NOT since the dark days of Covid has the PGA Tour been forced into using the same course in quick succession for separate high-profile events.
However, the devastation caused by the recent wildfires in California means this week’s Genesis Invitational has been moved from Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles to Torrey Pines, some 125 miles down the coast in San Diego.
Just three weeks ago, Torrey hosted the Farmers Insurance Open, won by Harris English, and the fact it was tournament-ready made it the obvious venue to step in at short notice.
Such fresh course form should really be the first place to look when searching for a winner this week, but the Genesis has a very different feel to it as the third Signature Event of the season, with only 72 players going to post.
The event took a hit on Monday following the withdrawal from playing duties of Tiger Woods, the tournament host, but the big names are still out in force, headed by world number one Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, fresh off his win at Pebble Beach the week before last.
Scheduling issues have meant neither of that pair have made frequent visits to Torrey Pines for the Farmers Insurance Open, with both last playing here at the US Open in 2021, when they shared seventh behind Jon Rahm.
What they will quickly remember on their return is that the South Course in an absolute beast, measuring 7,765 yards, with narrow fairways and small greens.
And with the rough allowed to grow up a bit more since the Farmers three weeks ago, this could be every bit a Major-type test.
As it routinely the case nowadays, Scheffler goes to post as favourite, this time at 4/1, and his famed accuracy should set up well for this course, where playing from fairways into the tiny greens is always a major plus.
And yet his effort in Phoenix at the weekend was underwhelming, with the game’s best player getting into the fringes of contention before falling meekly away late on.
Maybe he knew he was never going to catch winner Thomas Detry and lost interest, but it was a strange Scheffler outing, and I’ll swerve him again at the price.
The natural inclination was to do likewise with McIlroy, and yet I’ve kept coming back to him when weighing up the likeliest winner and, at 8/1, I have to give him the headline vote.
The Holywood man may not have been to Torrey Pines since 2021, but that has much to do with clashes with DP World Tour events in the Middle East, and he has played very nicely in San Diego in the past.
As well as that seventh at the US Open four years ago – when he was in the hunt with nine holes to play –McIlroy was third in the Farmers in 2020 and fifth the previous year.
And so impressive was his composed, controlled win at Pebble Beach that he has to be the man to beat here, having destroyed that famous course off the tee, while his wedges were much-improved and he was third from tee-to-green for the week.
Hitting fairways is key here, but driving the ball a long way is an advantage, if not a necessity, as the greens are so small.
McIlroy also had the measure of the bumpy poa annua surfaces two weeks ago and will find the same here, while has been a known cluster winner in the past, and could very easily go back-to-back here – while he also won his last outing of 2024 at the DP World Tour Championship – and is crying out to be backed at 8/1.
Finau the horse for this testing course
Meanwhile, we did well with a horses-for-courses selection in Phoenix when Jordan Spieth placed at 70/1, and with that in mind Tony Finau is well worth an each-way interest at 33/1 in San Diego.
The big American’s results have been hit-and-miss of late, including missing the cut at the Farmers three weeks ago when on the wrong side of the draw, but he was 13th last time out at Pebble Beach, when his dubious putting behaved well.
On that occasion Finau’s approach play went slightly awry, but he was second for that stat on tour in 2024 and it is only a matter of time before his irons return to normal standards.
He also loves Torrey Pines, having finished second to Patrick Reed in 2021, fourth in 2017, sixth in 2018 and last term, and ninth in 2023, so we should be confident of a good performance and the 33/1 looks juicy enough.
I’ll also keep Russell Henley on side at 45/1, while Justin Rose bounces off the page at 100/1 in places.
Henley doesn’t play the Farmers due to scheduling issues, but he led the US Open after 54 holes in 2021 before finishing 13th, and he comes back in great form with a 10th in the Sony Open followed by fifth at Pebble Beach.
He led the field for putting on the latter occasion, and as a tidy fairway-finder he could well get into the mix.
Rose, meanwhile, reminded us all of his enduring class when chasing McIlroy and Shane Lowry home for third at Pebble Beach, the scene of his last PGA Tour win in 2023.
His previous success came in the 2019 Farmers Insurance Open, and he loves Torrey Pines, with further top-10s coming here in 2017, 2018 and 2022, while the veteran Englishman tends to save his best for big occasions and tough tests these days, as shown by sixth in the US PGA and second at The Open last term.
With the Ryder Cup bit between his teeth, Rose can outrun the 100/1 quotes, although he might still be left chasing a European team-mate in McIlroy.
GENESIS INVITATIONAL SELECTIONS
Rory McIlroy, 8/1 (Unibet);
Tony Finau, e/w, 33/1 (William Hill);
Russell Henley, e/w, 45/1 (Paddy Power);
Justin Rose, e/w, 100/1 (William Hill); top 20 finish, 100/30 (BetVictor)
