This article is part of our Yahoo PGA DFS Picks series.
The Genesis Invitational
Pacific Palisades, California
The Riviera Country Club - Par 71 - 7,322 yards
Field - 70 entrants
Purse - $20M
The Preview
Personally still recovering from the post-WM Phoenix Open blues, it's time to prepare for a star-studded field at The Genesis Invitational where Tiger Woods hosts a 70-man Signature Event that disperses a $20M prize pool to its entrants. The Riviera Country Club once again serves as the renowned backdrop, featuring slick poa greens that are among the toughest on Tour to hit in regulation. And although the surrounding kikuyu rough might not penalize wayward tee shots as much, it can wreak havoc around the putting surfaces as a proper short game becomes necessary early and often. There are six par-4s that measure between 450-500 yards and all three of Riviera's scorable par-5s fall shy of the 600-yard mark, so expect a majority of approach shots to come from the 150-225 range as mid-long iron play is predominant. A much drier weather forecast is incredibly inviting after last week's delays caused issues in Scottsdale, but the wind could gust for those still on the course later into the day during the first round Thursday.
Recent Champions
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
2015 - James Hahn
2014 - Bubba Watson
Key Stats to Victory
SG: Tee-to-Green
Proximity: 150-plus yards
P4: 450-500 Efficiency
Scrambling
Yahoo Value Picks
Based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Scottie Scheffler - $45
Considering he arrives at Riviera as a +650 betting favorite, Scheffler continues to be priced at an entirely reasonable $45 salary in Yahoo DFS, which is especially a bargain in this limited-field structure of the Genesis that encourages more risk tolerance throughout your lineup. The best ball-striker in the world has placed T12-T7 the past two years here, and he's coming off a top-3 performance at the WM Phoenix Open where he led the field in both SG: Approach and GIR percentage on the way to 25 total birdies and 128.4 fantasy points.
Collin Morikawa - $40
He's no power hitter, but Morikawa still managed to pace the 2023 Genesis Invitational in par-5 scoring while improving to 28-under-par overall throughout his last eight rounds here. Taking a snapshot of his past 24 measured rounds, the Cal-Berkeley product ranks third in both SG: Tee-to-Green and Bogey Avoidance. He should be well-rested after skipping the trip to the chaos in the desert last week.
Glue Guys
Justin Thomas - $31
All three of the players featured in this Glue Guys section will carry inflated ownership because they're all priced significantly lower on Yahoo than their much more efficient values in the larger betting and DFS landscape. This was a nice way of pointing out that names like Sepp Straka ($38), Brian Harman ($42) and Keegan Bradley ($39) should probably be swapped in salary with the Thomas/Burns/Aberg trio for more competitive balance across the board. As for Thomas, he's finished no worse than T12 in seven straight worldwide starts, and he's gained an average of 6.5 strokes from tee to green per tournament over his last four measured events played. There were signs of life with the flat stick throughout Round 2 at TPC Scottsdale when he gained 2.1 strokes putting, averaging an impressive 1.54 putts per GIR in the process.
Sam Burns - $31
Burns' three missed cuts in five Riviera appearances could scare off a small batch of the more casual gamers, but he also finished third here in 2021, and the $31 salary isn't high enough to match his stellar recent form. He just racked up three straight top-10s from The American Express to the WM Phoenix Open, leading the field in SG: Off-the-Tee last week in Scottsdale. Pairing his force with some finesse, Burns sits No. 1 in Bogey Avoidance and eighth in scrambling over his past 24 rounds.
Ludvig Aberg - $30
A lack of course history is the only reason Aberg could be found this far down the board, given he carries outright odds as short as 16-1. He recently followed a top-10 at the Farmers Insurance Open with runner-up honors at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and he's now gained at least 1.1 strokes putting in three consecutive starts. The driver is his true strength, as he's third in SG: Off-the-Tee, fourth in P4: 450-500 Efficiency and 10th in strokes gained on par-5s over his last 36 rounds.
Bargain Bin
Will Zalatoris - $24
It's very unlikely that he misses the cut in this format, so estimating that Zalatoris has four guaranteed rounds on a course in which he's gained 4.8 strokes putting over four career outings here makes it all that more intriguing to lean into his uncertainty at a modest salary. Zalatoris rebounded from a couple rusty efforts at the Hero World Challenge and the Sony Open in Hawaii by placing T13-T34 in his last two starts at the Farmers Insurance Open and The American Express. He most recently gained strokes across the board at Torrey Pines, and Zalatoris posted a solo fourth here at The Riv last year when he paced the field in driving distance.
Adam Scott - $23
Scott figures to be a massively popular click in both cash and GPP contests at just $23, but it'd be a disservice not to continue pointing out these glaring values. The Aussie's strong track record at Riviera CC includes victories here in 2005 and 2020 to go along with seven total top-10s across 15 appearances, but he's now coming off back-to-back top-20s at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the WM Phoenix Open, notably gaining 6.5 strokes with his irons at TPC Scottsdale last week.
Hideki Matsuyama - $22
Matsuyama has as many top-10s as he does missed cuts, with three apiece across nine total outings at The Genesis Invitational, but targeting both short and long-term volatility is completely fine down here at just $22. For a better sampling of his all-around profile with a 50-round overview, he's top-10 in each of SG: APP, SG: Around-the-Green, Prox: 175-200 and P4: 450-500 Efficiency. Matsuyama's short game was especially strong last week in Scottsdale, where he ranked No. 1 in SG: ARG and T4 in putting average en route to a T22 finish.
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