (first time) |
| Genesis Scottish Open | Robert MacIntyre (2) |
| 152nd Open Championship | Xander Schauffele (2) |
| 3M Open | Jhonattan Vegas |
| 2024 Paris Olympics | Scottie Scheffler (7) |
| 3M Open | Jhonattan Vegas |
| Wyndham Championship | Aaron Rai (first time) |
| FedEx St. Jude Championship | Hideki Matsuyama (2) |
| BMW Championship | Keegan Bradley |
| The TOUR Championship | Scottie Scheffler (8) |
| FedEx Cup Fall | |
| Procore Championship | Patton Kizzire |
| Sanderson Farms Championship | Kevin Yu (first time) |
| Black Desert Championship | Matt McCarty (first time) |
| Shriners Children’s Open | JT Poston |
| ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP | Nico Echavarria |
| World Wide Technology Champ | Austin Eckroat (2) |
| Butterfield Bermuda Champ | Rafa Campos (first time) |
| The RSM Classic | Maverick McNealy (first time) |
Recent Winners – Farmers Insurance Open
Italics – not entered this week.
| Year | Winner | Notes |
| 2025 | Harris English (-9) | Defeated Sam Stevens by a shot to win for the fifth time on TOUR. |
| 2024 | Matthieu Pavon (-13) | Won in his first appearance. Won for the first time on TOUR. |
| 2023 | Max Homa (-13) | Held off Keegan Bradley by two. |
| 2022 | Luke List (-15) | Defeated Will Zalatoris in a playoff. |
| 2021 | Patrick Reed (-14) | Lapped the field by five shots. |
| 2020 | Marc Leishman (-15) | Won by a shot. |
| 2019 | Justin Rose (-21) | Missed tying the tournament scoring record by one. Adam Scott was second at 19-under. |
| 2018 | Jason Day (-10) | Won for the second time and won for the second time in a playoff. |
| 2017 | Jon Ram (-13) | Won for the first time on TOUR and is the last person to win in their 20s. |
| 2016 | Brandt Snedeker (-6) | Didn’t strike a ball on Monday after bad weather wiped most of Sunday’s round. |
| 2015 | Jason Day (-9) | Won a four-man playoff to kick off his best year on TOUR. |
Players to consider for Top 10, Top 20, or Top 40 action:
Much better in the desert. 5 players in the top 25, highlighted by Taylor Moore and T9.
Course Horses Jason Day, Tony Finau, and Sam Stevens (!?!?) should run well this week.
Will Zalatoris, Rasmus Hojgaard, and Keegan Bradley will not have to rely on hot putters to keep up.
Gary Woodland, Cam Davis, and Min Woo Lee all have enough firepower to shorten this beast.
One and Done – Spotter’s Game
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.
LAST WEEK – WM Phoenix Open
MY CHOICE: Rasmus Hojgaard – T12
I’d mention that he played in the final three-ball but that would just open an old wound.
I was ready for a final round 74, but his birdie at the last made me a few dollars.
Thomas Detry, Daniel Berger, and Mike Kim were not on my radar, so I’ll gladly take the second-best finisher in the OAD game this week.
I also didn’t have to burn Justin Thomas like some of the others.
| Event | Selection | Place | Earnings |
| The Sentry | Sungjae Im | 3rd | $1,360,000 |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Russell Henley | T10 | 195,025 |
| The American Express | Adam Hadwin | MC | |
| Farmers Insurance | Jason Day | T32 | 52,080 |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Ludvig Aberg | WD | |
| WM Phoenix Open | Rasmus Hojgaard | T12 | 195,500 |
THIS WEEK – Genesis Invitational
Big purse.
Big win ticket compared to other Signature Events. $4 million instead of $3.6 million.
Biiiigggggggggggggggg course, the longest used on TOUR.
Hideki Matsuyama and Rory McIlroy are the Signature Event winners so far and I wouldn’t be surprised to see another household name holding the trophy again this week.
I need somebody who can smash it, putt Poa annua, scramble, and grind out pars over a long, wet track.
MY CHOICE: Will Zalatoris
Let’s try this again.
I ran him out for the Farmers but he WD before the event started and Jason Day took his spot.
I have no worries about his course form and I was encouraged to see 68-69 to close at Pebble Beach his last time out.
Others to consider:
Keegan Bradley, Taylor Pendrith, Hideki Matsuyama, Sam Stevens
Glass Houses 