The PGA playbook continues its torrid run to start the 2022 calendar year.  We had seven players from the playbook finish inside the Top 10 including both of the players who battled it out in the playoff.  Congrats to Scottie Scheffler on his first PGA Tour victory and in thrilling fashion coming from behind on the back nine.  It was only a matter of time before this kid broke through and took home some hardware.  I have a feeling that this will open the floodgates for him.  The 16th hole did not disappoint once again as we saw not one but two holes in one and a couple of jokesters on the PGA Tour stripping on the green.  We can only hope to keep this good run going into this weekend.    

The Genesis Invitational has been known by other title sponsors but there's only one word you need to know this weekend, Riviera. The tournament is played at the prestigious Riviera Golf and Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California. The course is a par 71 and it measures out 7,322 yards with poa annua greens.  The winning scores at Riviera have ranged from 7 under par to 19 under par and it all comes down to the final two Par 5’s.

The big bombers have an advantage because they can reach both of those par 5’s in two and go low.  This does not mean that the shorter course managers can’t have success on this track either. The fairways are very narrow which makes it harder on the bombers to keep it in the short grass.  That's where the more accurate players can take advantage.  One of the most important stats this weekend will be rough proximity. This number tells you how good the player is at getting themselves from the rough on the green close to the hole.  When you look at course comparisons, Augusta National comes up a lot. The biggest similarity is that both courses favor the left handed player.  Only Bubba Watson, Phil Mickelson and Mike Wier have won both the Masters and at Riviera, and what do those players have in common? They're lefties!  There is a direct correlation between success at the Masters and at this tournament.  The greens are also on the smaller side compared to other PGA Tour tracks.

This is an Invitational which has given this event a truly stacked field which could rival even the Masters.  You've got world #1 Jon Rahm, #2 Collin Morikawa, #3 Patrick Cantlay, #4 Viktor Hovland, #5 Rory McIlory, #6 Dustin Johnson, #7 Xander Schauffele, #8 Justin Thomas, #9 Scottie Scheffler, and #10 Hideki Matsuyama all in the field this week.  Only Bryson DeChambeau and Louis Oosthuizen from the Top 15 are missing from the field.  When you've got such a terrific field, it makes narrowing down your personal pool of players to use even more difficult.  If you are mass entering, go ahead and try to mix up those Top 10 players as best you can but if you are not that type of player, you have to stand your ground on a few select golfers.  I tried to avoid the chalky plays as much as possible with a few exceptions.  I do love the 7K range this week, lots of value to help you make a nice balanced lineup across the board.  I'm just glad to be focusing on one course once again as you’ve seen the playbook’s success.

The weather should be a non-factor this weekend as the forecast calls for sunny skies and temperatures in the high 60s.  There is no signs of rain at all but the winds could get into the low teens. 

GOOD LUCK!

ONE & DONE PLAY OF THE WEEK: Thomas Pieters

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