The Famers Insurance Open is played over two courses at Torrey Pines in California, from Wednesday to Saturday. The South Course and North Course are played in rotation over the first 36 holes. The last two rounds are contested on the South Course. Both courses have the standard par of 72 and the South measures 7,765 yards while the North is 7,258 yards in length. The longer course averaged almost four shots higher in the first two rounds of the tournament last year.
In terms of key skills, as the South Course hosts three rounds, the nature of the harder track will be more significant than the shorter counterpart at Torrey Pines. Jon Rahm won the US Open on the South Course last June so the set-up was adapted to make it suitable for a major championship. However, it has been re-modified for this regular event for which the following skills are important and taken into account for our Farmers Insurance Open picks.
Driving Accuracy
Strokes Gained Tee to Green
Putts Per Greens in Regulation (GIR)
Farmers Insurance Open Picks – Winner, Top 10, & Sleepers
Outright Winner
Hideki Matsuyama (+2000)
It’s tempting to tip Rahm again at one of his favorite locations for playing golf. He won his first PGA Tour event at Torrey Pines in 2017 and his first major last year. However, he was the highest world-ranked player in the American Express last week and never got in contention. Rahm may have been using the week to tone his game for this event but he is overlooked this time. He seemed a little agitated last time out and there is no value in the odds,
The preference is for Hideki Matsuyama who combines course and current form. Winning the US Masters in April has taken his game to a new level and he had looked a major champion in waiting for a number of years. Matsuyama didn’t play last week but he won the Sony Open on his last run in the previous week. He’s made six from eight cuts in this tournament, finished tied 3rd on the tracks in 2019 and has posted three top 20s in total.
Best Value Top 10 Pick
Justin Rose (+6600)
We highlighted Rose for the American Express and we are giving him another chance. The 2019 renewal was the last PGA tournament that Rose won and he has posted two other top 10 finishes on the tracks. He was tied 33rd in the American Express in which his chances were limited due to a triple bogey and double bogey in the second round. The former world number one and US Open winner in 2013 can do well on the South Course that is suited to his game.
Potential Sleeper Pick
Max Homa (+6600)
Homa has home-field advantage this week because he was born in California. He has finished in the top 20 at the Farmers in the last two years and posted a tied 15th finish in the Tournament of Champions in his only start this season to date. He has won three PGA tournaments, including the Fortinet Championship in his home state last September, even though he now lives in Arizona. Homa’s affinity with California makes him our sleeper pick this week.
For the full list of odds for the outright winner of the Farmers Insurance Open, you should visit https://nj.pointsbet.com/sports/golf/2022-Farmers-Insurance-Open.
