Feb 2, 2025; Pebble Beach, California, USA; Rory McIlroy hits his tee shot on the fifth hole during the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images Dozens of players get a second crack at the difficult South Course at Torrey Pines when The Genesis Invitational tees off in San Diego on Thursday.
The event was moved from Riviera Country Club out of respect to those affected by the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, and Torrey Pines was a ready-made venue having played host to last month’s Farmers Insurance Open.
Our golf experts preview the third signature event of 2025, and provide their favorite prop picks along with best bets to win this week.
THE GENESIS INVITATIONAL
Location: Torrey Pines Golf Course, South Course (Par 72, 7,765 Yards)
Purse: $20M (Winner: $4M)
Defending Champion: Hideki Matsuyama
FedEx Cup leader: Sepp Straka
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday: 4-8 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday: 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-7 p.m. (CBS); Sunday: 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6:30 p.m. (CBS)
Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday: 12:30-8 p.m. ET; Saturday: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday: 9:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
X: @TheGenesisInv
PROP PICKS
–Rory McIlroy to Beat Scottie Scheffler (+125 at DraftKings): McIlroy has won two of his past three worldwide starts, with those victories sandwiching a T4 in Dubai. He’s in excellent form, while Scheffler is still playing his way back into form following hand surgery over the holidays.
–Shane Lowry Top 20 Finish (+110 at BetRivers): Yes, Lowry did miss the cut at Torrey Pines last month, but that was in between a T3 at the DP World Tour Championship and a runner-up at Pebble Beach. Like at Pebble, the forecast calls for cool, wet and windy conditions at least Thursday and Friday, which plays into the hands of the Irishman. Lowry also has to beat only 52 players in the 72-player field for this prop to pay.
–Ludvig Aberg Top Nordic Finisher (+130 at DraftKings): Aberg of Sweden was tearing Torrey Pines apart before he came down with an illness last month. That forced him out of Pebble Beach as well, but Aberg has now had a few weeks to regain his strength. This is a tough matchup against Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard (+160), who is coming off a T12 in Phoenix, and Norway’s Viktor Hovland (+240). However, neither of them played in the Farmers this year.
2025 Prop Pick Record: 5-8-1
BEST BETS
–Scottie Scheffler (+400 at DraftKings) settled for a T25 in Phoenix following a T9 in his return from hand surgery the previous week.
–Rory McIlroy (+650) won his last start at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
–Collin Morikawa (+1600) is seeking his first win since the 2023 Zozo Championship. He did tie for fourth at the 2021 U.S. Open and was solo third at the 2023 Farmers at Torrey Pines.
–Justin Thomas (+1800) is up to 11th in the world rankings following his T6 in Phoenix.
–Ludvig Aberg (+2200) finished T42 at the Farmers Insurance Open. He opened with a 63 before becoming ill. Aberg finished the Farmers but withdrew the following week at Pebble Beach.
–Rasmus Hojgaard (+3500) has finished T22 and T12 in his first two starts as a full-time PGA Tour member. Last week’s finish would have been better if not for a double bogey on the par-5 15th hole on Saturday.
NOTES
–This is the third of eight signature events this season, featuring an increased prize pool and FedEx Cup points. It’s also one of three signature events to include a 36-hole cut to the low 50 players and ties.
–Daniel Berger and Michael Kim earned spots in the field through the Aon Swing 5 with their tie for second at the WM Phoenix Open, bumping out Justin Lower and Lee Hodges.
–Tournament host Tiger Woods withdrew on Monday while he continues to mourn the recent death of his mother. The three other eligible players not in the field are Xander Schauffele (injury), Alex Noren and Chris Kirk.
–Jordan Spieth is coming off a T4 in Phoenix and is in the field on a sponsor exemption along with Rickie Fowler, Min Woo Lee, and Gary Woodland. Lucas Glover and Justin Rose were added to meet the 72-player minimum field as the first two available players below No. 60 in last year’s FedEx Cup Fall points list.
–Field Level Media
