BeatinTheBookie: Genesis Invitational Preview - Can anyone stop Dustin Johnson?
FedEx Cup Champion Dustin Johnson leads a stacked field at the Genesis Invitational this week, featuring eight of the world's top 10, in by far the most loaded event this early into the PGA season. Winning is nothing new for DJ, who is coming off an impressive victory in Saudi Arabia as well as four PGA victories since the COVID restart, including a major win at the Masters.
Johnson (+550 at FanDuel Sportsbook) has played the most dominant golf the PGA has seen since Tiger Woods in his heyday, and his odds reflect that. Factor in that he won this event in 2017 (when he wasn't playing at near the level he is now) and that he has six top ten finishes here in his last seven starts, and you've got a recipe that calls for DJ to hoist that trophy on Championship Sunday. Could DJ lose this one? Sure, so let's take a look at a few guys who could knock him off his perch.
Jon Rahm (+1200) - Rahm is coming off his best season in 2020, with two wins post-COVID, that at times, saw him dominate similar to DJ. If he keeps his anger in check and doesn't let his emotions get to him, Rahm could prevail.
Brooks Koepka (+2400) - Koepka, fresh off a victory at the Waste Management Open in Phoenix, is playing healthy golf for the first time in years, and when he's healthy, he is among the best in the world. A little disclaimer here, Brooks is my favorite golfer... :)
Justin Thomas (+1300) - JT, who finished runner-up here in 2019, is always in the hunt since the COVID restart and has not missed a cut in America this season. Thomas lost his grandfather during the Waste Management Invitational, and he could use that as motivation to get his first win of the season.
Bubba Watson (+4300) - Now would I normally play Bubba? Absolutely not, but this is an event that he's won three times (2014, 2016, 2018), so naturally those odds are too high to pass up on, similar to Phil Mickelson last week at the AT&T Pro-Am, a value bet. Last weekend it wasn't too much of a value though, as Phil missed the cut which included shooting an 80 in the second round. Can Bubba make amends this weekend for us? We shall see.
We nearly came through last week with Spieth and Day, as Spieth held a two-stroke lead through three rounds before faltering down the stretch. Hopefully this week Dustin, Jon, Brooks, JT or Bubba can get us atop the podium for a well-deserved victory.
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