Ben Coley was in profit with last week's match bets thanks to 9/2 and 11/5 winning multiples. Get his best bets for round one at Riviera.
Golf betting tips: Genesis Invitational three-balls
2pt double Pendrith and Finau to win their three-balls at 4.91/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair)
With no course split for the latest Signature Event there's a bit less to go on when it comes to the Genesis Invitational three-balls, but a rain-soaked Riviera could play even more into the hands of the longer hitters and that's what I consider to be the best angle.
Sifting through the tee-times there are a few big-hitting candidates who carry concerns into the event or are in with playing partners who I don't want to oppose. Matti Schmid for instance isn't playing well, Pierceson Coody is but has to beat a pair of Californians on his Riviera debut, Cameron Young's playing partners are elite, and both of Min Woo Lee's have been in the not too distant past.
Two players stand out and I'll begin with TAYLOR PENDRITH, one of my outright selections.
Pendrith is a massive hitter and he ought to love it here. That wasn't immediately apparent on his 2022 debut but Pendrith was still new to the PGA Tour and wasn't playing well, so much better is expected this time, especially after a decent performance at Pebble Beach.
He has two top-10s there and two more at Torrey Pines, the latter a particularly good guide to this. Another is Quail Hollow, where he was fifth in the PGA Championship and 10th in a Signature Event before that, both times excelling off the tee, and under soft conditions he can do something similar this week.
He's playing with Matt McCarty and Jhonattan Vegas and while the former can almost match him for power, his approach play is a mess and he was tied for last place at Pebble Beach. It's been a miserable start to the year for the Venezuelan, who hasn't played well here in a very long time. It seems unlikely that's about to change.
McCarty has his own issues and ranked 70th of 80 players in strokes-gained approach last week. He's not a long driver, relying instead on being generally accurate, and he will find this a slog. It's McCarty's debut at Riviera and he'd have been a much more likely contender had conditions been firm, and had he played better over the past fortnight.
The other selection is TONY FINAU, who punters were quick to latch onto at big prices when betting opened.
From as big as 300/1 last week and 150/1 in a weaker field at a course he loves three weeks ago, when we sided with him for a frustrating 11th place, Finau is now the wrong side of 100s and as short as 55/1 in places. That's very tight if you ask me, notwithstanding the fact that he's a two-time runner-up at Riviera, one of those when a tad unfortunate to lose a play-off.
But while content to let him go unbacked in the outright betting, following a great draw he's a strong fancy for his three-ball.
Finau is in with two players who on paper merit respect but both are much shorter hitters and in Max McGreevy's case, I think that'll place too much pressure on the rest of his game. He's a tidy operator who is still getting better, but he's about fairways and isn't putting well either. This does not look like a good fit for him.
The other member of this three-ball is Lucas Glover, who made his first start since last August when 64th at Pebble Beach. There were some signs of promise but it's very early to be taking on a course which will play much longer, one where his record is far less impressive. Glover has missed eight of 12 cuts here down the years, never cracked the top 20, and his best effort was way back in 2008.
With none of this trio reliable on the greens, 6/4 about the one course specialist, who has a massive power advantage, is a fantastic bet. I'm amazed McGreevy has been put in at a shorter price.
Posted at 21:20 GMT on 17/02/26
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