The PGA Tour remains on the West Coast this week, as Torrey Pines in San Diego prepares to host the 2020 Farmers Insurance Open, which will take place here for the 52nd time. Tiger Woods returns to the field for the first time since THE ZOZO Championship, which he won to tie the record for wins on tour, now held by Woods and Sam Snead. Since then, Woods served as playing captain for the United States at the Presidents’ Cup, leading the Americans to victory, not just with words but with his play.
Other notables in the field include Gary Woodland, Xander Schauffele and Justin Rose, the defending champion. Both the North and South courses at Torrey Pines will be in use. Both courses will be used in the first two rounds; after the cut, the play will shift to the South Course, which is more difficult. The North course runs 7,258 yards and has bentgrass greens; the South course runs 7,698 yards and has Poa Annua greens. Both surfaces are fast but play somewhat differently.
The fairways will be hard to hit, but the rough is just average length. With the long South course, look for players who excel in driving distance and strokes gained: approach the green — and who can put on Poa Annua grass well. Check out our list of contenders (with golf odds at +10000 or better) as well as thoughts about your wager cards.
2020 Farmers Insurance Open Odds, Event Info & Pick
- When: Jan 23 – 26
- Where: Torrey Pines, La Jolla, CA
- TV: Golf Channel
- Live Stream: Golf.tv
- Radio: PGA Tour Radio
Contender Odds to Win the 2020 Farmers Insurance Open
- Rory McIlroy +600
- Jon Rahm +800
- Tiger Woods +1100
- Xander Schauffele +1600
- Justin Rose +1800
- Hideki Matsuyama, Rickie Fowler +2000
- Gary Woodland, Tony Finau +2500
- Sungjae Im +2800
- Collin Morikawa, Patrick Reed +3300
- Cameron Smith, Jason Day, Scottie Scheffler +4000
- Brandt Snedeker, Joaquin Niemann, Jordan Spieth,Marc Leishman, Ryan Palmer +5000
- Billy Horschel, Byeong Hun An, Francesco Molinari, Matthew Wolff +6600
- Emiliano Grillo, Jason Kokrak, Keegan Bradley,Lanto Griffin, Lucas Glover +8000
- Brendan Steele, Bubba Watson, Bud Cauley, Harris English,Phil Mickelson, Rory Sabbatini, Russell Knox, Sebastian Munoz +10000
The Favorites
Hideki Matsuyama has gained six strokes: tee to green in his last five tournaments. Since 2015, he is tenth in this field in strokes gained: total at this tournament over the last four years. He only ranks 32nd in this field in putting on Poa Annua over his last 12 rounds, but at Torrey Pines overall, he has been terrific with his putter, gaining almost nine strokes through putting in his last three tournaments on this course.
Cameron Smith is in the top five in this field in strokes gained through his short game, as well as his putting. He won the Sony Open two weeks ago in Hawaii, picking up his first Tour victory, and he could do well here. He’s not the biggest driver in the bunch, but his short game will make up for that.
Gary Woodland is another player with a solid history at Torrey Pines. He has finished no worse than T20 in his last four starts here, and in ten starts overall, he has never missed a cut here. At this course since 2015, he is sixth in total strokes gained at Torrey Pines. He has lost strokes due to his putting in two of his last three tournaments, but his putting at Torrey Pines has been solid, as he has gained almost six strokes that way in his last four tournaments here. He has also finished in the top seven in his last four tournaments overall, so he has momentum that way as well.
Rory Sabbatini is an interesting dark horse, as he tends to elevate his game when the field has more elite players in it. He has made six consecutive cuts and his irons have been a strong part of his play. He is third in this field in strokes gained: putting and in the top 40 in strokes gained: around the green in his last three starts at Torrey Pines.
