Genesis Open Preview
By Matt Fargo
Covers.com
The PGA Tour stays in California for the Genesis Open, formerly the Northern Trust Open, from famed Riviera Country Club. This is one of the oldest stops on tour as the event goes back to 1926 and Riviera has been the lone host since 1999. It has long been known within golfing circles as "Hogan's Alley" after the legendary Ben Hogan won three times here in a span of 18 months (two L.A. Opens and the U.S. Open sandwiched between). Known for a strong field annually, the event will not disappoint again this year.
Eight of the top ten players in the world are in Pacific Palisades this week. Jason Day (1), Dustin Johnson (3), Hideki Matsuyama (5), Jordan Spieth (6), Adam Scott (7), Justin Thomas (8 ), Sergio Garcia (9), and Patrick Reed (10) headline the field that also includes 17 of the top 25 in the OWGR. The two big names that are missing are Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods who both had to back out because of injuries. Every champion since 2007 in playing this week.
Bubba Watson is the defending champion who also won here in 2014 and he is one of 16 multiple champions with Phil Mickelson (2008, 2009) being the only other that is in the field this week. Other former champions trying to claim another title is Charles Howell III (2007), Steve Stricker (2010), Aaron Baddeley (2011), Bill Haas (2012), John Merrick (2014) and James Hahn (2015). Three of the last five champions have been decided in a playoff while no one has won by more than two shots since 1997.
This is a very difficult track and the stats have backed this up over the last few years. Five years ago, Riviera was ranked as the second hardest par 71, with players posting a 72.62 scoring average. Four years ago, it ranked fourth hardest with a 71.85 scoring average. Three years ago, the scoring average was 71.21 which was a four-year low and of the 77 players making the cut, only 19 finished over par. It was ranked hardest in 2015 and third hardest last year.
Creative shot making is important at Riviera as it is not considered a bombers paradise but they do have an edge this week because of the wet conditions. Equally important is experience and course knowledge. While John Merrick picked up his first PGA Tour win four years ago, the Genesis Open had not produced a first-time winner since 2002. Basically, we can throw rookies and first timers out of the mix to go with experienced players and ones that like the track.
Because of the star-studded field, it is a very chalky board. AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am winner Jordan Spieth is the favorite this week at +655 followed closely by two-time Genesis Open runner up Dustin Johnson at +745. Hideki Matsuyama, who has won five times worldwide since October is next at +890 with Jason Day at +1,250 and Justin Thomas at +1,800 rounding out the top five. Adam Scott (+2,200), Sergio Garcia (+2,200) and Justin Rose (+2,700) are the three remaining players at less than +3,000.
Genesis Open Preview
By: Zach Cohen
StatFox.com
Jordan Spieth will be looking for his second straight TOUR victory when the golfers head to Riviera Country Club for the Genesis Open on Thursday. Spieth was phenomenal at Pebble Beach last week, shooting a 19-under to win the event. He’ll now look to come away with another top finish, but he has never won this event in his career. The guys who have really dominated on this course would be both Bubba Watson and Phil Mickelson. Each of those two guys has won this tournament twice, and Watson is actually the defending champion this weekend. He won this event last year, shooting a 15-under to defeat both Jason Kokrak and Adam Scott by one stroke apiece. It was the second time he won this tournament with a score of 15-under, and that is the best score shot at this tournament since Steve Stricker shot a 16-under to win in 2010. Other noteworthy names in this field are Dustin Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama, Jason Day, Adam Scott, Justin Thomas, Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose and Brandt Snedeker. With that out of the way, let’s now take a look at some of the best values to emerge victorious on Sunday:
Jordan Spieth (15-to-2) - Jordan Spieth is coming off of a win at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and he has really looked sharp this season. Spieth has finished inside the top-10 at each of his five appearances on the year, and he has shot double digits under par in all of those tournaments. Where Spieth really has it going is with the irons, as he has been leaving himself with a ton of makeable putts. Look for him to be near the top of the leaderboard once again, and don’t be afraid to put a few units on him with these 15-to-2 odds.
Hideki Matsuyama (9-to-1) - Outside of Spieth, Matsuyama is probably the guy that is playing the best golf on the TOUR right now. Matsuyama did not play at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, but he won the Waste Management Phoenix Open the week before. Not only did he win that one, but Matsuyama also won the WGC-HSBC Championship in October and the Hero World Challenge in December. In addition to those three victories, Matsuyama has two second place finishes. He is worth a shot at 9-to-1, as he has been playing some near flawless golf this season.
Bubba Watson (33-to-1) - The fact that Watson is receiving 33-to-1 odds is pretty ridiculous. As previously mentioned, Watson has won this event twice in his career. One of those victories was a year ago, so he will definitely be feeling confident when he gets out there on Thursday. Watson might have been cut from the Waste Management Phoenix Open two weeks ago, but there is just way too much value to pass up here.
Patrick Rodgers (100-to-1) - Rodgers might not be a familiar name, but he was once considered to be one of the future stars on the TOUR. While he has not yet won a tournament this year, he has showed some promise. Rodgers finished tied for fourth at the Farmers Insurance Open two tournaments ago, and he showed that he is capable of playing at a high level. If he can catch a little fire on Thursday then it’s not too tough to imagine him coming away with a victory. He just needs some confidence and momentum.