After navigating untimely inclement weather over the past few weeks, the PGA Tour heads to sunny Southern California for the Genesis Invitational, a staple on the schedule since 1926. After rotating through multiple venues, Riviera Country Club has hosted the old LA Open consecutively since 1973. The iconic George C. Thomas masterpiece is a venue we have become incredibly familiar with over the years, and its place as a Signature Event is more than deserving.

Similar to the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the field will comprise of just 71 players, the top 50 from the prior season’s FedEx Cup, Nos. 51-60 from the prior season’s FedEx Cup Fall, the top-five FedEx Cup earners in-between Signature Events, current year tournament winners, the leading finisher from the Race to Dubai, the top 30 in the Official World Golf Rankings and four sponsor’s exemptions. One of those exemptions will be going to none other than Tiger Woods, who will be making his 2024 season debut. He will be joined by the likes of Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele and 2021 Genesis Invitational champion Max Homa.

Unlike Pebble Beach, a 36-hole cut will be in place for the top-50 players and ties. In an event filled with star power at one of the PGA Tour’s most storied venues, parsing through those best positioned for success on the DraftKings slate is sure to provide a unique challenge.

$10,000 range

Play: Xander Schauffele, $10,100:

Another tournament, another week where my numbers continue to suggest that Xander Schauffele is one of the most complete players on the PGA Tour and on the precipice of something special. Schauffele has all of the tools to succeed at Riviera. He’s a powerful driver of the ball, an elite middle iron player, and a trustable short-game player who has had a tremendous amount of success on Poa greens. The seven-time PGA Tour winner’s course history speaks for itself, as Schauffele has recorded five top-25s in six appearances at Riviera, gaining two strokes ball-striking in every occurrence. With question marks surrounding many of the other elite players, I trust Schauffele’s consistency above all.

Fade: Viktor Hovland, $10,000:

I know a lot can change from a week of practicing at home, but I’m not sure that Riviera is the soft landing that Hovland will be looking for to cure his recent woes. The young Norwegian looked completely out of sorts at Pebble Beach, losing over three strokes on approach and two strokes around the green. Hovland has now lost strokes on approach and around the green in both of his starts this year, which is far from a winning formula at Riviera.

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$9,000 range

Play: Justin Thomas, $9,100:

I continue to believe that Justin Thomas is incredibly close to capturing his first victory since the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills, and Riviera is the perfect venue for that to come to fruition. In nine appearances at the Thomas design, Thomas has recorded four top-10 finishes, including a runner-up in 2019. Thomas has had some rock-solid ball-striking performances at Riviera, and he has actually gained over 3.5 strokes putting here in each of his past two starts as well. Coming off a 12th-place finish in Phoenix where he gained strokes in all four major categories, I have high expectations this week for the 14-time PGA Tour winner.

Fade: Max Homa, $9,800:

I know that Riviera has been an incredibly comfortable spot for Max Homa over the year, but something simply does not look right with the 2021 Genesis Invitational winner. Homa is coming off a missed cut in Phoenix where he lost over two strokes off the tee, which is now two starts in a row where he has lost strokes with his driver, and three weeks in a row where his approach play has looked shaky as well. Riviera remains an execution-based test that will expose players who are not firing on all cylinders, and course history is not enough for me to look past what I’ve seen out of the Los Angeles native in his last few starts.

$8,000 range

Play: Matt Fitzpatrick, $8,400:

I always tend to love Matt Fitzpatrick on more difficult golf courses, and this week is no different. The former U.S. Open champion is coming off a 15th-place finish at the Phoenix Open where he gained four strokes off the tee and over two strokes putting. Fitzpatrick remains one of the more underrated drivers of the ball on tour, and I trust his short game and putting over any other player in this range.

Fade: Sungjae Im, $8,000:

Sungjae Im has now looked out of sorts for a number of weeks, and Riviera is not the type of track, where I suddenly expect him to find his game. Im coming off a 66th-place finish in Phoenix where he lost 4.7 strokes on approach, and he has now lost with his irons in four straight starts. Im’s questions on approach are far too glaring for me to ignore this week, and with zero top-30 finishes in four appearances at Riviera, his course history leaves a lot to be desired as well.

$7,000 range

Play: Will Zalatoris, $7,900:

I still believe we have an opportunity to be early on the Will Zalatoris 2024 renaissance, as $7,900 feels an extremely fair price for a player of his caliber. Zalatoris is coming off a 13th-place finish at the Farmers Insurance Open, where he gained strokes in all four categories. Now he returns to a course where he finished fourth at in his last year, gaining over seven strokes ball-striking in the process. I imagine this will be the last time we see Zalatoris this season in the $7,000 price range.

Fade: Keegan Bradley, $7,900:

You likely think of Keegan Bradley as having good history at Riviera, given his playoff loss here, but his last decent performance came in 2015. Over the last few years, the former PGA Championship winner has struggled mightily at the Thomas design, and he has now lost strokes putting in six straight appearances here. Until Bradley proves that he can tame these challenging putting surfaces, this is an easy pass for me.

Flier: Cam Davis, $7,200:

While the results have not yet come to fruition for Cam Davis at Riviera, I still believe in his upside. The Australian remains one of the better overall drivers of the ball in this field, and he also ranks top 15 in birdie or better percentage from the rough and scrambling. Coming off a 20th-place finish at Pebble Beach where he gained over five strokes on approach, I love the value I’m getting on Davis this week.

$6,000 range

Play: Adam Svensson, $6,600:

My numbers continue to suggest that Adam Svensson is vastly underrated, and even in a strong field event, I still believe he possesses the approach prowess to compete. The Canadian finished ninth last year in his lone appearance at Riviera, an incredibly impressive result on a course that is not typically kind to first timer’s. Coming off a MC on the number where he still gained over two strokes off the tee, look for Svensson to surprise this week in Los Angeles.

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Andy Lack is a PGA Tour writer and podcaster from New York City who now resides in Los Angeles. He hosts Inside Golf, a twice weekly podcast focused on the PGA Tour, betting, daily fantasy, golf course architecture, and interviews, as part of the BlueWire podcast network. As well as contributing to Golf Digest, Andy is also a data analyst and writer for Run Pure Sports, where he covers PGA Tour betting and daily fantasy. He came to Golf Digest’s betting panel after previously writing for RickRunGood.com, the Score and GolfWRX. In his free time, Andy can likely be found on a golf course. Follow him on Twitter: @adplacksports