Tiger Woods’ decision to withdraw from the Genesis Invitational at his beloved Torrey Pines leaves the likes of Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy to take box office honours in San Diego.
Woods had intended to make his 2025 PGA Tour return on the lay-out where he won the 2008 US Open, but the recent death of his mother understandably prompted the great man to decide against teeing it up.
That means most of the attention shifts to world No.1 Scheffler, the 4/1 favourite, and recent Pebble Beach winner McIlroy, available at 7/1.
talkSPORT BET welcome offer – Get £20 in free bets*
Sungjae can use Torrey Pines as spur to success
It’s easier to make a case against Scheffler rather than for him at the Genesis Invitational, on a track where he has little course form.
Indeed, Scheffler has yet to win in California at all and last week, making just his second start of the year in Phoenix, there was enough looseness and a weak finish to want to overlook the American at short odds.
The case for McIlroy is more compelling having won at Pebble Beach and his form figures around the South Course at Torrey Pines – being used after the fires in LA prompted a late switch from Riviera – are another plus.
It’s hard to see the Northern Irishman not being close to the shake-up – it’s just the price (7/1) which underwhelms in a well-stacked and high-class field.
Torrey Pines is in use just three weeks after it hosted the Farmers Insurance Open where Sungjae Im finished fourth.
The Korean has enjoyed other top-10 finishes on the track, is playing well, says he likes playing there and looks like he can upstage odds of 35/1.
Maverick fits profile of tournament winner
It’s a really high-class field with no shortage of live contenders and Maverick McNealy continues to give the impression that a second Tour win is not far away.
Winner of the RSM Classic in Georgia – a triumph that followed on from a handful of top-10s during a fabulous year – he hit the ground running in 2025 with his T8 at The Sentry out in Hawaii.
After a couple of okay weeks at Torrey Pines and Pebble Beach where he failed to strike much of a blow, he clocked a T9 on Sunday at the Phoenix Open, the highlight being a third-round 63.
The Californian has played Torrey Pines many times and in his last three outings before this year came home between 30 and 37.
He’s a much better player now, however, and recent form makes him an overpriced contender at 50/1.
Finau can put flat-stick issues to bed
It needs a show of trust, but Tony Finau would always merit a second glance at around 40/1 because he’s an absolute world-class ball striker.
Finau is also long, another weapon on one of the longest courses they will play on the PGA Tour.
Finau rarely flourishes at low-scoring putting contests because that remains his Achilles heel, but with his accuracy and power he just needs to get the putter to behave rather than glow at Torrey Pines and he can finish high.
His figures around the course – six top-10s in 11 appearances – tell us he’s a hard man to disregard.
talkSPORT BET welcome offer – Get £20 in free bets*
*18+ New customers only. Opt in & bet £10+ via mobile on any sports at 2.00+ odds within 7 days. No Cash out. Get 4x £5 Free Bets on selected markets. Free bets expire in 7 days. Card payments & Apple Pay only. T&Cs apply, see below. GambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. T&Cs apply. Gambleaware.org
