Greetings from Sandy Lane in Sunny Barbados
Caramba! Another 100-1 winner (Nick Taylor) in Phoenix last week. Thankfully, we escaped with minor injuries, courtesy of Sam Burns (3rd) and Cameron Young (8th).
This week, the show moves on to the Genesis Invitational, staged at the swanky Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles. Here, the tournament host, the legendary Tiger Woods, will welcome an elite field to one of the world’s top 50 courses, which will also be home to the 2028 Olympics golf tournamentRiviera is a classic old-style par 71 parkland course with scenic tree-lined fairways and several dog-leg holes. It presents players with a tough challenge and rewards solid ball striking and accurateiron play. Course experience is almost essential – 19 of the last 21 winners had played at least four times in the event.
Here, then, are my selections for the tournament: Name, Current Price and (OWGR rankings). Bets should be placed by 3.20 on Thursday.
- Collin Morikawa,16/1 (14): Born locally, Morikawa, who won the 2020 US PGA title in California, has an excellent Genesis record (2-6 in the last two years). His current form also indicates that an early win is imminent.
- Sam Burns, 25/1 (18): Another who is banging on the door and has good course and recent form. Back in 2021, when a lot less experienced, Burns was 5 shots clear here at halfway en route to finishing third.
- Adam Scott, 30/1 (48): It’s a long time since the veteran chalked up a victory but his record here is irresistible. His 2 wins and 7 top tens have made him the tournament’s all-time earnings leader. The Aussie has been in sparkling form recently and would be a popular winner.
- Cameron Young, 35/1 (23): His two outings at RIviera have yielded finishes of 2nd in 2022 and 26th last year. How Young is still a Tour maiden remains a mystery but his recent form has been good and he clearly likes this course.
- Ludvig Aberg, 22/1 (11): Some talents transcend previous trends and the Swede’s extraordinarily rapid rise in the rankings have been something to behold. Yes, it’s his first visit to Riviera but Adam Scott won here on debut in 2005 and his recent top ten finishes at Torrey Pines and Pebble Beach indicate that classic courses suit his game.
- Throw in Justin Thomas, 16/1 (20), who must go close and bet 1 point each-way on all.
- Look out after 54 holes for Max Homa 20/1, last year’s champion, who has been in dismal form recently but is a course specialist.
Good Luck – Sandy Lane
PS: REMEMBER BETS ON BY 3:30 pm