2022 Genesis Invitational – DFS Golf Picks
Make the most of the data, predictions, and insights from this article to help with your fantasy golf picks for The Genesis Invitational, and check out our PGA Lineup Optimizer to make more informed player selections for your DFS lineups. All the best this week!
The Genesis Invitational
Preview for The Genesis Invitational: This event, originally named the Los Angeles Open, originated in 1926, and has been played fairly regularly at the Riviera Country Club since 1973. The record at this event is maintained by Lanny Wadkins who won for the second time in 1985 with a score of -20, 7 strokes better than Hal Sutton. Winners of The Genesis Invitational over the last five years include Max Homa in 2021, Adam Scott in 2020, J.B. Holmes in 2019, Bubba Watson in 2018, and Dustin Johnson in 2017.
Get in the money with more consistency in your PGA DFS contests and other sports leagues too including the NBA, by utilizing insightful player projections.
Tournament purse: The prize money for this week’s event is set at an insane $12.0M, the winner collects $2.16M and also earns himself 500 FedEx Cup points.
Course and key stats: Riviera Country Club is 7,322 yards in length, is a par 71, and the greens are poa annua that average a large 7,500 square feet. The winning score here over the last decade ranges from -6 to -17, so it can vary quite widely depending on the wind and overall weather conditions. Some core key stats to include in your custom models this week, in order, include strokes gained: around the green, driving distance, strokes gained: approach the green, strokes gained: putting, and strokes gained: tee to green.
The field: There are 120 players in action this week, and the top 65 players plus ties after round 2 on Friday will advance to the weekend to play rounds 3 and 4. We have a superb field in place for this week including Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, and on and on – it’s pretty much a major field. On a scale ranging from A to D, I rank the field strength to be an A.
Three questions I have about The Genesis Invitational:
1. Will the weather play a role in the results? It looks like lots of sun and minimal wind this week around the Pacific Palisades area, so you don’t need to be concerned with selecting players in a certain wave between round 1 and round 2.
2. Should I stuff two $10K+ players into my core lineups? This field is extremely strong, and with $12M on the line to be won this week, we can’t be surprised that most of the world’s top players are teeing it up. I’m all for starting core lineups with two $10K players this week since there’s talent throughout the field, and I also like the approach of using four $9K players in core lineups also.
3. Should I play a wide range of players? If you want to be well-diversified this week I won’t fault you for it since there’s a wealth of talent in the field, but you should have a few core players to build around and make a bit of a statement.
DraftKings lineup construction strategy this week: We have a very strong invitational field this week and it’s not super big, it’s 36 golfers less than a maxed-out field of 156 players, so you can be a bit more aggressive than in a situation like that since a higher percentage of players will compete in all four rounds. I’ll be taking a stars and scrubs lineup building approach this week, but will also hedge a bunch as well with some hybrid configurations. Pay attention to the projected ownership numbers on Wednesday, pivot to lower owned golfers where you feel comfortable, and leave at least $500 on the table to improve your lineup originality odds. Also, keep in mind that the optimal lineup is usually $49K or less, so don’t be shy to leave at least a grand on the table on any given week.
All the best in your journey to win or at least be in the money in some contests this week – here are my 15 DFS golf picks which feature my top 3 players from each tier on DraftKings (DK) in no particular order, plus I include player salaries for DK, as well. I consistently provide recent and seasonal finishes for each of my picks, their performances at the event over the last 5 years, and add in some tasty pieces of information, also.
The $10K+ Range
Jon Rahm (Salary: DraftKings – $11.3K) – Rahm gained an insane 11.95 strokes ball-striking last week and had his putter been working as it usually does, he would have finished much higher than T10 as he lost 2.32 on the greens. He now has a win and eight other top 10’s in his last thirteen starts – there’s a reason he’s the world’s top-ranked player. He also has a strong record at this tournament and is almost a shoo-in for another top 10 this week. Genesis Invitational finishes over the last five years: 2021 – T5, 2020 – T17, and 2019 – T9.
Patrick Cantlay (Salary: DraftKings – $11.0K) – It looked like Cantlay was going to win last week but he went on to lose in a playoff to Scheffler which I was happy about because it was his first PGA Tour win, so it was an exciting time for the young, talented Texan. Patrick now has two wins in his last six starts and has finished no worse than T9 – he has been very good for years now but is at a whole new level now. Genesis Invitational finishes over the last five years: 2021 – T15, 2020 – T17, 2019 – T15, and 2018 – T4.
Dustin Johnson (Salary: DraftKings – $10.2K) – He won here five years ago with a five-stroke victory, and has been so solid at this venue throughout his career. Johnson has five top 10’s in his last nine starts and is coming off a T8 at the Saudi International two weeks ago where he gained almost 10 strokes total. He’s a fairly safe bet to finish top 10 this week, and comes at a discounted price compared to the Cantlay’s and Rahm’s of the world. Genesis Invitational finishes over the last five years: 2021 – T8, 2020 – T10, 2019 – T9, 2018 – T16, and 2017 – Won.
The $9K Range
Rory McIlroy (Salary: DraftKings – $9.7K) – Rory has two wins since last May including winning THE CJ CUP five starts ago, and has finished no worse than T18 over his last seven starts between the PGA Tour and the European Tour. He has a pretty good looking record at this event with two top 5’s in the last three years, and should be all over the leaderboard this week, as well. Genesis Invitational finishes over the last five years: 2021 – Cut, 2020 – T5, 2019 – T4, and 2018 – T20.
Hideki Matsuyama (Salary: DraftKings – $9.3K) – That Masters win last April has given him the confidence to win more often as he has two victories in his last five starts and is coming off a T8 last week where he gained strokes across the board including on the greens where he had 3.52 strokes with the flat stick. He has been sort of hit or miss at Riviera, but does have two top 9’s over the last three years, so he knows this track well and can tame it effectively. Genesis Invitational finishes over the last five years: 2021 – Cut, 2020 – T5, 2019 – T9, and 2017 – Cut.
Viktor Hovland (Salary: DraftKings – $9.4K) – It was surprising to see Hovland miss the cut last week since he was playing extremely well with three wins in five starts going into the Phoenix Open, and I expect him to bounce back this week with extra time to prepare thanks to having last weekend off. He has only played here once and finished top 5 last year thanks to gaining 7.96 strokes ball-striking. He’s a beast and should be hungry to eat like a savage this week. Genesis Invitational finishes over the last five years: 2021 – T5.
The $8K Range
Will Zalatoris (Salary: DraftKings – $8.8K) – I can’t help but think that Scheffler’s win last week inspired Zalatoris to nab his first victory on the PGA Tour soon too. He has been electric over his last two starts with a T6 at The American Express and a runner-up at the Farmers Insurance Open in his most recent start where he gained an astonishing 10.76 strokes ball-striking. If he can just be an average putter this week, then he should be in contention. Genesis Invitational finishes over the last five years: 2021 – T15.
Matt Fitzpatrick (Salary: DraftKings – $8.1K) – He won seven starts ago on the European Tour and has four straight top 12’s including a T10 last week where he gained strokes across the board. He has caught onto this course in a hurry and finished T5 last year with a well-balanced game – expect more of the same again this week. Genesis Invitational finishes over the last five years: 2021 – T5 and 2020 – T30.
Talor Gooch (Salary: DraftKings – $8.0K) – Gooch was one of the best deals last week coming in at $7.8K, but the deal value is lower this week as his price increases a bit in a much stronger field. He’s still a great mid-tier value though with three straight top 20’s at this event, he won for the first time on the PGA Tour six starts ago and is a model of consistency with strong finishes on a regular basis. If you want a solid approach player who’s excellent around the greens, then Talor is your man. Genesis Invitational finishes over the last five years: 2021 – T12, 2020 – T10, and 2018 – T20.
The $7K Range
Marc Leishman (Salary: DraftKings – $7.9K) – I’m not usually a Leishman backer, but I like what he brings to the table this week between recent form, good-looking stats, and nice course history at Riviera. He has three top 10’s in his last eight starts, and another two more top 19’s, and his game is very well rounded. He finished T4 here three years ago, and has the skill to do it all over again this week. Genesis Invitational finishes over the last five years: 2021 – T32, 2020 – T43, 2019 – T4, 2018 – Cut, and 2017 – Cut.
Russell Henley (Salary: DraftKings – $7.9K) – Henley is one of the better approach players that the PGA Tour has to offer and he has been uncharacteristically solid with his putter lately gaining strokes in four out of his last five starts including 5.90 at the Sony Open where he finished runner-up. His record at this tournament isn’t remarkable, but he could certainly pop here if his putter stays hot. Genesis Invitational finishes over the last five years: 2021 – T38, 2020 – T17, and 2019 – T44.
Thomas Pieters (Salary: DraftKings – $7.4K) – With two wins on the European Tour in his last five starts and six straight top 24’s, Pieters has my full attention this week. Add to it that he has two top 3’s here in three starts, and everything appears to be lining up for a strong performance from the Belgian golfer this week. I also really like his salary number since it makes him an option in any lineup configuration – stars and scrubs, hybrid, or balanced. Genesis Invitational finishes over the last five years: 2018 – T68, and 2017 – T2.
The $6K Range
Cameron Young (Salary: DraftKings – $6.7K) – Young has four top 40’s in his last five starts including a T20 at the Farmers Insurance Open where he gained 6.86 strokes ball-striking. He earned a T2 last October at the Sanderson Farms Championship gaining strokes across the board, and I like the value he brings this week as a scrub player. Genesis Invitational finishes over the last five years: None.
Sebastian Munoz (Salary: DraftKings – $6.7K) – He tends to run hot and cold, but is sort of somewhere in between right now and is coming off a T23 last week where he gained 7.35 strokes ball-striking and 2.40 around the greens. He has two top 4’s in his last six starts and has been decent at this tournament, so he makes a lot of sense to roster in DFS. Genesis Invitational finishes over the last five years: 2021 – T43 and 2020 – T26.
K.H. Lee (Salary: DraftKings – $6.9K) – With only one single missed cut in his last thirteen starts and making the cut here in three consecutive years, Lee has lots of appeal this week. He won’t finish top 10, but could have his third top 25 in the last four years, and that would be absolutely a successful DFS investment by any measure. Genesis Invitational finishes over the last five years: 2021 – T66, 2020 – T13, and 2019 – T25.
