2019 Genesis Open Odds & Preview

This week the PGA Tour moves to Riviera Country Club near Santa Monica, as the 2019 Genesis Open will feature the deepest field of the year so far. This course is a Par 71 that runs approximately 7,350 yards. The fairways are tight, and the greens are small, which is why the course tends to result in drives that hit fairways just less than two-thirds of the time and golfers who find greens in regulation at about the same clip. Bubba Watson won here in 2014, 2016 and again last year, coming in with a -12 score last year, while Dustin Johnson won the 2017 edition. Check out the golf betting odds as well as our thoughts on some of the contenders.

2019 Genesis Open Odds & Preview

Contender Odds to Win the 2019 Genesis Open

• Dustin Johnson                                                                                                           +900
• Justin Thomas                                                                                                            +1200
• Bryson DeChambeau                                                                                                 +1400
• Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm                                                                                             +1600
• Tiger Woods, Bubba Watson                                                                                     +2000
• Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson, Xander Schauffele                                                   +2200
• Hideki Matsuyama, Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau                                                       +2800
• Adam Scott, Marc Leishman, Paul Casey                                                                 +3000
• Cameron Smith, Matt Kuchar, Tommy Fleetwood                                                     +3500
• Charles Howell III, Sergio Garcia                                                                               +4000
• Chez Reavie                                                                                                               +4500
• Adam Hadwin, Branden Grace, Cameron Champ, Louis Oosthuizen                       +5000
• Rafa Cabrera-Bello                                                                                                     +6000
• Tyrrell Hatton                                                                                                              +7000
• Jason Kokrak, Keegan Bradley, Scott Stallings, Si Soo Kim, Sung Kang                +8000
• J.B. Holmes, Kevin Na, Martin Laird, Sung-Jae Im                                                   +9000
• Aaron Wise, Abraham Ancer, Andrew Putnam, Brian Harman, Charl Schwartzel, Danny Willett, Luke List                                                                +10000

Tiger Woods has had problems historically at Riviera. He did finish as the runner-up here in 1998 and 1999 but since then he has not played well. In fact, this is the only PGA Tour venue that he has played more than four times as a pro without a win. The Tiger Woods Foundation does run the event, but he’s not the best pick to walk away with the big check. Jon Rahm offers significant value here, since he is almost always a contender and has four straight top-10 finishes in as many tournaments. However, he does not have a particularly strong track record at Riviera. Rory McIlroy has shown considerable inconsistency lately, particularly with his iron play. Even so, he has started the year with two finishes in the top five, and his putting has still been subpar, so he could be ready for a breakthrough. He has played Riviera twice and has finished in the top 20 in both events. If weather hits and the greens soften, this could turn into a big weekend for him. Bryson DeChambeau came in 41st here last year even though he was 11th in strokes gained (tee to green). His putter was what did him in last year, as he finished 131st here on the green, according to FantasyNational.com. Dustin Johnson is the favorite despite a subpar performance last week at Pebble Beach. However, jet lag might have played a role as he had just finished winning in Saudi Arabia the week before. This is an elite field, but Johnson stands apart from them right now. So even with the low value, he’s one to consider wagering on. Justin Thomas has gained 7.2 strokes off the tee and 5.4 strokes on his approaches, over his last 10 rounds. On a course with tight greens like Riviera, that means that he should be able to make up some ground with his shotmaking. He has said in the past that he really enjoys playing at Riviera. Can he turn all of those factors into a win this week? When it comes to dark horses, Keegan Bradley lost nine strokes putting for the event. However, his striking was terrific, as he was fifth in strokes gained (approach),and he hit well for both distance and accuracy. At Riviera, he gained strokes on the green at five of his last seven starts here. Marc Leishman is another dark horse who is hoping for a better weekend out of his putter than he has had in the past.