Top 5 sleeper picks for The Genesis Invitational 2024 ft. Will Zalatoris
The 2024 Genesis Invitational is all set to commence on Thursday, February 15. The seventh event of this season will take place at the Riviera Golf Club in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, Bermuda.
Just like the first two signature events, the 2024 Genesis Invitational will also be a short 71-player field with a purse size of $20 million. Defending champion Jon Rahm is not playing this week due to his move to LIV Golf.
The Genesis Invitational 2024 doesn't lack star power, as 41 of the top 50 players in the OWGR are on the field this week. While Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Max Homa are among the oddsmakers' favorites to win on the PGA Tour this week, a few sleeper picks might surprise at the Riviera.
Here's a look at five sleeper picks to watch at the Genesis Invitational 2024.
5 sleeper picks for the Genesis Invitational 2024
1) Adam Svensson
As per SportsLine, Adam Svensson is +11000 to win this week. Last year, he finished T9 on his debut at Riviera Country Club. Since then, he has been able to make only two more top-10s. So far this season, he has already missed two cuts and is yet to make a top-20 finish. While the odds don't look in his favor, his last run at Riviera might help him bring his best out.
2) Will Zalatoris
Last month, Will Zalatoris returned to the PGA Tour after a long break due to injury setbacks. He started the season by missing the cut at the Sentry, which was followed by a T34 finish at La Quinta. A couple of weeks ago, he made a T13 finish at the Farmers Insurance Open.
This week, Zalatoris is +650 to make a top-5 finish at the Genesis Invitational. In his four starts here, he missed the cut on his debut in 2015 and finished joint-fourth last year.
3) Hideki Matsuyama
Although Hideki Matsuyama has not been in great form for quite some time now, one can never count him out, especially at the Riviera Country Club.
The 2020 Masters champion has made three top-10s and a T11 finish in his nine starts at Genesis. He is +400 to register a top-10 finish this week. Speaking of recent form, he has made two top-25s in his last three starts.
4) Matt Kuchar
Matt Kuchar is one of the few golfers who has had more than one top-10 at the Genesis Invitational since 2020. Last year, he had an eighth-place finish. This time, he is +350 for finishing inside the top 20.
5) Nick Dunlap
Nick Dunlap had a dream start to the season last month as he won the American Express, his first PGA Tour title as an amateur. Immediately after that, he decided to turn pro and also earned a spot in the signature events.
A couple of weeks ago, Dunlap had a contrasting result at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, where he finished solo 80th. However, considering it as a learning curve for a youngster, one can expect him to do well at the Genesis Invitational. As per BetMGM, he is +225 to make a top-30 finish this Sunday.