Farmers Insurance Open: Rahm rightly favourite

We’re off to the beautiful Torrey Pines in San Diego for this week’s PGA Tour event - the Farmers Insurance Open. 

It’s an earlier start than usual with this event being staged from Wednesday to Saturday, and it’s another multiple course event with the North Course and South Course both in use. 

All players will play 18 holes on each course over the first two rounds, with the South Course then taking over for the third and fourth rounds. 

Breath-taking views from one of the PGA Tour’s most iconic venues are matched by the unpredictable and often testing weather conditions that roll onto the Californian cliffs from the Pacific Ocean. 

Torrey Pines has been used on the PGA Tour since 1968 and last staged a major just last year, when Jon Rahm secured his maiden major victory at the US Open. 

World No.1 Rahm loves Torrey Pines 

You can’t really look beyond Rahm for an event staged at one of his favourite venues – as he’s a former Farmers Insurance Open champion here as well as capturing the US Open last summer. 

Rahm has already had a second-placed finish this year and his course form reads 7-2-5-29-1 in his last five starts, excluding his US Open triumph. 

He’s 8.8 favourite here and rightly so. 

Justin Thomas hasn’t played at this event for six years, but had a top 10 before that and was T19 at the US Open and the course should suit his skill set. He’s 17 second-favourite. 

Local lad Xander Schauffele finally found the key to playing here last year after missing the cut in four of his first five attempts. He finished tied second in this last year and T7 at the following US Open. 

Having found the key to Torrey Pines he’s 22 to go one better this year. 

Jon Rahm won the US Open at Torrey Pines, and is the favourite for the Farmers Insurance Open

Matsuyama on top form 

Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama won in Hawaii a couple of weeks ago and has had a week off to challenge here – where he’s finished third before. His accuracy off the tee will surely have him in contention at 25. 

Defending champion Patrick Reed is a big price at 50 but he’s never successfully managed to retain a title he’s won on the PGA Tour – not many do! 

If he was to go back-to-back then it would be at Torrey Pines, where he’s finished 1-6-13 in his last three Farmers as well as a T19 in the US Open last year. 

A lot of big names such as Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Jordan Spieth just do not have any sort of form at this tournament so are massive prices as a result. 

A smart bet around here though is on the ultra-reliable Tony Finau to grab a place at 6.8. He’s been top 20 in his last six Farmers Insurance Open appearances, with four top six spots in his last five. 

As Rahm also shows, those that take to Torrey Pines continually do well and while Finau doesn’t win many he’s such a consistent performer here where his effortless power really helps out. 

Recommended bets

Xander Schauffele to win @ 22

Hideki Matsuyama to win @ 25 

Tony Finau to place @ 6.8