Genesis Invitational FRL Tips 2022

• Riviera Starts: 18
• Riviera FRL Best:  2^nd (2007); 6^th (2018)
• Last 10 Event FRL Form: 13/63/4/56/3/24/26/5/1/56
• Tee Time: 7.57AM

Heading my team this week for First Round Leader is Kevin Na. Last year’s Sony Open winner also tied for the best 72-hole score in the season-ending Tour Championship before winning the QBE shootout alongside Jason Kokrak in December to cap a fine year.

The 38 year-old knows that some modern courses simply don’t suit his game, so he tends to target weeks like this where tracks that play on the shorter side give him far more of a chance. Overall finishes of 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th here over the years highlights this nicely and he’s ranked inside the top-8 after day 1 on 3 occasions to give us hope that he can get off to a fast start this week.

61 to open his account at the Sony Open a month ago was enough for the lead after 18 holes and he’s finished inside the top-5 after day one a further 3 times from his last 8 starts globally in regular tournament golf. Firm golf courses suit and he’s quite capable of performing on Poa Annua greens as field rankings of 3^rd and 6^th for SG Putting at the 2020 Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Mexico Championship demonstrate in relatively recent times. RESULT: T77

• Riviera Starts: 10
• Riviera FRL Best: 4^th (2021); 6^th (2018)
• Last 10 Event FRL Form: 107/34/63/6/31/78/18/29/9/13
• Tee Time: 7:46AM

Kevin Na’s QBE Shootout partner Jason Kokrak is another player who ticks a lot of boxes this week and who, like Na, enjoyed a stellar 2021.

Wins at the Charles Schwab Challenge and Houston Open before his pairs success catapulted the 34 year-old to a career-high 20^th in the OWGR at the end of the year with the promise of more to come now that his putting has caught up with his long game.

That new-found prowess with the flat stick was evident here 12 months ago when Jason topped the SG Putting charts on the week, only to be held back by his long game; he’s proven himself in that respect here in the past though when finishing 2^nd overall in 2016, ranking 4^th for SG Off the Tee, 2^nd for SG Approach and 1^st for SG Tee to Green into the bargain.

Jason has sat in the top 8 after day 1 here at Riviera on 3 of his last 5 starts and led to halfway in 2016 courtesy of a personal best round of 64 on this course. 2^nd to halfway last year was let down by his weekend long game performance, however for this bet all we need is for him to get hot with the putter over the first 18 holes and that’s quite possible for a player in confident mood overall. RESULT: T6

• Riviera Starts: 15
• Riviera FRL Best: 1^st (2013, 2020)
• Last 10 Event FRL Form: 112/20/108/41/17/36/34/9/88/18
• Tee Time: 11:48AM

Finally I’ll close with a more speculative punt on Matt Kuchar rekindling some of the old magic here at Riviera from a slightly later tee time.

Twice from 15 starts the 43 year-old has finished top of the pile here on Thursday evening, including as recently as 2020 when he came closest yet to lifting the trophy, eventually finishing in a tie for 2^nd behind Adam Scott having led for the first 3 days.

That effort is as close as the American has come to adding a 10^th regular PGA Tour trophy to his cabinet since his Sony Open success the year before, however 7^th at the Sony Open last month reminded us that he’s still capable on the right course, and an opening round of 64 that week was encouraging.

68 to open last week in Phoenix was also positive before a Friday let-down, however he’s entitled to a little more respect in this market given his ability on firm tracks as well as Poa Annua greens over the years, especially when you consider his record here at Riviera specifically. RESULT: T22