The 67th annual Farmers Insurance Open tees off from Torrey Pines Golf Course on Friday following a thrilling finish to last week’s Desert Classic.
Adam Long, ranked No. 417 in the world, won on a walkoff birdie on the 18th to defeat Phil Mickelson for his first ever PGA Tour victory.
We now turn our attention to the fourth event on the 2019 calendar worth a cool $7.1 million in prize-money. Australia’s Jason Day has won this tournament twice before, and enters as one of the favourites to join Mickelson as the only players to have won the Farmers Insurance on three separate occasions.
We’ve previewed every golfer and every market, and our complete 2019 Farmers Insurance Open Preview can be found below.
Jon Rahm – $11.00
Rahm carded a -5 under 67 last week in the fourth round at PGA West to finish sixth overall in the Desert Classic. The Spaniard enters as the favourite for the second week in a row, and it’s no surprise considering his most recent performances. Rahm has the fifth best rating in the PGA off the tee, and has so far hit 159 of the 216 greens on Tour. The World No. 7 won this tournament back in 2017 shooting 65 in the final round to finish -13 under par. He’s just beginning to heat up, making these odds very enticing.
Jason Day – $15.00
The reigning Farmers Insurance champion returns to San Diego to defend his crown. Last year Day finished -10 under thanks to a phenomenal second round of 65, and he looks a chance this weekend after finishing 13th at the Sentry Tournament of Champions a fortnight ago. Day’s 2018 season was full of success, but he’s desperate to return to the world’s No.1 ranking. In between his 2015 and 2017 victories he failed to make the cut at this tournament in back-to-back years. This is a huge moment for the 13-year pro.
Justin Rose – $15.00
Rose was one of the early favourites at last week’s Desert Classic but only managed to finish tied for 34th after a disappointing final round. The Englishman is still ranked No.1 in the world, but he’ll be looking to return to the form that saw him win the FedEx Cup last year. Last week’s tournament was his first since finishing third in the Hero World Challenge in December, so you have to forgive Rose’s poor performance. He’s been right in the thick of things at the Farmers Insurance, finishing tied for fourth here last year after shooting 64 in the second and fourth rounds.
Rory McIlroy – $15.00
It’s been a mixed bag of results for Rory recently. Aside from the Ryder Cup, his last Tour win came in March in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Since then he’s failed to make the cut twice, but his fourth placing at the Sentry Tournament earlier this month was certainly encouraging. McIlroy hasn’t contested the Farmers Invitational before however, and since he’s only just beginning to warm up, the Irishman is a risky play.
Tiger Woods – $15.00
You’re looking at the seven-time Farmers Insurance Open champion, but can Tiger actually win his first tournament of 2019? The last time we saw Tiger he won the Tour Championship, his first victory since 2012. It’s been a long three month break for the 43-year-old, and if he can somehow manage to sink some birdie putts – a problem that plagued him so many times throughout 2018 – there’s no reason he can’t. Exactly a year ago Tiger made his return from spinal surgery at Torrey Pines ranked No. 656 in the world – 12-months later, he’s back at No.13.
Marc Leishman – $17.00
It’s been a fantastic start to the New Year for the second Aussie hopeful. Leishman’s form began to heat up in the World Cup in Melbourne last year before transitioning into a third placing at the Sony Open in Hawaii a fortnight ago. Leishman has tied for second twice at the Farmers Insurance Open and has missed the cut just twice in his eight appearances. The bad news is he’s not hitting the fairway nearly enough, but he’s been money on the layup shot onto the green. It would be very surprising to see Leishman finish outside the Top 20.
Tony Finau – $17.00
The 29-year-old American will make his 2019 debut this week in a tournament he’s finished no worse than 24th in. Finau claimed second on five separate occasions last year, but he’s still searching for his elusive second Tour win. Form-wise Finau stacks up – he tied for seventh at last year’s QBE Shootout, but since we haven’t seen him since September, it’s hard to jump on board at this price.
Xander Schauffele – $17.00
The Sentry Tournament of Champions winner has been a popular pick to win the Farmers Insurance Open for a number of reasons. The 25-year-old has been almost untouchable as he enters the prime of his career, leading the way in tee-to-green and also ranking fifth on Tour in putting. Schauffele has failed to make the cut in his last three attempts at Torrey Pines, but you can safely expect him to be in the picture on the final day this time around.
Brandt Snedeker – $41.00
Jason Day isn’t the only one on Tour that could join Mickelson in the three-time winners club. Brandt Snedeker has won the Farmers Insurance Open twice before, most recently in 2016 finishing -6 under. The 38-year-old veteran has been playing a lot of golf over the last few months and found himself in the hunt during the final day of the Sony Open. After last week’s Desert Classic result, don’t sleep on Snedeker.
