A star-studded field, an iconic course and the return of Tiger Woods add up to a huge week for the PGA Tour at the 2023 Genesis Invitational. The tournament tees off Thursday at 9:40 a.m. ET at Riviera Country Club outside Los Angeles, where the world's top three golfers will continue a fierce battle for the world's No. 1 ranking. Scottie Scheffler seized the spot with his win at the WM Phoenix Open, but Jon Rahm and Rory McIlory also have been piling up victories. They will be joined in the Genesis Invitational 2023 field by 15-time major champion Woods, making just his second appearance since October 2020. In all, 23 of the world's top 25 golfers will be in action.
Rahm is the 7-1 favorite, while McIlroy and Scheffler are 10-1 co-second favorites, in Caesars Sportsbook's latest 2023 Genesis Invitational odds. Four other players are 20-1 or shorter in the Genesis Invitational 2023 field -- Xander Schauffele (14-1), Justin Thomas (15-1), Tony Finau (18-1) and Max Homa (20-1). Woods, who last competed in the Open Championship last July, is listed at 120-1. Before making any 2023 Genesis Invitational picks, be sure you check out the PGA Tour predictions and best bets from SportsLine golf insider Patrick McDonald.
After spending time at FanSided and NBC Sports EDGE, McDonald joined CBS Sports as a golf writer in the spring of 2022. Now covering the sport from a broader perspective, McDonald still likes to dip his toes into the betting pools on a weekly basis on the PGA Tour.
McDonald takes a measured approach to his outright selections and is having a profitable 2022-23 season. He is up more than 28 units this season, meaning a profit of more than $2,800 for $100 bettors. McDonald nailed the Farmers Insurance Open, backing Homa (25-1) as his top choice. The expert also just missed a massive 130-1 score at the Sony Open when Hayden Buckley finished as runner-up. He hit another 25-1 shot at the Houston Open, taking Finau to win.
The expert finished the 2021-22 season up 42 units on his outrights, including a monster 250-1 payout on Hudson Swafford at The American Express. Anyone who follows McDonald's advice has been cashing in.
Now, McDonald has studied the 2023 Genesis Invitational field and has locked in his best bets, top sleepers and favorites to avoid. You can head to SportsLine now to see all of McDonald's PGA picks and analysis.
Top 2023 Genesis Invitational expert picks
One shocker from McDonald: He doesn't like Viktor Hovland, so he is fading a player who has consecutive top-five finishes at Riviera and is priced at 25-1. McDonald sees the Norwegian's game trending in the wrong direction. He also knows Hovland's weakness is around the greens, a critical aspect on this course. The 25-year-old has made up for it with stellar play from tee to green. But his approach game has been poor, and McDonald says "if this trend persists, he could find some trouble." He ranks 110th in strokes gained approach and 106th around the greens.
On the other hand, Rahm's improvement around the greens has helped spur his dominance, and the Spaniard could be in for his best finish at Riviera. Rahm has two top-10's in four tries and tied for 21st last year, when he rebounded from a second-round 73 and shot 65 on Sunday. The 28-year-old has his eye on No. 1 and has won four times in his past nine worldwide events. He finished in the top 10 in all nine and was in the top five in seven. Rahm's well-rounded game has him sitting first in strokes gained total, and he is 13th around the green and 21st putting. You can see who he is backing this week at SportsLine.
How to make 2023 Genesis Invitational golf picks
McDonald has locked in his best bets for the 2023 Genesis Invitational, and he is backing one overlooked star and is also behind a massive longshot listed higher than 70-1. This player has had success on similar courses and has found his touch on the green. You can only see who it is, and get the rest of McDonald's picks, at SportsLine.
So which 2023 Genesis Invitational players should you target or avoid? And which golfer in the Genesis Invitational 2023 field could bring a massive payday of more than 70-1? Check out the odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Patrick McDonald's top prop picks for Genesis Invitational 2023, all from the expert who is up more than $2,800 on his PGA Tour picks this season, and find out.
2023 Genesis Invitational odds, field, top contenders
See McDonald's picks, best bets and predictions here.
Jon Rahm +700
Rory McIlroy +1000
Scottie Scheffler +1000
Xander Schauffele +1400
Justin Thomas +1500
Tony Finau +1800
Max Homa +2000
Collin Morikawa +2100
Sungjae Im +2400
Viktor Hovland +2600
Patrick Cantlay +2600
Jordan Spieth +2900
Sam Burns +3000
Cameron Young +3100
Will Zalatoris +3400
Jason Day +3700
Tom Kim +3700
Hideki Matsuyama +3700
Matthew Fitzpatrick +3700
Tyrrell Hatton +4500
Rickie Fowler +5000
Adam Scott +5500
Justin Rose +6500
Keegan Bradley +6500
Sahith Theegala +7500
Shane Lowry +8000
Corey Conners +8000
Wyndham Clark +8000
Si Woo Kim +9500
Tommy Fleetwood +9500
Taylor Montgomery +9500
Seamus Power +9500
Nick Taylor +9500
Adam Hadwin +10000
Russell Henley +10000
Keith Mitchell +10000
K.H. Lee +11000
Alex Noren +11000
Tiger Woods +12000
Kurt Kitayama +12000
Brian Harman +12000
Tom Hoge +12000
Billy Horschel +12000
Cameron Davis +12000
J.T. Poston +14000
Denny McCarthy +14000
Gary Woodland +14000
Beau Hossler +14000
Lucas Herbert +14000
Matt Kuchar +16000
Scott Stallings +16000
Taylor Moore +16000
Jhonattan Vegas +16000
Patrick Rodgers +16000
Thomas Detry +17000
Adrian Meronk +17000
J.J. Spaun +17000
Sam Ryder +19000
Hayden Buckley +19000
Brendan Steele +19000
Christiaan Bezuidenhout +19000
Davis Riley +21000
Alex Smalley +21000
Andrew Putnam +21000
Joel Dahmen +25000
Davis Thompson +25000
Harris English +25000
Luke List +25000
Trey Mullinax +25000
Brendon Todd +25000
