Genesis Invitational odds, staff picks: Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy arrive as favorites

LA Jolla, CA – This year's Genesis Invitational looks very different from the past few years as Torrey Pines South Course hosts its first signature event. The PGA Tour had no choice but to relocate this week's event from the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles due to the wildfires that had a serious impact on the area.

As a result, 37 players who played this year's Farmers Insurance, who returned to Tory Pines three weeks after Harris English won the South Course, won the South Course. That includes Matsuyama Hideki, the fourth-ranked player in the world. However, last month's Farmers Insurance Open featured only 17 players ranked in the top 50 in the official World Golf Rankings (OWGR). This is a stark contrast this week, featuring 46 of the top 50 in OWGR.

Again, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler arrives again as a pre-tournament favorite and has a 4-1 odds to win. The Oddsmaker currently lists Rory McIlroy, the third-ranked player in the world, 7-1, and is the second lowest on the field.

Meanwhile, World No. 2 Xander Schauffele remains on the sidelines with a rib injury and has not given a calendar of his return. The Southern California native has not played since the opening game of the season at Maui.

Another big storyline of the week involves Mother Nature. In the second round of this year's Farmers Insurance Open, PGA Tour officials had to pause their play due to a gust of winds of 35 miles per hour. The golf balls did not stop rolling these high-speed, firm greens, and forced a stopping play.

The wind will again affect play this week, but the “Atomo River” will descend into Southern California, bringing cold, rainy weather. The temperature does not exceed 60 degrees, so the golf ball does not travel far. The course receives more than an inch of rain between Wednesday and Friday, making it longer and more challenging. At least the green will be softer. As for wind, the official PGA Tour meteorologists are asking for peak gusts of wind at 24 miles per hour on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Due to conditions, expect your score to be high this week. Anyone who photographs below 10 under will appear as winners.

Genesis Invitational Opds:

This is the latest The chances of the player winning 2025 Genesis Invitational, provided by: Fan Duell:

Scottie Scheffler +400

Rory McIlroy +700

Colin Morikawa +1400

Justin Thomas +1800

Matsuyama Hideki +2200

Ludvig Aberg +2500

Patrick Cantlay +3300

Sungjae IM +3500

Jordan Spieth +4000

Rasmus hojgaard +4000

Taylor Pendris +4000

Tony Finau +4000

Tommy Fleetwood +4000

Jason Day +4500

Robert Macintyre +4500

Shane Laurie +4500

It's going to be Zalatoris +5000

Sam Burns +5000

Thomas Detrey +5000

Tom Kim +5000

Sepp Straka +5000

Maverick McNerry +5500

Viktor Hovland +5500

Keegan Bradley +6000

Russell Henry +6000

Min Woo Lee +6000

Wyndham Clark +7000

Cameron Young +7000

Byeong Hun an +7500

Adam Scott +7500

JT Poston +8000

Sahith theegala +8000

Si Woo Kim +8000

Samuel Stevens +8000

Max Greyserman +9000

Akshay Bhatia +9000

Harris English +9000

Daniel Berger +9000

Play Through Picks:

Jack Mirco – Staff Writer, Golf

After a week off, Colin Morikawa He returns to his hometown and aims to win for the first time when he wins the Zozo Championship in Japan in October 2023.

Morikawa snaps 15 months of unwinning drought this week, winning the Genesis Invitational on a course that fits perfectly with his game. The scorecard is 7,765 yards, with an eye-opening length and will play even longer thanks to the wet conditions predicted in rounds 1 and 2.

Certainly, Morikawa is not the biggest batter on the tour. He is ranked 154th in driving distance. But the most important attributes he relies on this week are his accuracy and his play of approach. The two major winners have hit 90 fairways of 90 so far this season. This amounts to 77.59%, making it second on the PGA Tour. Avoiding the thick, healthy, wet ryegrass lined up on these fairways is most important this week. Morikawa does that and plans his path around Tory Pines.

He also scored strokes in 2025 with more approaches than any other player, further proving he is one of the best ball strikers in the world. His long irons will be useful this week. No one beats 4, 5, or 6 irons more than Morikawa.

This golf course is also suitable for Morikawa's eyes. He finished fourth at the US Open in 2021 and third in the Farmers Insurance Open in 2023. He missed a cut on a stroke last year, but one bad swing on hole 17 on Friday sealed his fate. He hooked one remaining out and was the second over-per score to double-headed to shoot a 3-over-75, his career signed for the Torrey Pines.

Fan Duel Odds: Win with Morikawa +1400

Photo: Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images

RJ OCHOA – Senior Producer, Boy's Blog

This season I just chose Scotty Schaeffler and I'm not feeling guilty or shamed about it… but I'm drying up.

I'm here, I'm here noting that I haven't chosen Scotty here. Of course, this is the week he wins, everything becomes chalky and I look stupid. Anyway, I'm off track.

For this unique edition of Genesis Invitational, I'm going to accept the advice of my new friend, the original New York Giants Wide receiver Victor Crus. ludvigÅberg He was a little distance away to recover from the illness that bothered him at the beginning of his West Coast swing. After all, before he got sick, Oberg fired a 9-under 63 on the first day of Farmers Insurance and held a solo lead. The flu then smashed into the leaderboard, eventually tying to the 42nd. He shot 75-74-79 on the final 54 holes at Torrey Pines three weeks ago. He reportedly also got sick on the course. So now he has the opportunity to win big wins, redeem himself on the iconic course, and take his name to a new level as things increase towards the player. Despite Rory McIlroy's just winning, we feel like we're winning from the big name. This checks that box for me.

Fanduel Odds: Åberg to win at +2500

Photo by Sean M. Haffy/Getty Images

Mark Schofield – Staff Writer, NFL, F1

I was back in my car after getting a haircut last Friday when the phone went bust.

My dear friend Jack, there was unfortunate news that my choice of JJ Spaun, the WM Phoenix Open, had withdrawn due to illness.

With that in mind, I feel that I need to choose another long shot this week for his honor. So let's go with the Irish people. Shane Lauriewho seems to be playing well in the terrible weather. Laurie has not won the PGA Tour since teaming up with Rory McIlroy at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans last year. But we know that one of those wins is the Open itself and that he can hit the ball well, just like he returned with the Royal Portrush in 2019.

That's what Raleigh did in his last timeout at Pebble Beach. Raleigh finished second at the AT&T Pebble Beach Proam and got off to a fiery start in his first three rounds. He was heading towards 15 under in the final round, but on Sunday he saw three bogeys pulling away from his front nine and Zurich classic teammates.

Raleigh has been great on flat sticks so far this season, ranking second on the PGA Tour in both the per putt percentage (50%) and putts per round (27).

And the fact that he gets off at +4000 is a powerful intriguing thing.

Oh, if you're wondering, the 2025 opening is also in the Royal Portrush.

Fanduel Odds: Lori to win at +4000

Photo by Sean M. Haffy/Getty Images

Jack Mirco is a golf staff writer who plays SB Nation. Follow him with x @jack_milko.