Steve Palmer's Genesis Invitational predictions & free golf betting tips plus bet £10 and get a £30 free bet with Kwiff

When to bet on the Genesis Invitational

By 3.20pm on Thursday

It's also worth noting that Kwiff are offering a £30 free bet when new customers bet £10 on golf 

Where can I watch the Genesis Invitational

Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Golf from 2.30pm on Thursday

Steve Palmer's Genesis Invitational predictions

Patrick Cantlay
4pts each-way 18-1 Betfair, Power

Collin Morikawa
3pts each-way 20-1 bet365

Si Woo Kim
1pt each-way 55-1 Betfair, Hills, Power

New customers can get a £30 free bet when they bet on the Genesis Invitational with Kwiff

Steve Palmer's Genesis Invitational preview

Tournament host Tiger Woods will hog the early spotlight at the Genesis Invitational, making his first start since finishing 18th of 20 runners in the Hero World Challenge in early December, but the 15-time Major champion is a general 150-1 chance for Riviera success.

Scottie Scheffler is a best-price 7-1 and a much more tempting option. Riviera suits his shot shape and the world number one's ball-striking class should get him into contention, but he has to quickly forget some late putting horrors from Sunday's final round of the Phoenix Open. Misses from short range at the 13th, 14th and 15th holes in Phoenix meant Scheffler went from hot favourite to finishing third in a flash.

Scheffler and Rory McIlroy do not have a great record in California, while punters should be wary of Viktor Hovland after his shock close-season switch to a new coach. The Norwegian has finished 22nd and 58th in two lacklustre appearances this year.

A wrist niggle kept Xander Schauffele out of the Phoenix Open last week, while Max Homa has had a bitterly disappointing fortnight at Pebble Beach and TPC Scottsdale, so appears to have lost his game at a terrible time. Homa is one of only two course winners in this field.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Patrick Cantlay 18-1

Riviera Country Club is Patrick Cantlay's favourite course and the world number seven can be fancied to thrive there over the next four days.

Cantlay, who attended the University of California in Los Angeles, adores Riviera and knows it like the back of his hand. He is teeing up in his home state this week and approaches this mega-bucks gathering with extreme comfort.

Cantlay won the 2020 Zozo Championship in California and nearly added a second PGA Tour title in the Golden State when finishing runner-up in the 2021 American Express. He has been a leaderboard regular in the Genesis. Fourth place at Riviera in 2018 was a great effort – he was only three shots shy of the winning mark. Genesis form figures of 15-17-15-33 followed, then last year Patty Ice got into the thick of things again, carding four rounds of 68 or better to finish third.

It seems only a matter of time before Cantlay gets his name on the Riviera honours board and he should be in an excellent frame of mind for this event, given his work on the PGA Tour Policy Board has just yielded a $3 billion deal with Strategic Sports Group. He has become a hero for many of his PGA Tour peers, particularly Jordan Spieth.

Cantlay skipped the Phoenix Open to freshen up for Riviera – and watching many of his rivals play so much golf on Sunday in the weather-delayed Scottsdale event will have amused him. The 31-year-old, a former FedEx Cup champion and seven-time PGA Tour winner, finished 11th at Pebble Beach last time out.

Next best bet

Collin Morikawa 20-1

Los Angeles-born Collin Morikawa is always guaranteed enthusiastic support at Riviera and the course is ideal for him. Morikawa's natural fade is helpful on many holes. He finished eighth in the strokeplay section of the 2017 US Amateur at Riviera, then made it to the last 16 of the knockout competition.

Genesis results of 26-43-2-6 are allied to superb current form. Morikawa was the fourth-best scorer in the Tour Championship at the end of August, following up with a victory by a six-shot margin in the Zozo Championship, seventh place in the Hero World Challenge and fifth place in The Sentry.

An almost waterlogged Torrey Pines South was a slog for Morikawa in the Farmers Insurance Open, where he missed the cut by a shot, but he was 14th at Pebble Beach last time out and is swinging superbly.

Morikawa won the 2020 US PGA in California and a seventh PGA Tour title may come in his home state on Sunday.

Other selection

Si Woo Kim 55-1

Four-time PGA Tour champion Si Woo Kim looks the pick of the outsiders. The 28-year-old won The American Express in California in 2021 and has also won a Korn Ferry Tour event in the Golden State. He spent his late teens living in California.

A lot of times in his career, Kim has arrived at Riviera lacking fitness, form or both. The first time he teed up with both was in 2019 and he finished third, outscoring everybody in the final round, ending up only two shots off the pace.

This season Kim has slowly but surely been finding his A-game, finishing 25th in the AmEx, 14th at Pebble Beach and 12th in Phoenix. His natural fade is perfect for Riviera's demands.

Course guide for the Genesis Invitational

• Course Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, California
• Prize money $20m ($3.6m to the winner)
• Length 7,322 yards
• Par 71 - three par-fives; 11 par-fours; four par-threes
• Field 70 The cut Top 50 and ties (and anyone within ten shots of the lead) qualify for round three
• Highest-ranked players in field (world ranking in brackets) Scottie Scheffler (1), Rory McIlroy (2), Viktor Hovland (4), Xander Schauffele (5), Wyndham Clark (6)
• Course records - 72 holes 264 Lanny Wadkins (1985) 18 holes 61 Ted Tryba (1991)
• Course winners taking part Adam Scott (twice), Max Homa
• When to bet By 3.20pm on Thursday
• When to watch Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Golf from 2.30pm on Thursday
• Time difference California is eight hours behind UK and Ireland
• Last week – Phoenix Open 1 N Taylor (125-1), 2 C Hoffman (300-1), T3 S Scheffler (9-2), S Burns (20-1), 5 S Theegala (35-1), T6 J Spieth (16-1), M McNealy (275-1), T8 A Scott (50-1), K Kitayama (90-1), Cameron Young (40-1), A Novak (600-1)
• Course type Parkland
• Course overview Riviera has been used for this event (formerly the Los Angeles Open, Nissan Open, Northern Trust Open and Genesis Open) every year since 1973 apart from 1983 and 1998. The 1995 US PGA and the 2017 US Amateur were also at Riviera
• Story of last year Jon Rahm defeated Max Homa by two shots, but the Spaniard has since defected to LIV Golf and will not be able to defend his title
• Weather forecast Sunny and calm throughout, with temperatures between 11C and 20C
• Type of player suited to the challenge Quality ball-strikers with sharp strategies typically prevail at Riviera. A natural fade is preferable, while course experience is almost essential
• Key attribute Accuracy

Steve Palmer's Genesis Invitational key stat

Only two of the last 21 winners had played fewer than four times at Riviera prior to their victory

Get a £30 free bet with Kwiff when you bet on the Genesis Invitational

We’ve already mentioned that Kwiff are offering a £30 free bet when you bet £10 on golf.

You can follow these simple steps to grab a £30 free bet with Kwiff – it's fast, secure and straightforward.

1. Head over to Kwiff through this link
2. Click 'Join' to create your account
3. Place a bet of £10+ on sport at minimum odds of 1-2 (1.5)
4. Kwiff will issue you with a £30 Surprise Bet within 48 hours of placing the qualifying bet

Kwiff golf Genesis Invitational betting sign-up offer: terms and conditions

It's worth taking a few minutes to read through the terms and conditions associated with the new golf betting sign-up offer before signing up. Doing so will help you get a better grasp of this Kwiff free bets offer and what's expected of you as a new customer.

• The Promotion is only valid to new customers
• Participant must deposit and place a £10 bet as their first bet on any market (excluding each way) in the sportsbook with odds greater than or equal to 1.50
• Only original odds count toward the promotion. Supercharged odds do not count towards the promotion.
• An accumulation of smaller stakes will not count.
• Cashed out bets do not count towards this promotion.
• Only available once per customer.
• Rewards will be credited to qualifying participants within 48 hours after placing the qualifying bet.
• Potential winnings from the Surprise Bet are paid in withdrawable cash, excluding the stake.
• This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.
• Visit Kwiff for additional T&Cs
• Gamble responsibly
• For more info visit www.begambleaware.org

Click for free bets and betting offers from the Racing Post

Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing and sports betting.