The PGA TOUR is returning to The Riviera Country Club for this year’s edition of The Genesis Invitational. Last year’s event had to be moved to Torrey Pines due to wildfires in the Los Angeles area, but the contest will return for 2026, which also marks the 100th playing of the tournament. As a Signature Event, it has a limited, 72-player field but does include a cut, unlike last week at Pebble Beach. You’ll want to keep the cut in mind for your roster builds this week for what should be a great tournament. One popular format to consider is cash games or double-up contests on DraftKings. If that’s the format you choose to play this week, my top fantasy golf cash game picks are Hideki Matsuyama ($9,500), Adam Scott ($7,900) and Jason Day ($7,700).
Make sure to also check out my top-three pivot plays for tournament lineups at Riviera if you’re looking for some less popular, under-the-radar picks. Pivot plays for tournament lineups are usually more aggressive, while fantasy golf cash game picks are safer with higher floors and lower risk. The picks in this post generally have higher ownership than my pivot plays, but they are good selections for contests where the uniqueness of your lineup is less important. Think of cash game picks as lying back and playing a par 5 as it was designed, taking three shots before reaching the green, searching for a solid birdie. Tournament picks are like going driver off the deck to try to reach the green in two — more reward if it works, but much more risk as well.
These fantasy golf cash game picks are best used in “cash games,” which are contests that pay out to about the top half of entries. Typically, they are in the 50/50s & Double Ups or Head-to-Head sections of the DraftKings lobby.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR Single Entry $10 Double Up!
Hideki Matsuyama ($9,500)
Matsuyama won the Genesis Invitational in 2024, which was the last time the PGA TOUR played at The Riviera Country Club. He is a steady, reliable pin-hunter when he’s healthy, and his consistent excellence on approach makes him less prone to streakiness and slumps. His style of game is perfect for cash games, especially when he brings great current form to a place where he also has great course history.
In his career, Matsuyama has five top-11 finishes at this course but has also missed a few cuts. He closed on the Sunday of his 2024 victory with a sizzling 62, and he’ll look to duplicate that magic as he returns this year.
The 33-year-old has shown no signs of slowing down in 2026. He had a great fall in Asia and has carried that over with a T13 to open the year in Hawaii, a T11 at the Farmers Insurance Open, a loss in the playoff at the WM Phoenix Open, and a very strong rebound at Pebble Beach. He was extremely consistent with a 67-67-67-69 in his four rounds on his way to a T8 last week, and he will look to post another top finish this week as well.
Over the last 20 rounds, Matsuyama is second in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach and first in Strokes Gained: Around the Green. He also ranks in the top five in Total Strokes Gained and Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green.
He’s relatively affordable given his great form and strong course history, so he is a great way to build a balanced lineup for cash games. You can also use him with another star in the $9,000s if you’re going a little less balanced.
Adam Scott ($7,900)
Another veteran who has a great track record at this course is Adam Scott. Scott has slowed down a little from his prime, but the 45-year-old is still turning in solid enough finishes to be worth considering under $8,000 as part of cash lineups at Riviera.
In his career at this venue, Scott has made 15 of 16 cuts and turned in 11 top-25 finishes. He won in his debut way back in 2005 and finished runner-up in 2006. He won again in 2020 and finished T4 in 2022 and T19 just two years ago.
Scott is playing this week on a Sponsors Exemption, but he has looked pretty solid this season. He started his current run with a pair of top-10 finishes in Australia on the DP World Tour at the end of 2025. He finished seventh at the BMW Australian PGA Championship and fifth at the Crown Australian Open. He continued that in 2026 with a T40 in Hawaii, a T24 at The American Express, and a T30 at the Farmers Insurance Open.
He didn’t play last week at Pebble, so he should be well-rested and focused on this week. With his course knowledge and experience and some solid form, he should be a great cut-maker with potential upside if he can rekindle the magic once again at Riviera.
Jason Day ($7,700)
We’re going with another veteran to round out this week’s fantasy golf cash plays. Jason Day hasn’t ever won at Riviera, but he did finish in the top 10 in 2023 and 2024, the last two times The Riv hosted The Genesis Invitational. He has the upside to contend in any event in any field at his best, but he has also been steady in the early going of 2026.
Last week at Pebble Beach, Day finished T24, closing the week with three straight rounds of 68 (-4). He struggled a little bit with Strokes Gained: Approach, but his putter looked good, as he ranked sixth in the field in Strokes Gained: Putting. He’s been doing an especially good job of scrambling, posting only six bogeys total in each of the last two weeks.
Day showed his upside with a runner-up behind Scottie Scheffler at PGA WEST to open the year and finished T38 at Torrey Pines and T24 at Pebble Beach in his two starts since then. Over the last 16 rounds, Day ranks 11th in the field in Total Strokes Gained and in the top 20 in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green.
Some elements of his game look ready to roll, and if he can get his usually-reliable irons to cooperate, he could post another high finish. His experience at this course and solid West Coast swing so far give him both a high ceiling and a high floor from under $8,000 this week.
