RADIO
Hello folks, and welcome back to Horse For The Course! As it turns out, getting the best golfers in the world all together in one place is a good idea. Scottie Scheffler successfully defended his WM Phoenix Open title over the weekend by holding off a star-studded leaderboard that included Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, and a host of others.
The WMPO was the PGA Tour's first "elevated" event of the year and we don't waste any time getting right into the second one this week at legendary Riviera Country Club with the Genesis Invitational. As if this event needed any extra juice, some guy named Tiger will also be playing this week. This is going to be electric. Let's dive in!
Horse For The Course is an article that highlights players in this week's field with elite course history and is part of our free PGA DFS content here at RotoBaller. For my favorite DFS plays of the week check out my Core Four article here at RotoBaller every Wednesday. It's part of our excellent PGA Premium package that includes an all-new PGA Research Station, Lineup Builder & Optimizer, and some of the best articles in the PGA DFS industry! You can sign up now using Promo Code: NICE for an extra discount at checkout!
2023 Genesis Invitational
We go from one of the schedule's best events directly to another, as we hop from Phoenix to Los Angeles for the Genesis Invitational, the PGA Tour's second "elevated" event of the year. It's not as if the Genesis needed much help, as it routinely draws one of the stronger fields of the year thanks to the iconic nature of Riviera Country Club.
In addition to the event's already-prestigious nature, golf fans were treated with a pleasant surprise last week when Genesis Invitational host Tiger Woods confirmed that he would be teeing it up in this year's edition. It will be Tiger's first official start since The Open Championship and will certainly add some huge buzz to the week.
As for the tournament itself, this is a monster event. Riviera is perhaps the PGA Tour's best non-major venue and consistently presents a terrific challenge for the world's best players. They are here en mass this week. With defending Genesis champion Joaquin Niemann off to LIV, we will have a new champion crowned this week from a field of competitors that includes Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, and reads like a "who's who" of golf.
You can also find out who the smart money is on by checking out Spencer Aguiar's PGA DFS: Vegas Report every week. And be sure to read all of our other top-notch weekly PGA DFS articles to help you win big!
The Course: Riviera Country Club
Par 71 - 7,322 Yards, Greens: Poa, Designed By: George Thomas
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.
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. Golfers will often be forced to use less-than-driver off the tee this week and will face multiple doglegs. I will focus on ball strikers that have previous experience at Riviera this week.
Recent Genesis Invitational Winners & Scoring Info
- 2022: Joaquin Niemann (-19)
- 2021: Max Homa (-19)
- 2020: Adam Scott (-11)
- 2019: J.B. Holmes (-14)
- 2018: Bubba Watson (-12)
- Average Winning Score Last Five Years: -15
The Horse
Max Homa
- Event Scoring Average: 69.80 (Six career starts)
- Notable Course History: T10 (2022), Win ('21), T5 ('20)
- DraftKings Price: $9,700 FanDuel Price: $
The California native has evolved into a legitimate beast in his home state. Homa's recent victory at the Farmers Insurance Open marked the sixth PGA Tour win of his career and the fourth time he's found the winner's circle in his home state.
That Cali success has included the legendary Los Angeles track, Riviera. Homa scored what was the biggest victory of his career in the 2021 Genesis Invitational and has bookended that win with a T5 in 2020 and a T10 in last year's edition.
Homa is quickly establishing himself as a closer on the PGA Tour. That success can be attributed to his strong all-around game. The 32-year-old grades out fifth in this elite field in SG: Total over the last 24 rounds
The Ponies
Rory McIlroy
- Event Scoring Average: 69.59 (Six career starts)
- Notable Course History: T10 ('22), T5 ('20), T4 ('19)
- DraftKings Price: $10,500 FanDuel Price: $
After kicking off his 2023 with an exciting win at the Dubai Desert Classic, Rory McIlroy was rather quiet last week in Phoenix. His ho-hum T32 in the WMPO can be traced directly to a cold putter that led to him losing 3.3 strokes on the greens at TPC Scottsdale.
Everything else was in sharp form, as McIlroy gained 6.2 strokes T2G while looking rock solid in all facets outside of the aforementioned balky putter. We can expect golf's shining knight to find more success this week at Riviera, a golf course where he's thrived in recent years. The 33-year-old has recorded a pair of top-five finishes and a T10 across his last four Genesis starts.
McIlroy is unquestionably elite in all areas of the game - which is always a plus on a Riviera layout that offers a complete test. We can likely also attribute a degree of his success at Riv to his penchant for Poa greens. Rory has excelled on the tricky surface, gaining an average of +.084 strokes putting on Poa, which is his best mark on any surface type.
From a narrative perspective, Riviera is one of the few infinity stones that McIlroy does not yet have in his career gauntlet. An avid historian of the game, this is a golf course on which he's highly motivated to win.
Viktor Hovland
- Event Scoring Average: 68.38 (Two career starts)
- Notable Course History: T4 ('22), T5 ('21)
- DraftKings Price: $8,900 FanDuel Price: $11,300
Viktor Hovland's Riviera resume isn't very extensive, but it sure is impressive. Though the 25-year-old has just two Genesis starts to his credit, he's popped for top-five finishes in each of those outings. Among those in this week's field with at least eight rounds played at Riviera, Hovland leads all of this year's Genesis entrants in both scoring average (68.38) and strokes gained per round (+2.50).
After closing out 2022 with a win at the Hero World Challenge, the popular Norwegian has been flying under the radar this calendar year. Hovland posted a pair of top-18 results in his first starts of the year (Sentry TOC & AT&T Pebble Beach) before a T42 finish last week on a TPC Scottsdale layout that he's failed to get the hang of in two career starts.
Unsurprisingly, Hovland's short game was an issue last week in Phoenix (he lost strokes both ATG & Putting). However, there's reason to be optimistic about his chances to rebound this week, as he's shown an affinity for Riv's Poa surfaces in the past. Historically, Poa has been his best surface (+.189 strokes) and that trend has held true at Riviera, as he's gained a combined 6.2 strokes putting across his two career Genesis starts. In addition to his sharp putting in the event, the youngster has also experimented with some interesting ways to attack Hogan's Alley in recent years.
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Adam Scott
- Event Scoring Average: 69.54 (14 career starts)
- Notable Course History: T4 ('22), Win ('20), T7 ('19), T2 ('16), Win ('05)
- DraftKings Price: $8,000 FanDuel Price: $
Since winning what was then the Nissan Open in his 2005 Riviera debut, Adam Scott has remained superb at the iconic L.A. course. The now-42-year-old Scott has been a consistent force on this demanding layout, notching another win in 2020 and most recently recording a T4 in last year's Genesis.
The sweet-swinging Aussie seems a natural fit for Riv, as his world-class ability from tee to green allows him to navigate the challenging par-71. Don't let Scott's advancing age fool you...he can still golf his ball. He had a tremendous close to 2022, scoring back-t0-back top-five finishes in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, as well as a runner-up finish at the Australian Open in December. He's one of the few top golfers that didn't tee it up in Phoenix last week, but he did post a T21 in his most recent start at the Sony Open.
Wyndham Clark
- Event Scoring Average: 69.63 (Two career starts)
- Notable Course History: T8 ('21), T17 ('20)
- DraftKings Price: $7,800 FanDuel Price:
Outside of last year's random DQ for signing an incorrect scorecard, Wyndham Clark has been excellent at the Genesis Invitational, following a 2020 T17 with a sterling T8 in 2021.
In addition to the impressive course history at Riviera, Clark comes into this year's edition firing on all cylinders. The former Pac-12 champion heads to L.A. on the heels of a T10 last week in Phoenix, an event in which he gained a blistering 4.2 strokes on Approach.
Often the weakest part of his game, the 29-year-old has now gained strokes with his irons in six of his last seven starts dating back to 2022. His T10 at the WMPO marked his second top-10 result in his last four starts. It appears as though Clark's biggest obstacle this week will be his ability to count up his strokes.
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