Yet again, it was another close call for the Bazza’s Best Bets team as Tommy Fleetwood finished T4th behind Collin Morikawa at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last week.

PGA Tour Signature Event of the season.

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Riviera hosts once more after the California wild fires saw the tournament moved in 2025, and we believe we’ve whittled down our initial picks to a small group of worthy contenders to celebrate the event’s return.

Let us know in the comments who you’re backing this week. In the meantime, find out who the team have selected to win the Genesis Invitational in 2026 and why it’s not World No.1, Scottie Scheffler…

Golf Monthly Instruction Lead

For any first time readers of my betting tips, I’m Baz. I have years of experience writing golf betting content across the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour and LIV Golf – plus all the men’s and women’s Majors. I have successfully picked three of the last five men’s Major winners, utilising a heavily-researched and data-driven formula which centres around a clear mantra… follow the trends! You can find my best bets in my weekly column, ‘Bazza’s Best Bets’ via the Golf Monthly betting hub.

Tommy Fleetwood smiles at the Dubai Invitational

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Top Tip: Tommy Fleetwood To Win @ BetMGM

Fleetwood stormed back into PGA Tour action with his 2026 season debut returning a T4th finish at Pebble Beach. The reigning tour champ was excellent from tee to green, ranking 2nd in the field, and his short game was particularly sharp across the four rounds.

Those reasons are enough to convince me that he has a great chance at Riviera, but when you add into the mix that he has a T20th and a T10th finish in his last two starts at the venue it adds weight to his claim.

Fleetwood also has form on many of the correlating courses, including PGA National, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him add a second PGA Tour win and set himself up for a charge at the Majors this season.

Next Best: Min Woo Lee To Win @ BetMGM

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Min Woo Lee made a strong challenge at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am last week, hanging around for the potential of a playoff only to see Morikawa close out the victory with a birdie on 18.

He seems to be trending in the right direction, however, having banked a T38th, T28th and runner-up finish in his last three events.

While he has only played this event once, and missed the cut, he has the skillset to succeed here. Min Woo possesses a great short game, helping him to scramble around the small well-guarded greens at Riviera, and his putter can get very hot as evidenced by ranking 2nd for SG: Putting at Pebble Beach.

A runner-up finish at PGA National was the final tick in the box that convinced me to add his name to my card this week, so let’s hope he can kick on from a solid show in the first signature event of 2026.

Min Woo Lee during the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Rory McIlroy To Win @ BetMGM

I quite like McIlroy’s chances of winning at another of golf’s ‘Cathedrals’ this week following his bogey-free 64 on Sunday at Pebble Beach.

The Northern Irishman has now shaken off the winter rust and sounded very happy with where his game is at after T14th finish which included three doubles and a triple, meaning he was nine-over for four of the 72 holes still only finished five back.

He says his iron play and short game have improved since his first starts of the year in Dubai so I am willing to stick my neck out and go for the second-favorite at Riviera.

Pick Two: Max Homa To Win @ BetMGM

You’ve got to like Max Homa around Riviera, right? His last five results at his hometown venue read T16th-2nd-T10th-1st-T5th so I’m hoping he can put some low scores together this week. All it takes is a few early putts to go in to get some momentum rolling.

Homa’s golf isn’t great right now and he obviously isn’t the player he was two or three years ago, but he does have a top-10 in his last four starts and has had a week off to work on his game following a T66th in Phoenix.

Xander Schauffele To Win @ BetMGM

Despite missing his first cut in 72 starts at the Farmers Insurance Open, it appears that Schauffele is starting to find his form again, highlighted by a T19th at last week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Although he finished with a two-under 70 on Sunday, he could have easily cracked the top 10, something he did at this week’s event when it was last held at Riviera, finishing T4th.

Schauffele has a very solid record around this layout and, with some of the big players already claiming victories in 2026, he’ll want to follow them promptly.

Pick Two: Shane Lowry To Win @ BetMGM

Personally, I think that Lowry’s start to the 2026 season has gone under the radar following victories for the big players, with Lowry claiming a T8th at Pebble Beach last week and a T3rd at the Dubai Invitational.

Coming into the week in decent form, the only slight downside is the lack of course form, with Lowry last teeing it up at The Genesis Invitational back in 2023, when he finished T14th.

To me, it’s surprising he hasn’t played this tournament much previously, given that Riviera suits his game very well. It’s not the longest course on the rota and tests every facet of the game.

If you look at Lowry’s stats for 2026, he is well above average in every department aside from around the green. We know that his short game is usually world class, so if he gets that working, I expect him to challenge at very good odds.

Tips by…Jonny Leighfield headshot at Autumn/Winter Test Day 2025Tips by…

Jonny Leighfield

News Writer

Tommy Fleetwood at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Pick One: Tommy Fleetwood To Win @ BetMGM

If you look at the list of winners of this event, it’s all about being a pure ball-striker from the fairway and being able to take advantage on the greens when given the chance (Aberg, Matsuyama etc).

Tommy Fleetwood has continued to refine his world-class approach game, gaining strokes in all but three of his past 21 starts, and his putting has taken off big time over the past six-nine months.

Add in the fact Fleetwood has improved his result in each of the four times he’s played this event as well as a really encouraging display in horrible weather conditions at Pebble Beach last week and I can see the Tour Championship winner giving Scheffler and co. something to really think about.

Pick Two: Hideki Matsuyama To Win @ BetMGM

For very much the same reasons as Fleetwood, I believe Matsuyama will have a great week at a course he obviously enjoys playing at. In 10 previous appearances at Riviera Country Club, Matsuyama has won and claimed four other top-11 results.

Matsuyama is also on a streak of nine top-20s in a row, which includes a win at the Hero World Challenge, and seems to be really enjoying being out there at the moment.

If he can keep it in play off the tee and remain solid on the greens, there is every chance the 2021 Masters champion could win this title again.