With Hollywood returning as the backdrop for The Genesis Invitational at The Riviera Country Club in 2026, it is fitting that “The Usual Suspects," Scottie Scheffler (+340) and Rory McIlroy (+1100), are the top golfers in a lead role at FanDuel Sportsbook.

The second consecutive Signature Event features Scheffler, the world No. 1, at the top of the 72-man field. The winner at his season-opener at The American Express, his 20th victory on TOUR, Scheffler is in search of the next trophy at the par-71 course (7,383 yards), where he has never won in six tries. With his odds (finally) drifting above +300, investors hope he can crack the code on Thursdays over the last two weeks. At the WM Phoenix Open, he fired 73 (2 over) to sit T89 after Round 1 before closing 65-67-64 for T3. At the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, it was more of the same. He opened with 72 (even) on Pebble Beach Golf Links in benign conditions and spotted the leader 10 shots before he rallied to post 66-67-63 over the final 54 holes to share fourth. For those of you scoring at home, that is eight consecutive top-five finishes and 18 consecutive top-10 results. Imagine if he opens with a round in the 60s.

McIlroy (+1100), who made his first TOUR start in 2026 on the Monterey Peninsula, was cooking before a pair of double bogeys – on par-3 holes no less – slowed his first-round momentum at Spyglass Hill (68). Two more double bogeys on Saturday at Pebble Beach stunted any realistic chance of him pressuring the top of the leaderboard. Yet on Sunday, his round of 64, which pushed him to T14, was bested only by Scheffler’s 63. Like Scheffler, McIlroy, whose best payday is a share of fourth place, has not found the winner’s circle in Pacific Palisades in eight attempts.

The Southern California contingent shines on the Poa annua of “The Riv.” San Diegan Xander Schauffele (+2000), currently No. 10 in the OWGR, is the third choice at FanDuel. Making his eighth start on the George C. Thomas Jr. classic, which will host the 2028 Olympics, Schauffele has played the weekend in all seven previous attempts. His affinity for the layout is evident in posting 25 of 28 rounds even-par or better and six of seven paydays inside the top 25, including T4, his career-best output, in 2024, the previous time Riviera hosted the event. He ranked third in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee at a demanding Pebble Beach/Spyglass Hill combo. If he matches that performance this week, he should be on the first page of the leaderboard on Sunday afternoon.

The 2025 event, won by Ludvig Åberg (+4000), was contested at Torrey Pines South in La Jolla. Hideki Matsuyama (+2200) is the defending champion at Riviera after his three-shot victory in 2024. Closing with 62, the lowest round ever for a champion, the Japanese star picked up his fifth T11 or better payday in 10 starts off Sunset Boulevard. Off to his usual busy start on the West Coast, Matsuyama earned T13 at the Sony Open in Hawaii, T11 at the Farmers Insurance Open, lost a playoff to Chris Gotterup (+3000) at the WM Phoenix Open, and squared only five bogeys last week to earn T8 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. In 16 rounds this season, 15 produced scores of 70 or better, even with multiple putters in the rotation.

Tommy Fleetwood (+2500) did not waste any time reminding potential investors that his momentum from the 2025 PGA TOUR season is still alive and well. Circling 24 birdies against only four bogeys for a share of fourth place, the cool, breezy coastal air of the Monterey Peninsula felt like a home game for the Englishman. Making his fifth start at The Riviera Country Club, he improved each previous visit, including sharing 10th place in 2024. Possessing a full bag of shots and plenty of ability to grind out pars, he should factor again this week.

Patrick Cantlay (+2700) followed Scheffler (63) and McIlroy (64) with a bogey-free 65 on Sunday at Pebble Beach to earn T14. The Long Beach, California, native needed only 100 putts on 59 greens in regulation at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, third best for the week. He also hit all 18 greens in regulation on Sunday. In search of his first victory since the 2022 BMW Championship, he returns to a track where he played the weekend in his previous seven visits, including T4 in 2024 and solo third in 2023. The Californian was the 54-hole leader by two in 2024 before Matsuyama blitzed the field on Sunday. Cantlay should take inspiration from Collin Morikawa (+3000), another Southern Californian, and his victory last week, his seventh on TOUR, which ended a drought of 847 days.

Cameron Young (+2700) burst on the scene at The Genesis Invitational on his debut in 2022. Opening with 69, he missed out on equaling the course record by a shot in his second-round 62. Sharing second on 17 under, his best payday as a professional at the time, his power and ability to putt the massive 7,500 square feet (on average) Poa annua greens earned him three top-20 paychecks in three visits. His putter, which lost strokes to the field in three of the four rounds at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, will need to snap back into shape immediately if he is going to contend. The winner for the first time on the PGA TOUR at the Wyndham Championship in August 2025, Young is searching for his first top-20 result in his fourth event of 2026.

Usually posting 15 under and squaring five bogeys is a great week at Pebble Beach. Russell Henley (+2700) only earned T19 money for his trouble but picked up his third consecutive check inside the top 20 this season. The five-time veteran winner, now 36, makes his 10th start and would be the eighth winner in the last 11 events to have made six or more starts before winning the title for the first time. Matsuyama won in his 10th try in 2024. He won a Signature Event at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March of 2025.

Past champions at Riviera entered (not listed above):

• 2021: Max Homa (+7500)
• 2020: Adam Scott (+4000)

Here's a look at the odds for other notable players, with odds via FanDuel:

• +3000: Sam Burns, Collin Morikawa, Chris Gotterup
• +3300: Si Woo Kim, Viktor Hovland, Rickie Fowler, Ben Griffin
• +3500: Robert MacIntyre, Matt Fitzpatrick
• +4000: Justin Rose, Ludvig Åberg, Maverick McNealy, Jake Knapp, Harris English, Min Woo Lee
• +4500: Jordan Spieth, Akshay Bhatia, Sepp Straka, Keegan Bradley
• +5500: Jason Day
• +7000: Pierceson Coody, Kurt Kitayama, J.J. Spaun, Harry Hall, Nick Taylor
• +7500: Taylor Pendrith, Jacob Bridgeman, Ryan Gerard, Shane Lowry
• +8000: Alex Noren, J.T. Poston

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