Tiger Woods is back!
After a week in Arizona, the PGA Tour moves back to California for the Genesis Open hosted by Tiger Woods, who makes his first start of 2024 and here at Odds Trader, we find your best bets.
Picks Summary
- Tony Finau to Win Outright (+2800)
- Tony Finau to Finish in Top 10 (+250)
- Collin Morikawa to Win Outright (+2000)
- Collin Morikawa to Finish Top 10 (+200)
*All odds from Bet365 (check our Bet365 Review)
2024 The Genesis Invitational
February 15 – 18, 2024 at Riviera Country Club
Genesis Open at The Riviera Country Club
The Riviera Country Club is a Par 71, 7322 yards, a respected tough championship track that has hosted two PGA Championships and a US Open, along with a slew of major championships on the LPGA and Champions Tours in recent years. Established nearly 100 years ago when designed by G. C. Thomas Jr. and William P. Bell.
The Championship test is a narrow driving course set between tree-lined fairways with a requirement to be able to shape shots off the tee. The putting surfaces are undulating Poa Annua greens, which are something of an acquired taste for the golfers, especially as they firm up as the week goes on.
This year’s weather forecast gives rain at the weekend, which would have the potential to take the fire out of those tricky greens but with strategic bunkering surrounding, a strong scrambling ability and accurate tee-to-green game are a non-negotiable requirement this week in Los Angeles.
Can Big Tone Go One Better?
Can Tony Finau or “Big Tone” as he is affectionately known, finally land a Genesis Open at the Riviera Country Club?
On two occasions, the thirty-four-year-old Utah man has been agonizingly close to being champion of the event. Firstly, when he was the runner-up to Max Homa in a sudden death playoff in 2021, and then three years previous in 2018, losing out to Bubba Watson by two strokes.
It did not go unnoticed to us that the Salt Lake City man chose to bypass last week’s Phoenix Open despite having a very strong record in the event. Logically, that could be a recommendation that Finau prioritizes this week’s event and fancies his chances after a strong start to 2024.
The impressive opening to 2024 has already seen him go close at the Farmers Insurance Open. That attempt to win at Torrey Pines was undermined by a poor final day on the greens, so an extra week’s practice on his short game rather than intense competition could be just what the doctor ordered for Finau to win this week.
After looking around at the best sportsbooks, we found the best price for Tony Finau winning this week’s Genesis Open at (+2800) at Bet365.
Golf Pick: Tony Finau to Win Outright (+2800) at Bet365
Golf Pick: Tony Finau to Finish in Top 10 (+250) at Bet365
Can Collin Make Home Advantage Tell?
Except for winning a major championship, I suspect that nothing would give Collin Morikawa greater pleasure than winning the Genesis Open in his home city of Los Angeles. We know Morikawa excels in a tough test of strategic iron play, and that is exactly what Riviera Country Club has always been about.
There have been encouraging signs for a while now that the two-time major champion is getting ready for a top-flight win. His win in the fall of 2023, at the Zoso Championship was on the back of a change of coach for the first time in his career.
This season has started in his customary solid fashion with strong efforts at the Sentry and Pebble Beach so now with a home game, we can expect the twenty-seven-year-old to put up a strong showing. Previous efforts at Riviera Country Club have illustrated how well the track plays into Morikawa’s strengths when 6th last year and runner-up in 2022.
With many of the Riviera Country Club course specialists defected to LIV Golf, this year’s renewal looks slightly weaker despite being a signature event on the PGA Tour.
We believe this year’s Genesis Open represents a strong opportunity for Collin Morikawa to get his first PGA Tour win of 2024, and the best price at our sportsbooks is (+2000).
Golf Pick: Collin Morikawa to Win Outright (+2000) at Bet365
Golf Pick: Collin Morikawa to Finish Top 10 (+200) at Bet365
*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.
