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Rory McIlroy reacts during a practice round prior to The Open Championship.
Move over, Scottie Scheffler. You’ve got competition at sportsbooks after the first round of the 2026 Genesis Invitational, and his name is Rory McIlroy.
The world No. 1 golfer was the far-and-away betting favorite ahead of the big PGA Tour event at Riviera Country Club. McIlroy, the world No. 2, was second on the odds list but a long shot to win.
Then, the Irishman battled inclement weather to end Thursday tied for second place with American competitor Jacob Bridgeman at five under par. (Aaron Rai of England finished just one stroke ahead in the delayed round, but more on that later.) There are still three rounds to play, but oddsmakers have already significantly shortened McIlroy’s odds.
Just how good was Rory McIlroy’s first round at the Genesis Invitational, and what are his odds of winning now?
Rory McIlroy’s First Round Results
The Genesis Invitational hasn’t been one of Rory McIlroy’s best events. In his last five starts at the early-season PGA Tour event, his best finish was T10 in 2022. In 2025, he hit a 74 in Round 3 and ended the weekend T17 at three under par.
On Thursday, McIlroy had his best run on the front nine in his last 10 Genesis Invitational starts. He shot a 66 on the day, birdie-ing six holes and finishing with just one bogey on 16.
Genesis Invitational Round 1 Challenges
But it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Rory McIlroy in Round 1.
In fact, there was no sunshine in sight as the Genesis Invitational first round was delayed for three hours because of rain and wind. Pros initially played through heavy rain for about an hour before play was suspended.
“It was just too much water on the greens. We’re losing greens left and right,” Orlando Pope, senior director of TV Rules and Video Analyst with the PGA TOUR, said via the Tour’s website.
The first round didn’t resume until 4 p.m. ET, past when some players would have concluded for the day. McIlroy was able to finish his round before sundown, while Rai was playing well past 9 p.m. ET when he pulled ahead on the leaderboard.
The end of the round was postponed after the sun set, with some golfers as far back as the 11th hole. Play will resume at 7 a.m. PT on Friday ahead of Round 2.
Rory McIlroy’s Updated Odds to Win
On Monday, Rory McIlroy was listed at +1475 odds at DraftKings to win the Genesis. It was a far cry from Scheffler at +300. By Thursday night, however, McIlroy was the new favorite at +390 odds to win it all and a staggering -370 odds to finish in the top 10.
Sin Woo Kim, who has to resume Round 1 on Friday, is listed below McIlroy at +890 odds to win the Genesis Invitational. Bridgeman ended Thursday listed at +1250 odds to win, even though he was tied with McIlroy at the end of Round 1. Rai was a +3500 long shot in the updated odds despite pulling ahead on the leaderboard, although he was also listed at +180 to finish in the top 10.
And what about Scheffler? The world’s top-ranked golfer had a rough start to the tournament, finishing T71 at five over par. Nevertheless, DK listed him at +930 odds to win, and -120 odds to finish in the top 10 at the Genesis Invitational.
Chelena Goldman Chelena is a San Francisco-based sports writer and reporter covering multiple sports for heavy.com. The former NHL.com and NBC Sports writer spent 11 years covering the San Jose Sharks, while also covering sporting events locally and internationally. Her other major credits include CBS Sports and Athlon. More about Chelena Goldman
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