7 Perks Of Winning The Genesis Invitational

The Genesis Invitational is one of the most high-profile tournaments on the PGA Tour calendar and features 71 of the world's best eligible players at one of the most iconic courses on US soil.

Home to the Genesis since 1973, Riviera Country Club will forever be known as the place at which Jack Nicklaus made his professional debut and the home of Tiger Woods’ first PGA Tour tournament.

The upcoming event - set to host its 98th edition - also has a storied history of past champions, with 25 previous winners going on to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. But what exactly do you get for winning it? Let's take a look...

A PGA Tour Title

Let's start with the most obvious - a place in the PGA Tour record books. Historically the most prestigious circuit in the world of men's professional golf, any win on the PGA Tour will remain on your CV for life and is quite the accolade for any player in the game.

But winning the Genesis shows you are capable of beating some of the best players on the planet, too, as the event features the majority of the top-70. Plus, you win a replica trophy as a physical reminder of that fact.

Three-Year PGA Tour Exemption

Former winners of the Genesis fall into PGA Tour exemption category 6a and lock up their playing rights on the US-based circuit for the next three years, allowing them to relax somewhat and know their immediate future is secure.

Adam Scott and Max Homa are among the most recent champions of the event and are therefore placed into the aforementioned exemption category as things stand. Scott won the same event in 2005, but as the tournament was shortened due to heavy rain, it was marked down as an unofficial PGA Tour win.

Huge winner's check

The winner of the Genesis Invitational will receive a fifth of the total $20 million prize pool on offer - that's a very respectable $4 million. Up from the typical $3.6 million (18% of the total prize pool), the PGA Tour winner's check this week matches that of most LIV Golf events.

The $20m on offer is also more than double the prize money available at last week's WM Phoenix Open, which saw winner Nick Taylor bank $1.584m of the $8.8m purse.

Notable pile of FedEx Cup points

One of the PGA Tour's eight Signature Events in 2024, the Genesis benefits from an increase in a number of categories - including FedEx Cup points - for those lucky men involved.

Usually, there are 500 FedEx Cup points for the winner, but on this occasion, the top dog will land 700 and significantly boost their chances of succeeding Viktor Hovland as the next FedEx Cup champion.

Significant chunk of OWGR points

Victory at a regular PGA Tour tournament would normally garner the winner a little over 58 OWGR points, whereas the winner of the Genesis is in line to earn 68.5 points. 

The marginal bump in OWGR points is of particular interest to the likes of Rory McIlroy this week, as a win (and only a win) would see him return to World No.1 ahead of Scottie Scheffler. 

In a similar vein, if tournament host Tiger Woods stands on top of the leaderboard come Sunday, he will move back into the top-60.

Tee Time At The Masters

All tournaments on the PGA Tour that carry a full FedEx Cup points allocation also promise a Masters entry to their winners. Not only can Genesis Invitational winners tick off a bucket-list activity in the coming weeks, should they not already be exempt via other means, but they will be eligible for a PGA Championship start as well. Two Majors for the price of one win!

Logistically speaking, while a success in California would not automatically lock up a spot at the Open Championship and the US Open, it would catapult the winner into the world's top-50 and make qualifying via that method a far easier prospect.

An achievement Tiger Woods does not have

We all know Tiger Woods has 15 Major championships and 82 PGA Tour titles, as well as a host of other trophies and accolades, to his name. But do you know what he doesn't have? A win around Riviera. 

The host of the southern California tournament would dearly love to present himself with the trophy on Sunday evening, but should he not manage it, any new winner will have the added bonus of knowing they have done something one of the greatest golfers ever to have lived is yet to do. Emphasis on the 'yet.'