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Hello RotoBaller PGA crew! It's great to be back with you guys and I appreciate you joining us here at RotoBaller for your PGA DFS research. This week we have an unbelievably-strong field of players assembled for one of the best events on the schedule, the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club. Can't wait to dive in!
In this article, we'll discuss some of the standout PGA DFS plays available on FanDuel for the Genesis Invitational. While it's impossible to hit on every player, we'll touch on some different plays across all price ranges, breaking the groups down into "High", "Mid", and "Low" price options that are worth considering.
Like always, the purpose of this piece is to help you put together your optimal daily fantasy golf lineups for FanDuel, whether that be from a GPP perspective or a cash-game mentality. Be sure to also read all of our other top-notch weekly PGA DFS and betting articles to help you win big!
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Genesis Invitational - PGA DFS Overview
The Course: The Riviera Country Club
Par 71 - 7,322 Yards, Greens: Poa annua, Designed By: George C. Thomas Jr. & William P. Bell
The Riviera Country Club is a legendary track and one of the classiest courses on the PGA Tour schedule. Its Hollywood history only adds to the club's intrigue. Opened in 1927, Riviera was an instant classic and has long been a favorite of L.A.'s celebrities and golf course aficionados. It was famously dubbed 'Hogan's Alley' after Ben Hogan logged three wins on the course in 18 months.
In addition to all the history, Riviera still stands out as a great golf course in the modern era. The 315 yard, drivable Par-4 10th hole is one of the best on the PGA Tour. It is 'risk/reward' at its finest and offers players a chance to drive the small green for an eagle opportunity. However, a miss on 10 can quickly turn disastrous, as shots from around the green are extremely tricky. Riviera places an emphasis on ball-striking and shot-making, especially from 175+ yards out. I will focus on ball strikers that have previous experience at Riviera this week.
For an in-depth breakdown of this week's course, check out RotoBaller's PGA Premium Course Breakdown by Josh Bennett!
Let's Look At The Stats
| Stat | Riviera CC | Tour Average |
| Driving Distance | 281 | 282 |
| Driving Accuracy | 55% | 62% |
| GIR Percentage | 57% | 65% |
| Scrambling Percentage | 60% | 57% |
| Average Three-Putts Per Round | 0.64 | 0.55 |
Key Stats
- SG: Approach
- SG: T2G
- Total Proximity
- Proximity (150+ Yards)
- SG: Around The Green
- SG: Putting (Poa annua)
Fantasy Golf Lineup Picks for FanDuel (PGA DFS)
We have tons of great weekly PGA articles, DFS analysis, tools and DFS advice. Be sure to read our other fantastic articles regarding this week's event including DFS lineup picks for DraftKings/FanDuel, betting advice and DFS prop picks.
High-Priced FanDuel DFS Plays
Patrick Cantlay ($12,000)
It's getting tough to question Patrick Cantlay at this point...after a white-hot stretch to close out 2021 that led to a FedEx Cup Championship, the 29-year-old has stayed hot to open 2022. Cantlay fell to Scottie Scheffler in a playoff last week in Phoenix and the runner-up finish marked his third top-five finish in four starts this year.
The native Californian now brings his trending form to a Riviera layout that has been a nice fit for him throughout his career. Cantlay has made the cut in each of his last four Genesis appearances, never finishing worse than T17. He grades out first in this stacked field in SG: Total over the last 12 rounds and is right at home on the tricky Poa annua greens that he'll face this week.
Dustin Johnson ($11,500)
After a dominant stretch run in 2020, Dustin Johnson was relatively quiet by his standards in 2021, failing to log a win on the PGA Tour for the first time since 2014. Despite the underwhelming-by-his-standards season (he did pick up a win at the Saudi International early in the year), there were some positive signs toward the end of the year, as Johnson posted respectable results in both the U.S. and British Opens, and closed the 2020-21 season with top-10s in three of his last four starts.
DJ has also shown signs that his game is trending in the right direction in his two starts this year. He gained a massive 8.3 strokes T2G at Torrey Pines (the second-best mark in the field) and recorded a T8 two weeks ago at the Saudi International in tough, windy conditions.
In addition to the trending form, the South Carolina native has been a beast at Riviera throughout the years. He won the Genesis in 2017 and has recorded a remarkable nine additional top-10s over his 14 career starts at The Riv. Johnson leads this week's field of entrants in both career scoring average (69.29) and SG: Total at the Genesis.
Cameron Smith ($11,100)
An angle that I'll be attacking this week is the noticeable crossover of success between the Masters and the Genesis. Over the last 20 years, a remarkable half of the winners at Riviera have also been Masters champions! While young Cameron Smith has yet to slip on a green jacket, the Aussie has already begun to make his mark at both Augusta National and Riviera.
The mulleted one has a runner-up and two additional top-10s on his Masters' resume, so it's no surprise that he's also found some success at Riviera. Smith has made the cut in five of six career Genesis appearances with two top-six results among those outings.
He's long-possessed one of the best short games in the world - a skill set that is certainly helpful at Riviera - but the catalyst for Smith's recent run that includes a victory in the Sentry Tournament of Champions to start the year has been his noticeably improved ball striking. The Aussie has gained strokes in every major statistical ball-striking category (T2G, OTT, and Approach) on average over his last 20 tournaments.
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Mid-Priced FanDuel DFS Plays
Adam Scott ($9,900)
Sticking with the Augusta National/Riviera narrative here, as Adam Scott is a former winner on both golf courses. Scott won a rain-shortened event in his Riviera debut in 2005 and in a more traditional way in 2020. The Aussie (there's also an "Aussie Narrative" that makes sense this week due to the Kikuyu grass present at Riv) owns a sterling 69.71 career scoring average in this event and has played the weekend in 12 of his 13 career starts at Riviera. Scott logged top-10s in two international starts in January (Abu Dhabi & Dubai) and posted a solid T38 last week in Phoenix in his first U.S. start of 2022. We know what we're getting here at this sub-$10k price tag...quality ball-striking and a high level of play from tee to green.
Joaquin Niemann ($9,600)
After putting forth perhaps his most consistent season as a pro in 2021, Joaquin Niemann has reminded us of his upside in 2022. Niemann scored a T6 in the Farmers Insurance Open on a tough Torrey Pines layout and most recently posted a T8 in blustery conditions at the Saudi International. The young Chilean's record at Riviera is pretty ugly (T44-MC-T43), but Niemann checks all the boxes of what's needed for success here...he's long off the tee, a terrific ball-striker, and excellent on approaches from 175-plus yards. If there's ever going to be a Riviera breakout for the phenom, this could be the year.
Low-Priced FanDuel DFS Players
Thomas Pieters ($9,200)
American golf fans probably have some familiarity with Thomas Pieters from his spot starts in major championships or his impressive 2016 Ryder Cup appearance, but the "Belgian Bomber" should go largely overlooked by casual PGA DFS players this week. I hope that's the case, as I'm actually really excited to roster Pieters, a player that's always been an elite physical talent, but has struggled at times with the mental aspect of the game.
Pieters brings both excellent form and Riviera ties with him to the U.S. this week, as well as a seemingly newfound level of maturity. He won the 2012 NCAA Individual Championship while at the University of Illinois, an event that was held at Riviera, and followed that with a runner-up performance at the legendary L.A. layout as a pro in 2017. In addition to the course history, Pieters travels to America with his game in a very good place. The 30-year-old bagged the biggest victory of his career last month at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, a win that was preceded by a victory at the Portugal Masters last November.
Patrick Rodgers ($8,000)
With no recent form to speak of, Patrick Rodgers is the definition of a course history play. Rodgers has missed the cut in two of his four 2022 starts, with a T40 at the AmEx standing as his best outing of the year. However, his track record at Riviera is eye-opening and puts him into consideration as a salary-saving punt option in GPPs. The Stanford alum was a superstar in college but has scuffled as a professional. He has found consistent success in this event though, making the cut in each of his last five Genesis starts with all of those outings resulting in top-30 finishes or better. Rodgers has gained a total of 26.3 strokes in this tournament since 2015, a mark that ranks sixth among the players in this week's elite field.
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