Despite having one of the strongest fields of any tournament on the PGA Tour, the Genesis Open in Los Angeles this weekend has attention of sportsbooks on Tiger Woods, who is a 33/1 pick to win. A host of prop bets are also available surrounding his highly anticipated return.
The famed Riviera Country Club in the Pacific Palisades is where a 16-year-old Woods made his PGA Tour debut, getting a sponsor’s exemption at the event then called the Los Angeles Open. The future superstar missed the cut, but made an impression even then.
Riviera is a course that he hasn’t played at since 2006, when he was forced to withdraw after the second round with the flu. His foundation now hosts the event and Woods wrote a blog post about his return after his fourth back surgery.
“I can’t tell you how excited I am to be able to host and play in the 2018 Genesis Open at Riviera,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, last year my back was in bad shape and I was unable to participate. What a difference a year makes.”
Prop Bets Focus on Performance
BetDSI has offered some interesting proposition wagers on Woods’ return to the golf course that was just 40 miles from his childhood home. The usual bets are here, such as will he make the cut (yes -140, no +110), and how many fairways he will hit in his first round. The over/under is 4.5 and both are set at -110.
Both of those props could be profitable to bettors. Woods has been fighting his driver and his 30.36 percent driving accuracy percentage is alarmingly below the tour average of 59.84. Riviera is known as a tight driving layout and with 14 possible fairways, missing nine of them is a real possibility.
So is missing the cut. When he withdrew in 2006 he was right on the cut line after shooting a second-round 74.
When he played two weeks ago at the Farmers Insurance Open he was again on the cutline. That was on a course that he has had huge success on, winning at Torrey Pines eight times, including the 2008 US Open.
Woods has never won in nine attempts at Riviera, though. The closest he came was a tie for second in 1999. It is a course that has mystified him and it is a major hole in his golf resume.
Exotic Wagers for Golf Gamblers
One of the most unusual prop bets is how much Woods will be on television. CBS has the rights to the Genesis Open and has never been shy about showing the golfer despite how he is going.
The first bet is will he receive more broadcast time than the winner during the final round? He obviously has to make the cut for the bet to be valid but the yes is at -150 and the no is at +120.
The other TV-related bet is who will get more broadcast time during the tournament. Woods or the field and both are at -150.
