Genesis Invitational Betting Tips: 5 Panel Selections From Riviera Country Club
The Genesis Invitational returns to the undulating Riviera Country Club after last year’s tournament was switched to Torrey Pines because of the devastating wildfires which blighted this region of California.
Ludvig Aberg is the defending champion and can be backed at 45/1 on betting sites for a successful title defence, but it was Hideki Matsuyama who last won on this course two years ago thanks to a sensational nine-under-par 62 to win from six shots back.
The Japanese is available at 22/1, but, as usual, world number one Scottie Scheffler is the favourite (16/5), having finished like a bullet train with a closing 63 at Pebble Beach for a share of fourth spot.
Rory McIlroy also finished strongly last week with a final-round 64, but, like Scheffler, he has never won at Riviera, although both players have finished inside the top 10 for a combined five times since 2019.
Riviera is an old-style par-71 course where it is important to hit the right place on the fairways because of the trees which can hamper approach shots.
The rough is short, but the bunkers are very deep and the poa annua greens are fast, so this lay-out will test the all-round game of the 72-man field competing in back-to-back Signature Events, although there will be a 36-hole cut for the top 50 and ties unlike last week.
Course experience is an advantage for the chances of success at Riviera, but the odds on three of the last four champions here have ranged between 60/1 and 80/1, and there have also been 250/1, 200/1 and 150/1 winners in the last 12 years.
Of course, they occurred in the pre-Signature Event era, so with a stellar field comprising all but two of the world’s top 20, a winner at that price is unlikely.
That said, The Panel have picked out three each-way Genesis Invitational betting tips, plus one top 20 and a first-round leader.
Riviera stands among the best-designed courses in America, but even the great ones aren't flawless.
— Fried Egg Golf (@fried_egg_golf) February 17, 2026
On this week's episode of Designing Golf, @garrett_TFE unpacks why this George Thomas and Billy Bell masterpiece is so revered, and where there’s still room to improve. pic.twitter.com/4y2T5zbkBZ
Genesis Invitational Betting Tips: Count On Cantlay
It’s been three and a half years since Patrick Cantlay last entered the winner’s circle on the PGA Tour, but the signs are that the drought could be over soon.
The 33-year-old Californian loves Riviera where he has finished inside the top 20 in six of his last seven visits, including third and fourth place in his two previous appearances.
Cantlay regards the tournament as a “fifth major”, so it would be a big feather in his cap if he could win what he has described in the past as a “home game”.
Nice to cap off Pebble week with a solid round and a little momentum heading to the final stop on the west coast swing. See you at Riviera! pic.twitter.com/hxmCAYeLB0
— Patrick Cantlay (@patrick_cantlay) February 16, 2026
Last week, Cantlay finished inside the top 15 at Pebble Beach where he topped the Tee-to-Green and Approach stats using the Strokes Gained metric.
A better performance with the putter could see him get over the line for the first time since winning the BMW Championship for a second time in August 2022.
Cantlay kicks off The Panel’s Genesis Invitational predictions at 25/1 with Bet365.
Genesis Invitational Betting Tips 1: Patrick Cantlay 25/1 (Each-Way) - With Bet365 (Five Places)
Genesis Invitational Betting Tips:
- Patrick Cantlay 25/1 (Each-Way) - With Bet365 (Five Places)
- Hideki Matsuyama 22/1 (Each-Way) - With Betfred (Five Places)
- Tom Hoge 125/1 (Each-Way) - With BoyleSports (Eight Places)
- Tom Hoge 90/1 First-Round Leader (Each-Way) - With BetMGM (Five Places)
- Tony Finau 7/2 Top 20 - With BetMGM
(Odds correct at the time of publishing: 5pm - 17/02/2026)
Genesis Invitational Tips: Mats My Boy!
For the third week in four, the 2024 Genesis Invitational champion Matsuyama makes the cut in The Panel’s PGA Tour selections.
The Japanese has been extremely consistent in the first two months of the year, having also finished 2025 with victory at the Hero World Challenge.
The 2021 US Masters champion should have given The Panel a 28/1 winner at Torrey Pines at the end of January, but failed to get the par he needed at the 72nd hole, eventually losing to Chris Gotterup in a play-off.
That said, his form figures for 2026 read 13-11-2 and he was eighth at Pebble Beach last week on the back of three successive 67s from Thursday to Saturday, so he is absolutely dialled in ahead of this week’s test.
Near hole-out not once, but twice ‼️
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 31, 2026
Hideki Matsuyama went right at it @FarmersInsOpen.
📺 Golf Channel pic.twitter.com/XGlLTDMymp
Matsuyama is seventh in the Approach stats and just outside the top 10 using the Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green metric this season.
He also stands in fourth place in the Around-the-Green stats and his putting has also been reasonable.
In essence, his all-round game is in excellent shape and hopefully it will be a case of third time lucky for The Panel at 22/1 with several betting apps.
Genesis Invitational Betting Tips 2: Hideki Matsuyama 22/1 (Each-Way) - With Betfred (Five Places)
Genesis Invitational Predictions: Hop On Hoge
Having considered the merits of in-form debutant Jake Knapp and Sepp Straka, The Panel have picked out a player that can generally be backed at three-figure prices this week.
Tom Hoge is 175/1 with SpreadEx, but The Panel have hopefully found the right compromise, with BoyleSports offering eight places at 125/1.
Hoge did not look out of place in exalted company at Pebble Beach where he finished T14 alongside McIlroy, and his record at Riviera in the last couple of years has also been excellent.
The 36-year-old from North Carolina struggled to get to grips with this tricky course in his first handful of visits, but in 2023 he was 14th and two years ago a closing 67 gave him outright eighth, three shots ahead of Scheffler and well clear of McIlroy.
Hoge’s Approach and Tee-to-Green numbers hardly stand out in the early part of the season, but he was excellent in both measures last week, so hopefully something has clicked ahead of the final tournament of the west coast swing.
Genesis Invitational Betting Tips 3: Tom Hoge 125/1 (Each-Way) - With BoyleSports (Eight Places)
Genesis Invitational First-Round Leader Tips: Double Up On Hoge
Hoge also looks an excellent shout at 90/1 for first-round leader.
He burst out of the blocks with a flawless seven-under-par 65 at the more difficult Pebble Beach course last week (compared with Spyglass Hill) and his record at Riviera on a Thursday has been outstanding in his last two visits.
Hoge was fifth after the opening round the last time Riviera hosted this event two years ago and 12 months earlier he was seventh.
In a 72-man field, 90/1 strikes The Panel as excellent value, even in such exalted company.
Genesis Invitational Betting Tips 4: Tom Hoge 90/1 First-Round Leader (Each-Way) - With BetMGM (Five Places)
Genesis Invitational Top-20 Tips: Finau On Fire
It will be almost impossible for The Panel to repeat the 20/1 winner on Adam Schenk’s top 20 at the Farmers Insurance Open and with a limited field this week, prices are understandably on the short side.
One player who stands out at 7/2 with SpreadEx, though, is Tony Finau, who is starting to show signs that his form is improving.
Finau has had a mixed bag of results in 2026, but he was inside the top 20 in two of his last three outings at Torrey Pines (T11) and Pebble Beach (T18).
Last week, the laid-back American was eighth best in the field for Approach and the third best with the putter - a combination which could serve him well this week.
Genesis Invitational Betting Tips 5: Tony Finau 7/2 Top 20 - With BetMGM
Who do you think will win at Riviera this week? Let us know in the comment box below!
