This article is part of our Yahoo PGA DFS Picks series.
The Genesis Invitational
San Diego, California
Torrey Pines (South Course) - Par 72 - 7,765 yards
Field - 72 entrants
Purse - $20M
The Preview
Although Torrey Pines is set to host the PGA Tour for the second time in less than a month due to a temporary move away from Riviera Country Club, this week's Genesis Invitational will look different than the Farmers Insurance Open as a much stronger Signature Event field battles for a $20M purse on the difficult South Course, with the exclusion of a one-round North Course rotation. However, we still get a cut sweat this week, as only the top-50 plus ties and those within 10 of the lead advance to the weekend.
The same four-inch rough that lines these narrow fairways into small poa greens will be evident on Torrey Pines' South Course, and not only is distance off the tee rewarded in San Diego, but nearly half of the expected approach-shot distribution lies within the 175-225 yard range. The weather forecast calls for cool temps, wind and rain showers early in the week before seeing the sun and improved scoring conditions for the home stretch on Saturday and Sunday.
Recent Champions
-- At Riviera C.C. --
2024 - Hideki Matsuyama
2023 - Jon Rahm
2022 - Joaquin Niemann
2021 - Max Homa
2020 - Adam Scott
2019 - J.B. Holmes
2018 - Bubba Watson
2017 - Dustin Johnson
2016 - Bubba Watson
2015 - James Hahn
Key Stats to Victory
Driving Distance
Rough Proximity and Proximity: 175-plus yards
Scrambling
SG: Putting (poa)
Yahoo Value Picks
Based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Scottie Scheffler - $45
A five-over 41 on the back nine during Sunday's final round at TPC Scottsdale caused Scheffler to ultimately fall 15 shots shy of eventual WMPO champion Thomas Detry's 24-under-par winning mark, but the World No. 1 has now gained a collective 12.2 strokes ball striking and another 4.1 strokes putting across his first two starts since returning from a late-December hand surgery. Despite a disappointing T25 result by Scheffler's standards this past week, he's still as short as 4/1 in the outright betting market to win at Torrey Pines, and Yahoo's $45 salary maximum isn't constraining enough when it comes to building with Scheffler.
Rory McIlroy - $44
Both a blessing and a curse, Yahoo's pricing makes it extremely easy to jam both Scheffler and McIlory, who's coming off a victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am where he paced the field in both SG: Off-the-Tee and driving distance en route to 20 total birdies and three eagles. McIlroy's driver is a massive advantage at Torrey, but he's also second in Bogey Avoidance and seventh in scrambling over his last 50 measured rounds.
Glue Guys
Justin Thomas - $36
Just when you're ready to think about hopping off the JT roller coaster for a week, he racks up four birdies and an eagle throughout his final six holes at the WM Phoenix Open to clinch a T6 finish before landing at an underpriced salary for The Genesis Invitational. Thomas ranked second in SG: Ballstriking behind only the aforementioned Detry at TPC Scottsdale, and the former posted his best SG: OTT performance since last May's PGA Championship. Additionally, Thomas is up to second in Bogey Avoidance, sixth in scrambling and sixth in SG: APP over his last 24 rounds.
Sungjae Im - $32
Im tied for fourth at Torrey Pines a few weeks ago when he ranked top-5 among the Farmers Insurance Open field in both SG: Around-the-Green and FIR percentage, improving his track record to a trio of top-6 finishes across his past four trips to San Diego. It's been a peculiar course fit for a guy that doesn't necessarily mash it off the tee, but he does rank top-8 in each of Prox: 200-plus, SG: Around-the-Green and SG: Putting over his last 50 rounds.
Bargain Bin
Taylor Pendrith - $25
Pendrith hit the second-most greens in regulation on the way to his second straight top-10 at Torrey Pines when he finished T7 at the FIO in late January, and then he went and gained 7.7 strokes ball striking en route to a top-10 during his most recent outing at Pebble Beach. Over his last 36 measured rounds, he's seventh or better in driving distance, SG: OTT and SG: APP, while this $25 salary is far too low compared to his value elsewhere in the betting and DFS markets.
Rasmus Hojgaard - $22
Despite tying for 12th at the WM Phoenix Open this past week where it appeared he was headed for a Sunday afternoon duel atop the leaderboard before tallying five final-round bogeys or worse, Hojgaard's salary has actually dropped $10 since teeing it up at TPC Scottsdale. Albeit a stronger field at this Signature Event, Hojgaard's sharp fall to $22 doesn't make sense, so expect some ownership to shift his way after pacing the WMPO in SG: OTT.
Will Zalatoris - $20
A resurgent Jordan Spieth figures to be an incredibly popular play at the $20 minimum, and Detry should soak up a bit of ownership down here at the bottom of the board as well, which leaves Zalatoris as a potentially under-owned asset with a massive ceiling as a quality course fit. He went T7-2-MC-T13 here at Torrey from 2021 to 2024, and not only does Zalatoris holster ample distance off the tee, but poa has also been his best putting surface. There are worries about Spieth's wrist holding up in worse/cooler weather than he experienced in the desert last week, which is just another tiebreaker to consider pivoting to a less-chalky Zalatoris if deciding between the two $20 options.
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