Golfbet recap: Hideki Matsuyama rallies past Patrick Cantlay to take The Genesis Invitational

It's pretty tough to beat a Sunday 62.

That's exactly what the final round produced for Hideki Matsuyama, who entered the last day of The Genesis Invitational, six shots off the lead and +12500 to win the tournament outright. Matsuyama began the day with three straight birdies, began the back nine with three more, and closed with another trio of birdies on Nos. 15-17 to claim his ninth career PGA TOUR victory.

Matsuyama finished at 17-under for the tournament and was one shot shy of tying a course record with his round of 62 on Sunday. With the win, he becomes the 17th player in history to have won at The Riviera Country Club and Augusta National.

It looked like the 98th edition of The Genesis Invitational might be a runaway when Patrick Cantlay got out to a five-shot lead at the halfway point after opening with rounds of 64 and 65. By that point, Matsuyama was eight shots back and trading north of his +6000 opening price at BetMGM.

Hideki Matsuyama odds to win WM Phoenix Open (via BetMGM Sportsbook):

• Pre-tournament: +6000
• Entering Round 2 (trailing by five): +8000
• Entering Round 3 (trailing by eight): +6600
• Entering final round (trailing by six): +12500

When Sunday's final pairing of Cantlay and Xander Schauffele reached the 12th tee, there were five players tied for the lead at 14 under and the golf tournament was on — but it was Matsuyama who separated himself with two incredible birdies at holes 15 and 16, hitting his approach shots to mere inches from the cup and nearly making eagle on each of the consecutive holes.

Will Zalatoris was the biggest threat to Matsuyama down the stretch, trailing by only one shot through 14 holes. But Zalatoris made a bogey on No. 15, while Matsuyama was ahead doing his magic on Nos. 16-17. Zalatoris finished tied for second and it appears the young star is back, fully healthy after his back surgery last spring.

Cantlay allowed the leaderboard to tighten when he came back down to earth on Saturday and shot a 1-under round of 70. Amazingly, to begin the final round, both Cantlay and Schauffele parred the very easy opening hole at Riviera, one of the easiest holes on TOUR. Cantlay finished with his worst round of the week, a 1-over 72, hitting only four of 14 fairways in the process. Schauffele fired a 70 on Sunday and finished tied for fourth place, along with his friend, Cantlay at 13-under.

Pre-tournament outright picks from Golfbet Experts:

• Ben Everill: Adam Scott (+3300) T19
• Will Gray: Patrick Cantlay (+2000) T4
• Chris Breece: Collin Morikawa (+1800) T19
• Matt DelVecchio: Scottie Scheffler (+650) T10
• Rob Bolton: Max Homa (+1600) T16
• Mike Glasscott: Max Homa (+1600) T16

During his sizzling final round, Matsuyama ranked No. 1 in this field for Strokes Gained: Around the Green and in Scrambling. He ranked second for SG: Approach and in Greens in Regulation, and he was sixth in the field for SG: Putting. He had 23 putts in all on Sunday, which was tied for the lowest of the day. This is the first victory on TOUR for Matsuyama since winning the Sony Open in 2022.

We mentioned that Matsuyama has become yet another player who has won at both Augusta National and Riviera. The connection of success between the two courses is remarkable — but how about this? When Matsuyama won the Masters in 2021, the runner-up was Zalatoris, and right behind him in third place was Schauffele. That is something.

Many of the stars we saw at this Signature Event this week will be taking next week off and getting ready for the Florida Swing. But defending champ Tony Finau, who finished T19 at Riviera, will headline an international field at the Mexico Open at Vidanta that begins Thursday. As for The Genesis host Tiger Woods, who withdrew during the second round at Riviera, we wish him a speedy recovery from the flu bug he battled on Friday. His playing schedule remains a question mark.

Rob Bolton Sleeper Picks and Golfbet Insider results:

• Adam Svensson to win (+15000) T10
• Will Zalatoris Top 5 (+650) T2
• Hideki Matsuyama Top 10 (+400) WIN
• Matt Kuchar Top 20 (+350) MC
• Nick Dunlap Top 30 (+225) MC
• Nick Taylor Top 30 (+100) T39
• Jordan Spieth Top 20 (-135) DQ
• Emiliano Grillo Top 20 (+200) T44
• Tom Hoge Top 20 (+220) 8th
• Luke List Top 30 (+110) T2
• Hideki Matsuyama Top Asian (+450) WIN
• Taylor Moore Top 30 (+125) T31
• Tiger Woods Top 30 (+130) WD

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