Staying in the Golden State, the PGA Tour tees it up at the Farmers Insurance Open this week but will be doing so without Phil Mickelson for the first time in over two decades. Lefty called out on his hometown event since he isn’t a big fan of the Torrey Pines South Course layout following a renovation that massively increased the length. We will see Tiger Woods make his season debut and the field isn’t lacking star power with a number of high-profile players among the field.
We will see a multiple course format again this week with the first two rounds played over the North and South Course at Torrey Pines. A return to the standard cut after 36 holes is also in play. All eyes will be on Tiger, who came off as the third favorite on the board at BookMaker.eu with odds of +1356. Defending champion Jason Day is also at +1356 while Jon Rahm is the betting favorite at +753.
Odds to Win Farmers Insurance Open at BookMaker.eu
Jon Rahm +753
Rory McIlroy +1256
Tiger Woods +1356
Jason Day +1356
Justin Rose +1456
Xander Schauffele +1759
Tony Finau +1987
Marc Leishman +2038
Rickie Fowler +2521
Gary Woodland +2626
Patrick Cantlay +3029
Jordan Spieth +3539
Charles Howell III +3539
Cameron Champ +3794
Patrick Reed +4485
Alex Noren +4500
Abraham Ancer +4594
Cameron Smith +5000
Keegan Bradley +5050
Hideki Matsuyama +5500
Emiliano Grillo +5500
Brandt Snedeker +5555
Luke List +6174
J.B. Holmes +7850
Daniel Berger +8000
Sungjae Im +8000
Aaron Wise +8375
Billy Horschel +9000
Si Woo Kim +9000
Kyle Stanley +9500
Adam Scott +9800
Branden Grace +10000
C.T. Pan +10000
Beau Hossler +10000
Russell Knox +10500
J.J. Spaun +10500
Joaquin Niemann +11050
Ryan Palmer +11050
Kevin Tway +11050
Jimmy Walker +11500
Harris English +11500
Nick Watney +11700
Odds Analysis
Tiger Woods +1356
We haven’t seen a lot of Tiger recently and we probably won’t during the course of the season, so we better enjoy it while we can. One reason for his picking and choosing events is to keep in good health. He hasn’t been in action since the Hero World Challenge, which isn’t the most ideal preparation for this tournament. But Lefty showed us last week that some of the best don’t need an event or two to knock the rust off. And how about seven wins in 17 starts at this tournament and taming the South Course in the 2008 U.S. Open. Tiger will get plenty of attention this week, but there are better value picks out there.
Marc Leishman +2038
Unlike Tiger, Leishman has been playing and doing it very well. He won for the fourth time on the Tour at the CIMB Classic with a 26-under. He also had top 10s at the TOC and Sony Open, vaulting him into third place in the FedEx Cup standings and to No. 16 in the world ranking. He’s had success at Torrey Pines as well with a pair of runner-up finishes and four top-10s in 10 career starts. Leishman grabbed a T8 here last year with three sub-par rounds.
Jon Rahm +753
The Spaniard comes in on a run of good form and calls Torrey Pines one of his favorite courses. Winning here two years ago will do that. He was the betting favorite last week and grabbed a share of sixth at the Desert Classic. That just continued his recent hot streak that included a win at the Hero Challenge and a T8 at the TOC. Rahm has the distance off the tee and plays a solid long iron game that should help him on the South Course.
Xander Schauffele +1759
Schauffele is a native San Diegan and has played Torrey Pines a number of times, which makes his lack of success that more confusing. X-Man played collegiately at San Diego State and still calls the city home. However, he missed the cut in each of his last three starts. At least he’ll be a confident golfer heading into the event with wins at the WGC-HSBC Champions and Sentry TOC in his last three outings.
Courses: Torrey Pines North Course and Torrey Pines South Course
Making the cut in this event will require the field to play the behemoth South Course three times. First used in 1968, the South Course played just over 7,000 yards. The renovation came in 2001, stretching the layout to nearly 7,700 yards, making it one of the toughest tests for the field each season. The big hitters on the Tour typically do well here with the length. The fairways are forgiving and you should definitely target strong drivers and approach players. The North Course had some remodeling done in 2016, but it plays around 500 yards shorter and plays to lower scores. Still, golfers need to be dialed in. The North layout yielded 12 eagles last year. A high number considering it played just one round for each player.
TV Coverage: Golf Channel
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