The PGA Tour heads back to Torrey Pines South to host The Genesis Invitational this season. It’s a Signature Event but there’s still a 36-hole cut line enforced for any golfer in the field of 72 who is not within the top 50, including ties, after Friday’s second round.
The traditional host site, Riviera Country Club, was impacted by the L.A. wildfire outbreak, appointing Torrey Pines South as the new destination. The Farmers Insurance Open, won by Harris English a few weeks ago, had three of its four rounds played on Torrey Pines South, with high scores leading to English’s winning score at -8-under-par.
Last week’s WM Phoenix DFS Primer was a disaster, with only defending champion Nick Taylor making the cut out of my four selected prospects at TPC Scottsdale. Taylor carded a T25 finish, while Lucas Glover, Charley Hoffman, and Billy Horschel all failed to advance to the third and fourth rounds.
Here’s my latest insight and recommendations to tail for The Genesis Invitational heading into a star-studded field at the third Signature Event of the 2025 PGA Tour season. Follow me on X at Matt_MacKay_ for more DFS PGA and weekly golf analysis.
2025 Genesis Invitational DraftKings and FanDuel DFS Primer
Previous Winners
- 2024 – Hideki Matsuyama (-17)
- 2023 – Jon Rahm (-17)
- 2022 – Joaquin Niemann (-19)
- 2021 – Max Homa (-12)
- 2020 – Adam Scott (-11)
Relevant Betting Stats
- Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee
- Scrambling
- Total Driving
- Strokes Gained: Putting
- Driving Accuracy
Course Overview
Sprawling over 7,700 yards in distance, Torrey Pines South is a par 72 that tests the full bag of every golfer. Possessing a strong, accurate driver is key at a lengthy course like Torrey Pines South, in addition to its ribbon-thin fairways and small surface area Poa Annua greens.
The Stimpmeter measures up to 13 feet for putting velocity, while the rough is grown over four inches thick, punishing errant tee shots and approach shots alike. Coastal winds are forecast, which golfers struggled to counter during the Farmers Insurance Open. There are quite a few sand hazards but the water hazards aren’t nearly as abundant compared to TPC Scottsdale.
Three to four birdies per round is very good, unlike last week, so we’re looking for quality off-the-tee golfers, scramblers, and hopefully finding a couple of quality putting prospects to round out our DraftKings and FanDuel DFS lineups ahead of Round 1 on Thursday.
Recommended Plays: DraftKings
DraftKings maximum salary is set at $50,000
Sungjae Im: $9,200
Sungjae Im placed T4 at the Farmers Insurance Open a few weeks ago and remains one of the best scramblers and putters to start the 2025 PGA Tour season. Im has an accurate driver, ranked 32nd, and has quickly transformed his putter into a weapon instead of a liability. At $9,200, we’re landing a small discount on the South Korean native, so let’s insert him as our top prospect in DraftKings lineups.
Viktor Hovland: $7,900
Viktor Hovland is a bomber off-the-tee and he’s placed runner-up at Torrey Pines South during the 2021 Farmers Insurance Open. The Norwegian golfer is a streaky putter. However, his power off-the-tee and ranking top 40 in hole proximity, combined with driving accuracy and finding over 72.9 percent of greens in regulation, makes Hovland worth an investment at under $8,000.
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Recommended Plays: FanDuel
FanDuel maximum salary is set at $60,000
Taylor Pendrith: $9,800
We’re paying up a bit for Taylor Pendrith following his T7 finish at the Farmers Insurance Open. However, I believe this price is justified and can still return ROI, since Pendrith is among the best at finding greens in regulation, off-the-tee, and on approach. Ironically, his putter, which has been his strength throughout most of his PGA Tour career, has not been good to start 2025. Let’s back one of the best tee-to-green players in this field at under $10,000 on FanDuel.
Andrew Novak: $8,300
Contending well into Sunday at the Farmers Insurance Open a few weeks ago, Andrew Novak should be motivated to avenge his lackluster finish in his return to Torrey Pines. Novak has missed three cuts but when he does advance, he’s gone T3 and T13 (Pebble Beach) in 2025. Ranked 30th in total strokes gained, including 42nd putting, 37th proximity, and eighth in sand save percentage, Novak at $8,300 is a high-risk, high-reward insert that I’m willing to target at The Genesis Invitational.
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Matthew MacKay is a featured writer for BettingPros and FantasyPros. For more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @Matt_MacKay_.
