Opinion & Analysis

2022 Genesis Invitational Outright Bets: DJ ready to conquer Riviera again

Published

4 years ago

Feb 16, 2022

The PGA Tour’s West Coast swing makes its final stop at historic Riviera Country Club to play the 2022 Genesis Invitational. This event is consistently one of the best tournaments of the year at one of the most iconic golf courses in the world.

Riviera Country Club is a Par 71 measuring 7,322 yards. The fairways and rough consist of Kikuya grass, and the greens are Poa annua.

Related: 2022 Genesis Invitational prop bets

The Genesis Invitational field will consist of 121 players and is absolutely stacked at the top and very deep. All of the top ten in the official world golf rankings are teeing it up at Riviera this week, and it is looking like it will be the strongest field in the history of the event.

Genesis Invitational Outright Bets

Dustin Johnson (+1800)

The younger talent on the PGA Tour is arguably as good as it’s ever been at the moment. Jon Rahm is playing at an all-time level, Patrick Cantlay seems to contend every single week, and Collin Morikawa has two majors at the age of 25. With loads of hype surrounding these players, it would seem that future hall-of-famer Dustin Johnson has slipped through the cracks this week. For a golfer who hasn’t finished outside of the top 16 in his past eight starts at Riviera, including a win and three additional top five finishes, there is extraordinary value on this number.

We last saw DJ at Torrey Pines, where he was fresh off of a long layoff from playing, and he managed to play very well despite the rust. He finished in 25th and gained 8.3 strokes from tee to green. The following week, he found himself in contention at the Saudi International and was dominant from tee to green but failed to get enough putts to fall to win.

With evidence of peaking form from the 37-year-old, Riviera is one of the most likely spots on Tour for Johnson to notch his 25th PGA Tour victory.

Rory McIlroy (+2200)

Sticking with the undervalued theme, this number is a bit disrespectful to McIlroy, in my opinion. In his most recent start at the Dubai Desert Classic, he was in position to win on the 18th hole, but his ball found the water, which ended his chances.

McIlroy has some strong history at Riviera, including three top five finishes in his past three starts. The track is an immaculate fit for Rory, who hits the ball long and straight. He has also gained 0.7 strokes on the field in Strokes Gained: Around the Green for his career, which is an underrated part of his game that will come in handy this week. There is a strong correlation between Quail Hollow and Riviera due to the obvious overlap with the winners at each event. The Northern Irishman has won at Quail Hollow twice, including last year when he gained 5.3 strokes on approach.

The most appealing aspect about McIlroy this week is the potential return of his elite driving ability. When he is in form with the driver, there is no one on Tour (perhaps with the exception of Jon Rahm) who possesses his ability to hit it both long and straight. He gained almost four strokes off the tee in Dubai and seems to be getting along well with his new TaylorMade Stealth driver.

Rory has a lot to prove this year, and his path back to the top starts with a trip to one of golf’s most historic courses.

Marc Leishman (+5500):

Leishman checks all the boxes this week and is in the spot on the betting board when he has historically gotten it done. His most recent win on Tour (individually) was at the 2020 Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. That week he was in the 50-1 range and now heads to a course that has some correlation to Torrey Pines. He has also shown a liking to Riviera, where he has two top five finishes in his past six tries.

The Australian has gained strokes from tee to green in six consecutive starts and has seemingly begun to figure out the driving woes he faced last season. It will be important to avoid three putts and be able to scramble around the green this week, and those are two areas where Leishman excels. In this elite field, he ranks 31st in Strokes Gained: Around the Green and 18th in three putts avoided.

The 38-year-old has win equity and when he gets himself in contention, is one of the more clutch putters on the PGA Tour. He also comes into the event off of a hot round in his most recent start at the Saudi International, where he finished his final round with a 64 (-6). If you’re backing an elite player this week, Leishman is a name you don’t want to see lurking on Sunday.

Joaquin Niemann (+6600):

Joaquin Niemann is incredibly talented and is another golfer who I feel is a bit mispriced in this field. The Chilean hits the ball long and straight, which is a major piece of the puzzle when trying to tame Riviera.

He was impressive in his first start of the season at Torrey Pines, where he finished in sixth place and gained 7.6 strokes from tee to green. I also like the fact that Niemann won’t have to keep up with a birdie fest and putt lights out in order to win. If he can have a ceiling ball striking week and keep the ball in play, he can get away with having an above-average putting week.

Niemann also fits the profile of a golfer who played well at Quail Hollow. He finished 18th last season at Wells Fargo and gained 5.2 strokes off the tee. While this would admittedly be a major jump in his career and a massive feat, this is an upside play, and the 23-year-old has the raw talent to make the leap.

Opinion & Analysis

5 Things We Learned: Thursday at the PGA Championship

Published

2 weeks ago

May 15, 2026

Ronald Montesano

Aronimink is not a storied club, but when Donald Ross himself proclaimed it to be as good as he can design and build, one had to take notice. Jay Sigel was the pre-eminent male amateur golfer from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. He might have called any number of Philadelphia clubs home, but he chose Aronimink. It served him well. Gary Player won a PGA Championship here in 1962, and was followed by the 1993 winner … nobody. Aronimink gave that event away to Inverness, for reasons of which it is certainly not proud. So be it. We had to wait sixty-four years for the PGA to return to Newtown Square, but here we are. Aronimink has been neo-restored by Gil Hanse and team, to return Ross features with an eye toward defense against the dark arts, errrr, high-tech equipment.

Day one saw Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau dig big holes, to the tune of plus-four and plus-six, respectively. Since the first-round lead will be minus-three at worst, many shots will need to be made up for the power couple to reach contention. By nightfall, seven golfers held the day-one lead at three-under par 67. Shots and sticks caught our attention, and we are proud to present Five Things We Learned on Tech Thursday at the 2026 PGA Championship. Thanks to InsideTourGolfer, Today’s Golfer, and GolfWRX for initial equipment research.

First, meet Min Woo Lee

Min Woo Lee, aka Dr. Chipinski, has once again thrust himself into the conversation of Can he, will he, when will he? Lee has so much talent, wins not nearly as often as we believe that he should, and has no major near-misses (much less titles) on his wiki. The young Aussie is getting older and wiser, but is he able to avoid the scarring that holds the older and wiser back from breaking through? Philadelphia offers another opportunity. Min Woo signed for five birdies and two bogeys on day one, and grabbed a share of the opening-day lead at Aronimink. Winners transcend history and the moment, and Lee will need that sort of ascent to lift the Wannamaker on Sunday.

Second, meet Aldrich Potgeiter

The young South African golfer can rip driver with the best of them. Aronimink tips out at nearly 7400 yards, but beyond the fairway bunkers that ensnare only the mortals, Potgeiter can take his chances with wedge from the rough. On Thursday, he spent plenty of time in the spinach. Like Popeye, he used his muscles to gouge and thrash and dig his way out. Six birdies against three bogeys on the card brought AP in a three deep.

Third, meet Martin Kaymer

Not a major event takes place without a where’s he been throwback moment. We know that Martin Kaymer left the PGA and DP World tours for LIV golf, but the two-time (US Open and PGA) major winner has a lifetime exemption into at least one major event, and he seizes the opportunity each May. Kaymer joined the six-seven brigade with four birdies and a solitary bogey on day one. Kaymer was never a long hitter, and the years are kind to no golfer. The German champion will need to uncork every bottle of guile and strategy in his cabinet to remain in contention. For today, though, he occupies a rung on the ladder of Tour Tech.

Fourth, meet Scottie Scheffler

Let’s see, he’s the defending champion at the PGA, and he found his way back to the top tier with five birdies against two bogeys. To be a favorite and then play up to that stature and expectation is quite difficult. Just ask Rory, Bryson, and some of the other pre-tournament heartthrobs. Scheffler’s game is complete, and to knock him off the OWGR #1 pedestal, one needs to defeat him at the majors. Aronimink is the sort of course that fits Scheffler’s game. Better yet, it unfits the game of many of his challengers. Don’t expect Scheffler to go away anytime soon. Come Sunday, he’ll be around.

Fifth, meet Stephan Jaeger

Clocking in for the unheralded players shift are Ryo Hisatsune and Stephan Jaeger. Hisatsune logged seven birdies on day one, but gave most of them back with four bogeys. Still, he’s tied at the top for a time. Jaeger pitched five birdies against two bogeys, including a run of three consecutive, from holes four through six. Odds are that one of the two will hang around through 36 holes. Odds also suggest that both will be gone by Saturday evening. Still, the PGA Championship has historically been the major most likely to be won by an under-known. Both Hisatsune and Jaeger feature on that list, so good luck, lads!

Club Junkie

Club Junkie’s Titleist GTS driver fitting results!

Published

2 weeks ago

May 14, 2026

Brian Knudson

On this episode of the Club Junkie Podcast, I head to the Titleist Performance Institute for a full driver fitting with the new Titleist GTS lineup. We dive into the fitting process, talk about what made the biggest difference in performance, and break down how the different GTS heads and shaft combinations compare on the launch monitor. If you are thinking about a new driver setup for this season, there is a lot to take away from this one.

I also get into Brooks Koepka and the gear setup he brought to the PGA Championship, including the putters that caught my eye during the week. There are some interesting equipment trends showing up at the highest level right now and we break down what stands out.

To wrap things up, I talk about reshafting a few wedges, what I learned during the process, and swapping an adaptor onto a new shaft for another build project in the shop. A gear packed episode from start to finish for anyone who loves golf equipment and club building.

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Club Junkie

Club Junkie WITB, week 16: New Titleist GTS woods!

Published

2 weeks ago

May 14, 2026

Brian Knudson

Excited for this week’s WITB as we get to add the new Titleist GTS woods to the bag! I was fit at Titleist’s TPI facility in Oceanside California a few weeks ago and my new clubs just showed up. I am also adding a cool set of irons that I built last year some wild custom wedges into a new golf bag. Speaking of the bag I have a new Ghost Anyday Black Ops stand bag that I will be using on my Motocaddy Remote M7 electric cart.

Driver: Titleist GTS3 (11 degrees @ 10.25)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 6s

3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD CQ-7s

5-wood: Titleist GTS (18 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s

9-wood: Titleist GT1 (24 degress)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s

Irons: Bettinardi CB24 (5-PW)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (50-09 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (56-12 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (60-08 LB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Putter: Dan Carraher ZT Proto

Ball: Callaway Chrome Tour

Bag: Ghost Anyday Black Ops Stand Bag