Genesis Invitational Betting Guide: 5 Picks Our Expert Loves This Week

While we didn't have Collin Morikawa on the Pebble Beach outright card last week, it was good to see him back in the winner's circle. Whether you are a fan of his or not, it's good for golf when Morikawa is winning golf tournaments. We also saw Anthony Kim beat out Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau on LIV, which is one of the best sports stories of the year. It's still hard to believe that it actually happened.

We go from one Signature Event at Pebble Beach to another at Riviera Country Club. There are only 72 golfers in the field this week, but we do have a cut after the first two rounds. The top 50 and ties plus anyone within 10 strokes of the lead will make the cut and play the weekend. Essentially, most of the field will make the cut, but at least the cut provides an additional sweat for those of us who like to bet on golf and play DFS.

Where is the Genesis Invitational?

Genesis Invitational Course Preview: Riviera Country Club

Riviera Country Club is a Par 71 that measures 7,384 yards. On a par-adjusted basis, this is one of the longest non-major venues on the PGA TOUR. To win here, you have to have a solid all-around game, as this course will test all facets of a golfer's game.

There has been a lot of rain in the area to start the year, so we could see a slightly softer course than usual. With that said, I still expect the winning score to be in the -15 to -18 range.

The fairways at Riviera are narrow (28 yards on average) and tough to hit. The greens here are large (7,500 square feet) but tough to hit in regulation, especially from the rough. While this would lead you to believe that driving accuracy matters here, that actually hasn't been the case.

Driving distance has been more of a predictor to success here than driving accuracy. Ultimately, good total drivers of the ball should fare well this week. Golfers hit driver on 72% of non-Par 3 tee shots here last year, which is slightly higher than tour average.

The greens here are fairly fast (12.5 on the stimpmeter) and feature Poa Annua grass. If you ask anyone on tour, you'll quickly learn that Poa Annua greens are an acquired taste that require a lot of patience. We can expect to see a ton of missed putts inside of 5 feet this week.

My final note about Riviera is that course history is more predictive here than any other course on the PGA TOUR that's not named Augusta National. I've always been somewhere in the middle on the course history debate, but this is a week to target golfers who have had good results here in the past.

Genesis Invitational Picks

We have gotten away with Scottie Scheffler fade in the last 2 events, but we didn't pick up a winner in the process. I'm taking a different approach this week. I am making one bet in the outright market and one bet in the Winner Without Scheffler market.

If all goes right this week, perhaps we'll cash two of these bets. You have to do a little digging to find the Winner Without Scheffler market, but most of the major sportsbooks have odds posted.

Outrights: 

Scottie Scheffler

+320 at bet365 | 23% at Kalshi

If not for his bad starts the last two weeks, Scheffler could have easily won the WM Phoenix Open and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Despite being well back after the first round in each event, he made huge charges on the weekend to finish in the top 5 of both tournaments.

The Genesis Invitational is one of the only big events that he hasn't won in his career. Something tells me he wants to check this tournament off his list this week. It's not like he has poor course history, as he's finished T12 or better here in each of his last three appearances. Riviera Country Club is one of the most demanding courses from a tee-to-green perspective, and there's nobody on the planet who is as good tee-to-green as Scheffler.

The craziest part about this run from Scheffler is that he has quietly turned into a top 25 putter on tour. If he gets off to a good start this week, he could run away with the event.

Winner Without Scheffler: 

If you have never bet this market, it's very simple. You essentially are betting on who will win if you take Scheffler off the leaderboard. So if Scheffler wins, we can still win our bet if we have the golfer who finishes second. The bet also cashes if Scheffler doesn't win and you pick the actual winner. Essentially, it's a way to bet on the tournament without having to worry about Scheffler running away from the field, which I think might happen this week.

Tommy Fleetwood

+1800 at DraftKings | 4% at Kalshi to win outright

Fleetwood has been on a tear for the better part of a year. He had a few close calls on the PGA TOUR in 2025 and finally broke through with a win at the TOUR Championship.

In 8 starts since, he has picked up another win and 3 more top 10 finishes. He teed it up in America for the first time in 2026 last week and finished T4 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

A deeper dive into his statistics show that he was positive in all four of the strokes gained categories, which is really encouraging, as we are heading to a course that tests all aspects of a golfer's game. Fleetwood has played well here in the past, finishing T10 in 2024 and T20 in 2023.

Patrick Cantlay

+2200 at FanDuel | 3% at Kalshi to win outright

Even though Cantlay missed the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open, we should be encouraged by his start to the 2026 season.

He has gained at least 3.7 strokes ball striking in all three of his starts, and he already has 2 top 15 finishes under his belt.

When at his best, he's a golfer who can be positive in all four of the strokes gained categories, which is one of the reasons why he's been able to have so much success at Riviera. He has never missed the cut here and has posted back-to-back top 5 finishes.

Maverick McNealy

+3400 at DraftKings | 2% at Kalshi to win outright

I love the way McNealy's game is trending at the moment. He has gained strokes off the tee, on approach, and around the green in all four of his starts so far this year. He has yet to finish outside of the top 30, and he hasn't had a great putting week.

The putter is typically one of his biggest strengths, so I could see a win coming soon (hopefully this week) if he can get hot on the greens again. He's from California, so he will be very comfortable on these Poa Annua greens.

In his last appearance here, he finished T7.

Min Woo Lee

+3500 at FanDuel | 2% at Kalshi to win outright

I typically like to bet Lee on bomber's tracks, but he's shown an ability to contend on precision courses like TPC Sawgrass and Pebble Beach.

He played great last week, finishing T2 while gaining over 4 strokes on approach. He's a golfer who we want to bet on when he starts to flash some upside with his irons, because he's always a good driver of the ball and has a stout short game.

Even though he missed the cut in his debut at this event, his game sets up really well for Riviera. I like his odds given the current state of his game.

When is Genesis Invitational?

The 2026 Genesis Invitational tees off on Thursday, February 19, 2026.

• What: 2026 Genesis Invitational
• When: February 19-22, 2026
• Where: Riviera Country Club, Los Angeles
• Par: 71
• Length: 7,384
• Purse: $20 million

Where to Watch the Genesis Invitational?

2026 Genesis Invitational TV Schedule

Round 1: Thursday, February 19

• Live stream: ESPN+ (10:15 a.m. to 8 p.m.)
• TV coverage: Golf Channel (4 to 8 p.m. ET)

Round 2: Friday, February 20

• Live stream: ESPN+ (10:15 a.m. to 8 p.m.)
• TV coverage: Golf Channel (4 to 8 p.m. ET)

Round 3: Saturday, February 21

• Live stream: ESPN+ (10:15 a.m. to 7 p.m.)
• TV coverage: Golf Channel (1 to 3 p.m. ET); CBS (3 to 7 p.m. ET)

Round 4: Sunday, February 22

• Live stream: ESPN+ (9:45 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.)
• TV coverage: Golf Channel (1 to 3 p.m. ET); CBS (3 to 6:30 p.m. ET)

Who is Favored to Win the 2026 Genesis Invitational?

As he is every week in which he plays, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is the heavy favorite to win the Genesis Invitational at +300 odds at DraftKings as of Monday.

Scheffler finished tied for fourth at last weekend's Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Just as he did the week prior, Scheffler made a furious rally on Sunday, going from the middle of the leaderboard toward the top before coming up just shy of the win.

That win belonged to Collin Morikawa, who snapped a winless streak that dated back to 2023. Morikawa sank a birdie putt on the 18th hole on Sunday to best Min Woo Lee and Sepp Straka by a single stroke.

Morikawa is +3100 to win back-to-back tournaments, tied for 11th on the odds board. Lee is +4300 and Straka is +5000.

The second favorite this weekend behind Scheffler is once again Rory McIlroy, who is coming off at +1400 to win the Genesis Invitational at DraftKings. McIlroy made his season debut at last weekend's Pebble Beach Pro-Am and finished tied for 14th.

Genesis Invitational 2026: Odds, Favorites

Odds via DraftKings as of Tuesday