Genesis Open: betting tips and preview, lowdown, when to watch

TV: Sky Sports Golf, 2.30pm Thursday

Tiger Woods makes his second start of the season at Riviera this week but the California track is not one that holds fond memories for him.

He failed to make the cut last year in his ninth attempt to win there and it is the only course on the PGA circuit that he has played more than four times and never won.

Others, however, love the place. Bubba Watson collected his third triumph in this tournament last year while Phil Mickelson, who claimed his fifth Pebble Beach Pro-Am title on Monday, has two Riviera trophies to his name.

But it is two years since world number three Dustin Johnson won the Genesis Open and he is set to go off the single-figure-priced favourite in an elite field.

Wilkerson's top tip
Justin Thomas 14-1

Recent victories for Mickelson and Watson show that big hitters are beginning to make their presence felt at Riviera, even if finding greens in regulation has tended to be the passport to success at the California venue.

A player who combines both skills and could be in for a successful week is world number four Justin Thomas, who is ranked ninth on the PGA Tour in GIR and can smash his driver alongside the best despite his 5ft 10in frame.

The former US PGA champion from Louisville tied for ninth in the tournament last year, five behind Watson, on what was his fourth attempt at a course where previous experience has tended to be a valuable asset.

His recent form is decent too. Thomas has not finished outside the top 25 in a tournament since he missed the cut at The Open and he bounced back well from that Carnoustie disappointment to win the WGC Bridgestone Invitational two weeks later.

He has started 2019 in decent shape too. After finishing third in the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii when he closing with an eight-under-par 65, he was third in his last outing at the Phoenix Open.

This looks the sort of test where he can flourish and he should put up a strong challenge as second favourite.

Next best
Hideki Matsuyama 30-1

Another candidate who looks to possess the desired skill set for this week's assignment is Japan's Hideki Matsuyama, who looks to be finding his feet again.

Matsuyama sat out of the Genesis Open last year and missed the cut in 2017, but his figures of 11-4-23 in the three years before suggests this is a track where he is comfortable.

He was ranked second in greens in regulation at the Phoenix Open two weeks ago when he finished 15th while he will look back on the Farmers Insurance Open the week before as one that slipped away after a Saturday round of 73 put paid to his chances.

Matsuyama finished third at Torrey Pines, which suggests his game is starting to come together, and while he has not claimed a victory since the WGC Bridgestone in August 2017, he deserves to be respected.

Other selections
Louis Oosthuizen 50-1
Adam Hadwin 55-1
Rafa Cabrera-Bello 66-1

Louis Oosthuizen makes his first Stateside appearance of the year this week and despite the fact he had to miss the Dubai Desert Classic with a neck injury, it could prove to be a successful one.

The South African is a greens-in-regulation machine and should put in a much better Riviera performance than his course form figures of 62-MC suggest.

Oosthuizen tops the American GIR figures, is ranked 11th in the European standings and played well in South Africa before Christmas, finishing third at the Nedbank Challenge, winning the South Africa Open by six shots and claiming seventh in the Alfred Dunhill Championship.

He started the year with a fourth-place finish at the Abu Dhabi Championship and while it is easy to get carried away by those performances, his game is clearly in good nick and he could mount a push if he arrives in California 100 per cent fit.

Canadian Adam Hadwin's four appearances at Riviera have been solid - he finished sixth in last year's tournament - and he has enjoyed a decent start to the campaign.

He is knocking on the door of the world's top 50 and played particularly well at the Desert Classic when he was pipped to the post by 500-1 outsider Adam Long.

His 18th place at Pebble Beach last week was not a disaster - he hit 65 on the Monterey course on Saturday - and it would be no surprise if he enjoyed another fruitful week.

Spain's Rafa Cabrera-Bello finished 26th last year and he could have made a much bigger impression at Pebble Beach had he not had three double bogeys in his final round of 74.

That performance came after he missed the cut in Dubai but he had four successive top-20 finishes before that so he could force his way into the picture.

Others to note
Dustin Johnson
Always has to be feared on a course where he has previously triumphed but he made little impression at Pebble Beach after his opening round of 66.

Bubba Watson
Bubba has triumphed three times at Riviera and goes in as defending champion. Finished tied for fourth in his last outings at Scottsdale.

Phil Mickelson
Was imperious in claiming his fifth Pebble Beach Pro-Am, even if having to complete the job on Monday morning will not have been ideal. Won this tournament in 2008 and 2009.

Jordan Spieth
Finished ninth at Riviera last year and there were signs that he might be back to his best during the first half of last week's play, but the Texan faded badly.

Paul Casey
The Englishman tied for second in 2015 but seeing his three-shot lead 54-hole lead slip away at Pebble Beach may have taken its toll mentally.

Martin Laird
The Scot has form figures of 8-9-11 in the last three years at Riviera, but he has just one top-20 finish in his last ten outings.

Staking plan
J Thomas
2.5pts each-way 14-1 Paddy Power
H Matsuyama
2pts each-way 30-1 Betfair
L Oosthuizen
1pt each-way 50-1 Paddy Power, Sky Bet
A Hadwin
1pt each-way 55-1 Betfair
R Cabrera-Bello
1pt each-way 66-1 general

Genesis Open lowdown

Course Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, California
Prize money $7.4m ($1.332m to winner)
Length 7,322 yards
Par 71
Field 144
Course records- 72 holes 264 Lanny Wadkins (1985)
18 holes 61 Ted Tryba (1991)

Course winners taking part Fred Couples (twice), Ernie Els, Adam Scott, Charles Howell, Phil MIckelson (twice), Aaron Baddeley, Bill Haas, James Hahn, Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson (three times)

When to bet By 2.30pm Thursday

When to watch Live on Sky Sports Golf, 2.30pm Thursday

Time difference California is eight hours behind the UK & Ireland

Last week - Pebble Beach Pro-Am 1 P Mickelson 25-1, 2 P Casey 33-1, 3 S Stalling 200-1, T4 J Day 9-1, SW Kim 125-1, 6 S Langley 250-1

Course overview Riviera Country Club has been used for this event (formerly the Los Angeles Open, Nissan Open and Northern Trust Open) every year since 1973 apart from 1983 and 1998. It has staged Majors, the most recent of which was the 1995 US PGA Championship, won by Steve Elkington.

Tom Fazio gently redesigned the track in 2008, lengthening the layout to combat technological advances. The lush kikuyu grass rough can be penal, the creeping bentgrass, Poa annua greens require plenty of getting to know, and there are lots of doglegs.

The tenth hole is a classic risk-reward driveable par four, which yields any score from a two to a seven, while the uphill 578-yard par-five is a serious test of muscle. The first is the easiest hole, the 12th is the most difficult.

Story of last year Bubba Watson carded weekend rounds of 65 and 69 to claim his third Riviera victory by a two-shot margin over fellow Americans Kevin Na and Tony Finau.

Weather forecast Rain could disrupt play on Thursday morning but conditions should remain dry from then until the closing stages on Sunday. Stronger wins are expected in the afternoons rather than mornings and temperatures are unlikely to get above the mid-teens.

Type of player suited to the challenge Quality ball-strikers with sharp strategies typically prevail at Riviera, and punters should concentrate on players who have plenty of course experience in their locker, preferably faders.

It has become a long course since the redesign, with more powerful players starting to dominate the honours board

Key attribute Accuracy

Follow us on Twitter

Like us on Facebook