Genesis Invitational 2026: A Wide-Open Field Sets Up for a Coronation—Or a Surprise
After 35 years covering professional golf—and having carried Tom Lehman’s bag through enough majors to know what real pressure looks like—I can tell you this much: the Genesis Invitational at Riviera always separates the pretenders from the contenders. And this year’s field is as wide open as I’ve seen it in a while.
Tiger Woods’ signature event has evolved into something truly special on the PGA Tour calendar. With a $20 million purse and an exclusive field of the game’s elite, it commands respect. But what strikes me most about this particular year isn’t who’s favored to win—it’s the narrative threads running through each contender. These aren’t just five guys looking for a trophy. They’re chasing different demons, different goals, different moments of redemption.
The Favorites: Five Men, Five Stories
Scottie Scheffler comes in as the obvious choice. The man’s been on an absolute heater:
“Scheffler has 19 straight finishes inside the top 8. His last eight events have seen him finish inside the top-4.”
That’s not a run of good form—that’s a stranglehold on consistency. But here’s what the casual viewer might miss: Scheffler has never won Riviera. His best showing is that T3 last season. In my experience, that kind of unfinished business eats at champions. They remember it. They circle back. The question isn’t whether Scheffler can win; it’s whether he’s hungry enough to finally close this particular door.
Ludvig Aberg presents an entirely different profile. The defending champion broke through here last year, and that victory changed something in his mindset for the entire season.
“Ludvig Aberg broke his two-year winless streak at Riviera Golf Club last season. In a tough battle against Maverick McNealy, he shot a 6-under 66 on Sunday to take home the 2025 Genesis Invitational title.”
I’ve seen this movie before—a player wins at a prestigious venue and suddenly believes he belongs there. Aberg’s subsequent finishes (Masters T7, top-10s in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, Ryder Cup success) suggest that confidence is warranted. The real question: can he repeat? Phil Mickelson did it in 2008-09, but that’s the only back-to-back we’ve seen at this event in recent memory. The pressure of defending on the same course is a different beast entirely.
Tommy Fleetwood made his season debut with a T4 at Pebble Beach, and that’s the kind of statement entry I’ve learned to pay attention to. The Englishman ended 2025 with wins in the TOUR Championship and DP World India Championship, plus his contributions to Europe’s Ryder Cup victory.
“With the T4 at Pebble Beach, Fleetwood announced his return to action on the PGA Tour as well. Especially since he got a T5 at the venue in 2025.”
Fleetwood had a T5 here last year, which means he knows Riviera’s nuances. He’s hunting for his second PGA Tour title, and having caddied for a competitor during the late ’90s grind, I can tell you: hungry veterans in form are dangerous.
Rory McIlroy is the wildcard nobody’s quite sure about. His Riviera history is spotty—that T4 in 2019, but nothing better than T10 since 2022. His most recent Genesis Invitational (last season) netted only a T17 despite strong play elsewhere. McIlroy has the talent to win anywhere on any given Sunday, but Riviera’s specific demands—its tight lies, its demanding rough, its unforgiving greens—haven’t suited his eye recently. Still, the man shot an 8-under 64 on Championship Sunday at Pebble Beach. That’s elite stuff. If he finds something to click this week, he’s absolutely capable.
Akshay Bhatia rounds out the quintet as perhaps the hungriest player in the field. The 24-year-old has posted a T3 at Phoenix and a T6 at Pebble Beach but is searching for that first signature victory. Young players at this stage of their careers are either climbing or falling off the cliff—there’s rarely middle ground. Bhatia’s flashed genuine class in these early events. A win this week would announce his arrival to the rest of the tour in unmistakable terms.
What This Field Tells Us
What I find most encouraging about this group is the range of narrative possibilities. We could see Scheffler finally break through and add another layer to his already impressive resume. We could watch Aberg become only the second player since Mickelson to win consecutive Genesis Invitationals. We could see Fleetwood’s European pedigree shine on American soil. We could witness McIlroy solve the Riviera puzzle. Or we could see a hungry 24-year-old announce that the next generation has truly arrived.
That’s good golf. That’s the kind of tournament that reminds us why we cover this game after 35 years.
