The third signature event of the PGA Tour season is set to take place this weekend in San Diego, California. The Genesis Invitational has been on the tour schedule for nearly 100 years now, and its status as a signature event means that we have a stacked field taking part this week.
Due to the recent fires in Los Angeles, the event has moved away from Riviera Country Club for a year with Torrey Pines set to host the world's elite this time around. It's a course that many of these players are familiar with and considering it has hosted the US Open twice over the past 20 years, its challenges are clear.
The big news ahead of the first tee times is that Tiger Woods has withdrawn from the event. The 15-time major champion was scheduled to play in this tournament as he gears up for another crack at the Masters in April but has withdrawn in light of his mother's death last week.
Woods' absence is a blow, but in better news, 46 of the world's top 50 are here, which makes this the most competitive tournament of the season so far.
Check out our Genesis Invitational betting tips below.
Phoenix Open betting tips
Rory McIlroy EW (Ten places) – 6/1
Rory McIlroy has started 2025 in good form and is looking to make it two wins from two starts on the PGA Tour in 2025 this weekend. On his last outing, the Northern Irishman came out on top at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in another signature event, and he will fancy his chances again this weekend.
Finishing above Scottie Scheffler was significant in itself for McIlroy who will be more determined than ever to end his major drought this season. This isn't a course that the world number one particularly likes either, or at least that's what Scheffler's scoring average of 72 around Torrey Pines suggests.
McIlroy, meanwhile, has enjoyed some good performances at this course. Although he hasn't played here since the 2021 US Open, he did finish in a tie for seventh on that occasion and in two of his previous three outings here, he finished inside the top five.
McCilroy has both recent and course form on his side here, which makes his price of 6/1 with all top golf betting sites a good one.
Collin Morikawa EW (Ten places) – 11/1
Collin Morikawa is set to play on the PGA Tour for the third time this season and so far, so good as far as the two-time major champion. Morikawa narrowly missed out on the win at the Sentry at the beginning of January while he recorded a solid top-20 finish at Pebble Beach a fortnight ago.
Solid form is critical ahead of taking on Torrey Pines and his record in previous trips to this golf course is equally as impressive. The 28-year-old finished in a tie for fourth when this course last hosted the US Open in 2021 while he finished third at the 2023 Farmer's Insurance Open, which is annually held at Torrey Pines.
His game is well-suited to the course, too. At the Farmer's Insurance Open last month, strokes gained from tee to green was the most important stat, with three of the top five ranking inside the top five in this metric. Morikawa leads the way for strokes gained from tee to green in 2025.
Taylor Pendrith EW (Ten places) – 25/1
Our outside tip this week for the Genesis Invitational is Taylor Pendrith due to the impressive form the Canadian has been showing in recent weeks. Pendrith has two top-ten finishes in his last two starts on the PGA Tour, including a seventh-placed finish at the Farmer's Insurance Open, held at Torrey Pines.
Pendrith also finished inside the top ten at the 2024 Farmer's Insurance Open so he has displayed on a couple of occasions how comfortable he is at this venue. The 33-year-old also ranked second for strokes gained from tee to green on his most recent trip to Torrey Pines.
Genesis Invitational tips
- Rory McIlroy EW – 6/1 @ BoyleSports
- Collin Morikawa EW– 11/1 @ BoyleSports
- Taylor Pendrith EW – 25/1 @ BoyleSports
Andy is tipster who has been calling Golf tournaments for several years across many different platforms. He has covered all tournaments from the Asian Tour to the Masters.
