Genesis Invitational Returns to Riviera: Harris English Eyes California Gold

The 2026 Genesis Invitational is back where it belongs—at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades. After last year’s forced relocation to Torrey Pines due to the Los Angeles wildfires, there’s something deeply satisfying about this tournament returning to its spiritual home. And frankly, after 35 years covering professional golf, I’m relieved. Some traditions matter.

With a $20 million purse on the line and the field teeing off Thursday morning, the usual suspects are already being bandied about as favorites. Scottie Scheffler’s name tops every prediction list, as it does most weeks these days. The man is playing a different sport than the rest of us mortals. But here’s what interests me more: the contrarian picks that could actually deliver value this weekend.

A Course That Rewards Precision

Riviera is the kind of golf course that separates the thoughtful players from the bombers. It’s not the longest track on tour—never has been. But it demands accuracy, course management, and the kind of iron play that’s increasingly rare in modern professional golf. You can’t muscle your way around here. You have to think.

That’s precisely why I’m intrigued by Patrick McDonald’s analysis pointing to Harris English as a serious contender:

"Not too many players are driving the ball more efficiently than English at the moment. A winner in California last season at Torrey Pines, English should have a chance to raise another trophy in the Golden State at a golf course where he has racked up finishes of solo seventh and T12 in his last two trips."

English at 45-1 odds is the kind of number that gets my attention. The man’s form is genuinely good—four starts this season, four top-30 finishes. Yes, he hasn’t cracked the top 20 yet, but that’s more about circumstances than talent. English’s ball-striking remains elite. His mid-iron play is crisp. And Riviera rewards exactly that skill set.

In my experience caddying for Tom Lehman in the ’90s, I learned that some players simply suit certain courses. It’s not always about who’s ranked highest that week. English and Riviera fit like a glove—he’s proven it before, and the numbers suggest this could be the week everything clicks into place.

The Field Beyond Scheffler

Here’s what strikes me about this event: it’s refreshingly deep. This isn’t a 12-man race where everyone else is playing for third place. The $20 million purse has attracted genuine quality throughout the field, and that makes for compelling television and unpredictable outcomes.

Round 1 Coverage:
4 p.m. on Golf Channel

The tournament structure means we’ll likely see several players make a legitimate run through 72 holes. That’s the beauty of Riviera—it’s demanding enough that consistency matters, but not so punishing that a hot putter or a few good breaks can’t catapult you into contention quickly.

California Golf and the Road Ahead

What I appreciate about this return to normalcy is what it signals about professional golf’s resilience. Last year’s wildfire evacuation was challenging—Torrey Pines is a fine golf course, but it wasn’t the right solution for this event, even given the circumstances. The Genesis Invitational belongs at Riviera. It’s part of the tour’s fabric.

From a broader tour perspective, we’re entering an interesting stretch of the season. The competitive landscape feels genuinely open beyond Scheffler’s inevitable run at majors. That creates opportunity for specialists—players like English who excel at specific course types and know how to navigate them.

The Case for Optimism

In my three-and-a-half decades following this game, I’ve seen how much the tour’s health depends on unpredictability mixed with world-class competition. This week delivers both. Yes, Scheffler will likely be in the mix. But there’s room for a 45-1 shot to make headlines, for mid-tier talents to prove something, for a moment of genuine drama to unfold on the Riviera greens.

That’s what gets me out of bed on Thursday mornings, even after all these years.

Harris English represents exactly that possibility—a talented player with genuine course form who arrives at the right place at the right time. Will he win? Probably not. But at those odds, he represents the kind of value that separates casual observers from serious players.

The Genesis Invitational kicks off today. Riviera is ready. The field is strong. And somewhere in that field, there’s a narrative waiting to be written.