Betting: PGA Genesis Invitational Preview
Pamela Maldonado breaks down her top picks for the Genesis Invitational in Pacific Palisades, California.
Video Transcript
PAMELA MALDONADO: 120 players will hit the Riviera Country Club in California for the Genesis Invitational. It is a par 71 over 7,300 yards, and it is a pretty nifty course. Here you find both some of the toughest and easiest holes on tour, which is why I am looking for the solid all around player, targeting a solid ball striker, great putters on Poa annua green surfaces, and those with a great course history.
I'm Pam Maldonado, and these are the players that I like to contend for this week's PGA event. I'm going back to the well with current FedEx Cup leader Hideki Matsuyama. He is not the best putter on tour. However, Poa annua greens is his best surface, where he stays relatively neutral rather than losing strokes.
He did miss the cut last year, but Matsuyama does have a T9 and a T4 in the years before. In his last five events, Matsuyama has gained strokes, both ball striking and around the green, a combination that could absolutely be deadly for this event. I'm going to ride the 'Deki wave. It is a choppy one, but I'm here for it.
I'm also going to look to Matthew Fitzpatrick, who took T5 here at this event last year. In his 2022 return, he's done pretty dang good with a T6 six at Pebble Beach and a T10 last week at the Phoenix Open, where he gained nearly seven strokes ball striking and nearly 12 strokes total in the week before. He is playing some really stellar golf, and I'm really hoping to catch him on that upswing.
The third player that I like is Will Zalatoris. Definitely team no-putt. However, Poa annua is his best surface. What I've learned about my boy, Willie Z, is that the longer the course, the better the fit. In his last two events, Zalatoris has a T6 at the American and a T2 at the Farmers, where he gained 8 strokes on his approach shots. He did take T15 at this event last year, losing strokes around the green. Well, he has back-to-back events where he has gained. A win is coming this year. I can feel it, and I am ready to fire.
The fourth player, world number one Jon Rahm. He is an absolute top 10 machine. Since winning the US Open back in June, Rahm has played in 12 events and has finished in the top 10 in 8. In his last three events here, he has a T9, a T17, and T5 just last year. In his last seven events on Poa, Rahm has six top 10s, five top 5s, and one win. I know that the odds are absolute garbage, so you can either bet a top 10 and an outright or look for a potential live line after day one, maybe even after day two.
These are the four players that I like to contend the most for this week's the Genesis Invitational-- Hideki Matsuyama, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Will Zalatoris, and Jon Rahm. You can find these odds and more at the Yahoo Sports Book. Bet $10 and win $200 in free bets by signing up at BetMGM.com/YahooVIP. New customers only, must be 21 or older, and terms do apply.
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