2025 Genesis Invitational betting tips: Our expert’s top picks for Torrey Pines
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Our resident betting expert picks out his top Genesis Invitational betting tips ahead of the PGA Tour Signature Event.
The Tiger Woods-hosted Genesis Invitational moves from its spiritual home at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles for just the third first time since 1973 following the recent wildfires that ravaged the neighboring suburb of Pacific Palisades.
Instead, the third Signature Event of the 2025 PGA Tour season heads south to Torrey Pines in San Diego, two-time US Open host and home to the Farmers Insurance Open.
“We are grateful to the city of San Diego and Torrey Pines for hosting the 2025 Genesis Invitational, and to everyone who has reached out in support of the tournament,” non-playing host Tiger Woods said.
Hideki Matsuyama stormed to a three-shot victory at Riviera last time out and lines up to defend his title at Torrey Pines against a world-class field featuring Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, and Xander Schauffele.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Genesis Invitational with our resident betting expert Tom Jacob’s top picks…
Genesis Invitational key details
Venue: Torrey Pines South Course (Par 72 – 7,802 yards).
Format: 72-hole strokeplay with 36-hole cut.
Purse: $20 million with the winner receiving $4 million.
FedEx Cup: 700 points
Favorites: Scottie Scheffler 9/2, Rory McIlroy 7/1, Collin Morikawa 14/1
Defending champion: Hideki Matsuyama (JPN), -17
Most wins: Macdonald Smith, Lloyd Mangrum (4)
How to watch the Genesis Invitational
US viewers can catch all the action on Golf Channel.
All times EST
Thursday, February 13: The Golf Channel, 16.00
Friday, February 14: The Golf Channel, 16.00
Saturday, February 15: The Golf Channel, 13.00
Sunday, February 16: The Golf Channel, 13.00
UK viewers can catch all the action on Sky Sports Golf.
All times GMT
Thursday, February 13: Sky Sports Golf, 21.00
Friday, February 14: Sky Sports Golf, 21.00
Saturday, February 15: Sky Sports Golf, 18.00
Sunday, February 16: Sky Sports Golf, 18.00
Genesis Invitational tee times
Tee times and groupings can be found here.
Genesis Invitational betting tips
Our resident betting expert Tom Jacobs has picked out three names to watch at Torrey Pines…
The Banker: Rory McIlroy
11/1 (Each Way Extra 3 Places, Bet365)
Look, it certainly doesn’t make me feel big or clever to pick an 11/1 shot in golf, but if Rory McIlroy does in fact romp home this Sunday at Torrey Pines, I would certainly feel silly if I wasn’t on.
Everything is right in front of you. Since he’s returned from the off-season and shown off his new swing changes and a new ball, McIlroy has been imperious. Sure, he started slower than he would have hoped in Dubai, but by the end of the week he finished in 4th place and all the signs were there for a strong start to the season.
One start later he completely dominated the field on the final day at Pebble Beach, and his driving prowess was on full display once more. McIlroy led the field in both SG Off the Tee and SG Tee to Green at Pebble Beach, and ranked a very respectable 14th in SG Approach, showing all facets of his game were on fire.
You are going to have to pick your battles when it comes to Rory this season, as he will inevitably have Scottie Scheffler to contend with everywhere he goes, but for now, Rory looks in the drivers’ seat in 2025.
Looking at Scheffler’s course form at Torrey Pines, he’s missed two cuts from four starts and finished a best of 7th place. Now that did come at the US Open where they played all four rounds at the South Course, as they will do this week, but Rory looks to have the edge here in La Jolla. In three starts at the Farmers Insurance Open, McIlroy has finished 5th, 3rd and 16th and when Torrey hosted the US Open, he finished 7th alongside Scheffler. This looks like the perfect course for his skillset, where long, straight driving is the order of the day, and while Scheffler is still blowing the rust off, I think it’s time to take Rory at double the odds of the favorite, while you still can.
We know Rory is more than capable of winning back-to-back events, and now looks the time to target exactly that happening, while the next tier of challengers all come with question marks.
The Outsider: Rasmus Hojgaard
45/1 (Each Way, 6 Places – Betfred)
Rasmus Hojgaard may have missed out on a PGA Tour card in 2024, and instead had to watch on the sidelines, as his twin brother, Nicolai coupled his Ryder Cup debut with a debut season stateside.
He didn’t sulk however and while there a few set backs in 2024, Rasmus finished the season strong, beating Rory McIlroy in Ireland to win the 2024 Irish Open, and locking up his PGA Tour card with a 4th in the Andalucia Masters and a 2nd at the DP World Tour Championship in his final four starts of the season.
High on an exciting end to 2024, Hojgaard has kicked off 2025 in style, finishing 14th, 22nd, and 12th in his first three events. That doesn’t even tell the full story though, as he has been far closer to the leaders than those final finishes suggest. In Dubai, Hojgaard was 7th after two rounds, and a start later at Pebble Beach he was 2nd after round 1 and still in 10th going into Sunday. Then last week came his best start of the season, where he was 2nd going into Sunday, eventually settling for 12th. Of course, Hojgaard would have liked to have finished strongly, but he’s the type to go all out for a win rather than consolidate his position, and he had five shots to make up right off the bat, with Thomas Detry holding a commanding lead. That can always lead to mistakes from the five-time DP World Tour winner, who will always go for the title.
Rasmus’ twin, Nicolai, finished 2nd here a year ago, and if he’s compared notes with his brother and taken any pointers on board that can only help. As does the 321 yards he’s averaging off the tee on two starts on the PGA Tour in 2025. Hojgaard led the field in SG Off the Tee last week, and if he can do the same here, he could see himself in contention with McIlroy on Sunday, just as he did in Ireland in September.
Hojgaard is marginally preferred to Sepp Straka and Taylor Pendrith at similar odds. I initially wrote up Pendrith in this spot, but the odds suggest Hojgaard is the play.
The Long Shot: Adam Scott
70/1 (Each Way, 7 Places – William Hill)
There were a few candidates for this longshot position, the improving Sam Stevens and Justin Rose chief among them, but just like I would if Rory won, I would feel very foolish were Adam Scott to win this weekend, and I ignored him at 70/1.
Scott has played the Farmers Insurance Open twice in his career, finishing 2nd behind Justin Rose on debut in 2019, and returning two years later to finish 10th. When 10th he was 2nd after round 2 and 3rd after 54 holes. That means in 8 rounds in the Farmers Insurance Open, he has been inside the top 3 of the leaderboard after four of them! Now, the slight concern for some may be that when playing here under U.S. Open conditions, he’s only managed to finish 26th and 35th respectively. I am willing to overlook that though, as while four rounds on the South this week will invariably make this tougher, I don’t think it’s going to play quite as hard as it does on a major week.
This is of course the Genesis Invitational and not the Farmers, but we keep referencing Torrey Pines form due to the change of venue this week. Scott is one person that may have been devastated that Riviera wasn’t playing host this year, given he won there in 2020, but looking at his Torrey Pines form, it may not matter at all to him. Clearly, he just likes playing in California when the schedule allows, which it does this week.
The Aussie has shown signs in recent starts that he can contend here again, finishing 15th in the season opener in Hawaii, where he shot a third-round 64 to sit 9th going into Sunday, and following that up with decent-if-unspectacular finishes since. He did however, close out his last start at Pebble Beach with another 64, and he was 19th going into Sunday in a strong field in Dubai as well, so there is enough positives to take a shot at what appears to be a course specialist, at 70/1!
What About Tiger Woods?
The GOAT returns this week, and he will be the name of everyone’s lips, but what does his return mean? Outside of just showing up for the Genesis Invitational, an event he hosts, it’s difficult to get a grip on expectations.
It’s not often that clicking on “Last 25 starts” on Data Golf will bring up the last six years of someone’s playing career, but that is the case for Tiger Woods, who has only played 19 times since finishing T9 at Torrey Pines in the 2020 Farmers Insurance Open.
In that time, Woods has withdrawn as many times as he has finished inside the top 40 (3 times) and it’s hard to really be inspired by his return this week – from a betting perspective at least. Even the biggest Woods fan must know his chances of winning are extremely slim, and just making the weekend might be an achievement in itself, yet he’s priced shorter than the player who won here last year, Mathieu Pavon.
Sure, we should respect what Woods has done in his career, which includes eight wins at this golf course, including that famous 2008 US Open win, but his chances of winning are at an all-time low.
It’s not just on course challenges that Woods will have to overcome this week either. What was already set to be an emotional event, with the Genesis Invitational moving due to the Los Angeles Wildfires, was taken to another level again, with the news that Woods’ mother, Kultida, passed away last week. There will no doubt be an extremely emotional tribute to her life here this week, and Woods will have that, and his physical impairments to deal with, so we should temper expectations and instead celebrate the life of his mother and Woods’ history at this golf course.
Tom Jacobs is a betting expert who works for Oddschecker. He hosts a weekly podcast called Lost Fore Words reviewing and previewing the latest from the world of tour golf.
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2025 Genesis Invitational betting tips from Today's Golfer.
