The Genesis Invitational 2026
Dates: February 19, 2026 to February 22, 2026
Location: Pacific Palisades, California
Course: The Riviera Country Club
Course Par: 71
Course Length: 7383
Prize Purse: $20000000
LAST WEEK’S REVIEW:
It was hard to know whether to be pleased or disappointed at the conclusion of the AT&T. Sepp Straka’s excellent back 9 on Sunday and in particular his eagle on the final hole helped him leap into a tie for second, which was enough to deliver a small profit on the week, but finishing just a shot outside the playoff deprived us of a great chance to secure a huge boost to the 2026 P&L. He had enough chances to get the job done, with several short missed putts over the course of the four days costing him dearly.
Our other picks never really threatened to cash for us; Jason Day had another good week at Pebble Beach but climbed the leaderboard gradually into the top 25. Sami Valimaki certainly outperformed his huge price, starting well and finishing in the top half of the leaderboard, but neither ever looked likely to generate a return for us. While Theegala, McCarty and (particularly) Berger fell well below our expectations.
Our Match Up picks performed well, with three winners from five, which would have been even better had Harris English not made eagle on the 72nd hole to tie with Jason Day.
On to another signature event this week as Riviera Country Club resumes hosting duties at the Genesis Invitational, after a year out due to the LA wildfires in 2026
Preview
The big events are starting to come thick and fast now, and hot on the heels of a very dramatic AT&T comes the Genesis Invitational, which returns to its usual home of The Riviera Country Club, having been temporarily relocated to Torrey Pines in 2025 due to nearby wildfires in Los Angeles. Solid course form is one of the highest priorities here when it comes to finding the winner; it’s very likely that an established name will be picking up the trophy on Sunday.
Winning scores have been varied here, typically around the 10-14 under mark, although between 2022 and 2024 high teens under par were required to secure the win. That said, it can be considered one of the trickier venues on the tour, with tidy short game skills in particular needed to navigate the green complexes. Off the tee, distance tends to be favoured over accuracy, although this trend is marginal and past winners have included both bombers and steadier types.
As expected, Scheffler and McIlroy head the market, although while both have decent enough records at Riviera, neither would be able to say it’s one of their best venues, so we’ll be looking further down to pick out this week’s value options.
Course Characteristics — Riviera Country Club
Location: Pacific Palisades, California
Par: 71
Yardage: ~7,322 yards
Architect: George C. Thomas Jr.
Riviera is widely considered one of the finest strategic layouts on the PGA Tour. It’s not tricked up, but it is relentlessly demanding.
What Defines Riviera
Kikuyu rough: Sticky, dense, and punishing — it eliminates spin and makes controlling approaches extremely difficult.
Small, firm Poa annua greens: Bumpy in the afternoons and notoriously hard to hold.
Long par‑4s: Riviera features one of the toughest collections of par‑4s on Tour.
Strategic angles: Approaches from the correct side of the fairway are essential.
Iconic holes:
10th — a drivable par‑4 that yields as many bogeys as birdies.
18th — a demanding uphill finisher framed by a narrow chute of trees.
Overall Style
Riviera is a second‑shot golf course. You can’t fake it here — the leaderboard almost always reflects the best ball‑strikers in the field.
Headline pick: Cameron Young (4 units win, +3300, 4 units top 5, +600)