The Genesis Invitational
Purse: $20M
Winner's Share: $4M
FedEx Cup Points: 700 to the Winner
Location: Pacific Palisades, California
Course: The Riviera Country Club
Yardage: 7,383
Par: 71
Previous Winners
2025 – Ludvig Aberg
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
Tournament Preview
The first signature event of the 2026 PGA Tour season wrapped up Sunday at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The windy weather played a factor for most of the field during the final round, which saw six players share the lead at one point, including Scottie Scheffler (who overcame a slow first round for a second consecutive week), Min Woo Lee and Sepp Straka. It also featured the 2026 Tour debuts of Rory McIlroy (T14), Shane Lowry (T8) and Tommy Fleetwood (T4). In the end, it was Collin Morikawa who stood tall after a birdie on the par-5 18th hole to capture the seventh PGA Tour victory in his career and first since the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP in October of 2023.
There's no time for rest for the best golfers in the game, as the second Signature Event of the year takes place this week at The Genesis Invitational at The Riviera Country Club, which will host the U.S. Women's Open in July and the Summer Olympic Games in 2028. It's a return to the Pacific Palisades following a one-year hiatus, as the 2025 event took place at the Torrey Pines South Course due to the wildfires in the Los Angeles area at the time. The field is limited to 72 of the Tour's best players, who received an invitation to the Genesis based on their finish on the 2025 FedExCup Standings, Aon Swing 5 or another sponsor exemption. Pierceson Coody, Ryo Hisatsune, Jake Knapp, Matt McCarty and Patrick Rodgers all earned their spot at the Genesis via the Aon Swing 5. Unlike Pebble Beach, The Genesis will have a 36-hole cut, with only the top-50, ties, and those within 10 shots of the lead making it through to the weekend.
Some modifications have been made to the Riviera course this year to make it longer than ever before. Arguably the biggest change is to the challenging par-3 4th hole, which is now measured at 273 yards (37 more than in previous years), making it the longest par-3 in PGA Tour history (without the influence of altitude and excluding the majors). The uphill, par-4 18th had 24 yards added to make it 499 yards in length, which will make it a tough finishing hole for those looking to climb the leaderboard one last time. There will be holes where the players can gain ground, including the 315-yard 10th hole (one of the most driveable par-4s on the Tour) and the 199-yard, par-3 sixth that features a bunker in the middle of the green.
Rain and chilly weather is forecasted for the first couple of days of the tournament. That will make the usually firm greens -- which vary in size across the course -- more impressionable to approach play, but the poa surfaces will make it difficult for the field to navigate the bumps on short and midrange putts. The rough isn't tall but has been sodded with kikuyu grass that makes it tough to scramble out of, so finding the fairway will be key. The weather should improve over the weekend and give the players who made the cut a better shot at surging up the leaderboard. Each of the last nine winners at Rivera went double digits under par; three of those champions shot 17-under or better in each of the last three events in the Palisades, including Niemann's 19-under in 2022 that was one stroke shy from tying Lanny Wadkins' tournament record of 20-under in 1985.
Underdog Contest Overview
Underdog hosts drafts every week at three buy-in amounts; The Par 3 at $3, the featured draft at $10, and "The Sandbagger" at $100. Each entrant will be paired up with five other participants and participate in a six-man snake draft of teams made up of six players (36 total selections), with each selection on a 30-second timer. For example, the person lucky with the first overall pick and lucky enough to get Scheffler (unless you like to live dangerously) will have to wait until 2.6 and 3.1 to make their next selections. Points are allocated to golfers based on their performance on every hole, with bonus points available for golfers who make consecutive birdies or finish a round bogey free.
First Two Rounds
Tommy Fleetwood (3.7 Average Draft Position)
After opening the season on the DP World Tour, the 2025 FedExCup champion started his title defense strongly with a T4 finish at Pebble Beach last week. Since missing the cut in the U.S. Open, Fleetwood has finished in the top-5 in five of his last seven outings on the PGA Tour, including his victory at the TOUR Championship in August. He's made the cut in each of his five outings at The Genesis, with his T10 in 2024 being his best result at Riviera.
Chris Gotterup (7.8 ADP)
Gotterup captured his second Tour victory of the season at the WM Phoenix Open after outlasting Hideki Matsuyama on the first playoff hole. Gotterup looked to be in strong contention for a third win after opening the first round at Pebble Beach with six consecutive birdies before cooling off to a T37 finish. His putting game wasn't as sharp last week, but it's hard to pass up on Gotterup at the 1.6-2.1 turn. This week will be his first outing at The Genesis, but his game should convert well at Riviera; he's top-10 in the TOUR in SG: Tee-to-Green, SG: Off-the-Tee and SG: Around-the-Green.
Hideki Matsuyama (10.7 ADP)
Matsuyama didn't let his late collapse at the WM Phoenix Open linger into Pebble Beach last week, when he finished T8 while ranking in the top-10 in the field in SG: Around-the-Green and SG: Putting. He has opened the 2026 season with T13-T11-P2-T8 finishes and has been one of the best approach players and scramblers. Matsuyama will need to get his driver figured out if he's going to be in serious contention for his 12th PGA Tour win, but he should be one of the favorites this week after winning the event in 2024, the last time The Genesis was held at Riviera.
Middle-Round Value
Pierceson Coody (14.3 ADP)
Coody opened the 2026 PGA Tour season strongly with four consecutive top-20 finishes, including T2 and T10 at the Farmers Insurance Open and WM Phoenix Open, respectively. His T48 at Pebble Beach was far from his best, and while this week will be his first appearance at Riviera, he ranks seventh in SG: Off-the-Tee, eighth in GIR and SG: Tee-to-Green.
Jake Knapp (15.4 ADP)
Knapp has opened the season with finishes of T11-T5-8-T8, which has him 12th in the FedExCup Standings. He has the third-best SG: Total on the Tour and ranks in the top-20 in SG: Tee-to-Green, SG: Off-the-Tee, SG: Putting and scrambling. Knapp's lone appearance at The Genesis was in 2025, when he finished T17.
Cameron Young (18.6 ADP)
Young has made the cut in each of his three Tour outings this season, though he's failed to crack the top-20 in either of those events and has finished T41-T55 over his last two appearances. Even so, it was his debut at The Genesis in 2022 which saw him burst onto the scene, when he finished T2. Young has a strong track record at Riviera, finishing T20 and T16 in 2023 and 2024, respectively, before missing the cut last year at Torrey Pines.
Sepp Straka (22.2 ADP)
Straka missed the cut at The American Express in late January, but he has responded nicely with a T18 performance at the WM Open, followed by a T2 finish last week at Pebble Beach, when he briefly held the clubhouse lead after going four-under across the last three holes of the final round. Straka has been above average across most statistical categories, including fifth in SG: Tee-to-Green and SG: Around-the-Green and top-25 in SG: Approach-the-Green and SG: Off-the-Tee, and a stronger performance with his putter would make him a darkhorse candidate this week. He has made the cut in three of six appearances at The Genesis, with his T15 in 2022 being his best finish.
Late-Round Targets
Harris English (31 ADP)
English rebounded nicely from a poor first round last week to finish T24 at Pebble Beach, finishing the event second in the field in SG: Off-the-Tee. The American has finished in the top-30 in each of his first four Tour appearances of the season and has been one of the best drivers early on. English has enjoyed past success at Riviera with finishes of T12 and seventh in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Sahith Theegala (32 ADP)
Theegala's T60 finish at Pebble Beach was his worst of the season, but preceded last week with finishes of T8-T7-T18. The Genesis Invitational in 2017 was his debut on the PGA Tour, when he finished T49 for his first made cut. Theegala's T6 in 2023 represents his best finish at Riviera.
Tom Hoge (35.6 ADP)
Hoge finished T14 at Pebble Beach and ranked fourth and eighth in the field in overall proximity and SG: Approach, respectively. He has made the cut in seven of nine appearances at The Genesis, including finishes of T14 in 2023 and eighth in 2024.
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