The PGA Tour tees it up this week at historic Riviera Country Club for the 91st edition of the L.A. Open, currently titled the Genesis Open.
The long-running tournament is the final stop on the PGA Tour’s seven-event “West Coast Swing,” and the field in Pacific Palisades, California is loaded with some of the biggest names in the game – none bigger than tournament host Tiger Woods.
The 138-player field at Riviera also includes defending champion Dustin Johnson, along with superstars Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, and Phil Mickelson.
Despite a top-heavy, star-studded field, the bookmakers have made Johnson the clear favorite. The World No. 1 has been given odds of 5-1 to win his second-straight title in Los Angeles. No one else in the field has odds better than 10-1.
The three remaining top 10-ranked players in the field are not surprisingly listed as the next three favs, including McIlroy (11-1), Spieth (12-1), and Thomas (16-1).
Top-10 machine Paul Casey is next with odds of 25-1, alongside two-time tournament winner Mickelson. Race to Dubai champion Tommy Fleetwood (28-1) rounds out the players with odds under 30-1.
Our payoff pick this week is Pat Perez at 50-1. The 41-year old Arizona State product has a world ranking of 19 (10th best in the field) and yet has the same odds as a player like Bubba Watson (No. 117), who is about a handful of missed-cuts away from the Web.com Tour. In six starts this season, Perez has produced three top-5 finishes, including a win at the CIMB Classic.
THE SKINNY
Tournament: Genesis Open
Dates:Â Feb. 15-18, 2018
Where: Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Course:Â Riviera Country Club
Distance: Par 71/7,322 yards
Architect: George Thomas Jr., William Bell (1926)
Format: 72-holes, stroke play, 36-hole cut
Purse: $7,200,000
Winning Share: $1,260,000
FedExCup Points: 500
Defending Champion:Â Dustin Johnson
ODDS: GENESIS OPEN
[table id=441 /]Credits: Bovada, Getty Images
