2022 Genesis Invitational Odds, First-Round Leader Picks: Betting Value on Dustin Johnson & Patrick Cantlay

The PGA TOUR leaves behind the beer-can throwing fans of Scottsdale as it embarks on another year at prim-and-proper Riviera Country Club for the Genesis Invitational.

The event is one of five "invitational" tournaments on the PGA TOUR, so it's not surprise that all of the world's top-10 players will tee it up this week. This is one of those events where I look for the most elite players to thrive.

Last year, we saw Sam Burns get off to a hot start on Thursday, posting a 7-under 64 to lead by two over eventual winner Max Homa and Matt Fitzpatrick (who went on to finish T-5). It wasn't until later in the season that we saw just how talented the LSU Tiger really is.

We know low scores are out there on Thursday, even at a course as pure as Riviera. Look for both bombers and ball strikers to do well this week when making your picks. With that, here are my favorite First Round Leader bets for the Genesis Invitational.

Patrick Cantlay +2000

I'm actually a bit shocked the World No. 3 didn't win in the playoff last week against Scottie Scheffler.

Not because I don't think Scheffler if one of the best golfers in the world, but rather I thought Cantlay was in control. Also, Scheffler's lip-out on 18 didn't give me much confidence going into the playoff.

Nonetheless, I think this will be a good week for Cantlay. He finished fourth here back in 2018 and is a pretty good ball striker, to say the least. Cantlay hasn't finished outside of the top 10 in an event since the Northern Trust … when he finished 11th. In that span, he has two wins and a runner-up.

He's gotten off to a good start here in the past, shooting 66 in 2018 and 67 last year on Thursday.

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Dustin Johnson +2500

This is a guy who has played a lot of golf at Riviera and played that golf quite well. In 12 appearances: DJ has a win, two runners-up, three additional top-five finishes and three additional top-10.

Johnson's ball striking in combination with his explosive distance make him a serious threat at Riviera. When he finished T8 last year, he gained 7.4 strokes total. That same week, he also averaged 7.5 Strokes Gained: Tee to Green.

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Matt Fitzpatrick +4000

One of my favorite bets this time of year is the Englishman who finished in a tie for fifth last year at this event. He opened with a stellar 66 to tie for second after the first round with eventual winner Homa.

Fitz had a good showing at last week at the WMPO, where a Sunday charge saw him finish in a tie for 10th. The week before, he finished T6 at Pebble Beach.

He's averaging more than 10 strokes gained on the field in his first starts of the season, and I think the Fitz was only getting warmed up the last two weeks.

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Jason Kokrak  +6000

Kokrak leads this week's field in Strokes Gained: Total on Thursday at Riviera over the last eight years. In that time, he averages 68.9 strokes during the first round.

He's been a very consistent player on Thursday, as well as throughout the week in the past. Kokrak's best finish at Riviera is a T2 in 2016.

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Wyndham Clark +13000

In his two appearances at The Genesis Invitational, the Colorado native shot 67 on Thursday in 2020 and 2021. Clark went on to finish T17 in that first year, and T8 the following.

Like Johnson, who also finished T-8 in 2021, Clark gained 7.4 strokes on the field that week. His ball striking has been a bit shaky as of late, but we saw glimpses of those fine numbers earlier this season at the Amex and Pebble Beach.

Clark is a worthy top-20 bet as well, where you will find some very good odds.

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