Farmers Insurance Open
The Farmers Insurance Open has been held at Torrey Pines every year since 1968. There is a lot of extra hype around this year's edition. Brooks Koepka will be playing in his first event on the PGA Tour since 2022 after spending four seasons at LIV Golf. Koepka was able to find his way back due the Returning Member Program put in place by new PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp. As a major winner since the beginning of the 2022 season, Koepka still technically has full status on the PGA Tour. He was one of four players eligible for this exclusive program along Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith, but it appears Koepka is going to be the only one who exercises this option for the 2026 season.
There will be a lot of questions and talk about Koepka this week, which certainly makes him a risky OAD play. Especially considering there is a number of other really strong players in this field led by Xander Schauffele, Ludvig Aberg, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay and Hideki Matsuyama.
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Course Tidbits
- Courses: Torrey Pines South Course (7,765 yards, par 72), Torrey Pines North Course (7,258 yards, par 72)
- Location: La Jolla, California
- Purse: $9.6 million ($1.728 million to winner)
- Defending Champion: Harris English (-8)
- 2025 Scoring Average: 73.68 (South Course), 72.57 (North Course)
- 2025 Cut: +1
- Average Winning Score Last 5 Years: -12.6
This will be a much different test than the players experienced a week ago at The American Express. While we again have a course rotation this week, both the South Course and the easier North Course at Torrey Pines played more difficult than any of the three courses in the rotation in Palm Springs. Misses off the tee will be severely punished by thick rough and intimidating fairway bunkers. The South Course is the longest course on the PGA Tour schedule and it will play every bit of that being right on the ocean in the heavier air. It also features the fourth-narrowest fairways on the PGA Tour. If ever there was a week to be able to drive it long and straight this would be it.
The long approach shots and moderate sized greens will mean we see a lot of scrambling opportunities. Players will have to deal with pitches off tight lies to elevated greens, thick rough at times if you short-side yourself and greenside bunkers that are no picnic. We've seen a lot of power players play well at Torrey Pines over the years, but those with really sharp short game's also have thrived at this venue. Typically the weather is a big question mark at the Farmers Insurance Open, but this week the forecast is gorgeous. There should be plenty of sunshine and very mild winds. Expect the winning score to easily better than the 8-under-par total Harris English shot last year en route to victory.
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RotoWire One and Done Tools
Farmers Insurance Open: One and Done Picks
If you want to wait to use Young for a signature event or major, I totally get it, but I like the idea of using him one of the rare times that he'll tee-it-up without Scottie Scheffler in the field. Young looked like one of the best players in the world at the Ryder Cup and on top of winning for the first time last summer, he posted four consecutive top-15s to close out his season. Across four rounds at Torrey Pines South, he's gaining 1.50 strokes on approach. There's a lot to like about Young this week. --Ryan Pohle
I'll start by stating that I'm a little surprised by Day's odds this week. I know the field is pretty strong this week, but Day has more going for him than anyone else in the field. His track record here is a bit erratic, but when he starts well, he usually finishes well. He's won this event twice and has seven top-10s in 16 starts. That's just the track record, now let's talk about his form. He was runner-up this past week! In a field where we have a lot of guys making their first start of the season and form is in question, we've got Day, who is clearly playing well entering. What's not to like? --Greg Vara
I'm not expecting Gotterup to carry a very high ownership this week coming off his win at the Sony Open, but I think this is about as good of a track for him to be able to go back-to-back as there is. Gotterup ranked top 10 last season in SG: Off-the-Tee, driving distance and club head speed. If he does spray it around he's strong enough to be able to get it out of this rough and still find the putting surface. He was 11th in proximity from the rough a year ago. Gotterup also has way more touch around the greens than he gets credit for (19th in scrambling). With the putter also now cooperating, he's got all the talent to be able to go on a run. --Ryan Andrade
A two-time past champion at the Farmers Insurance Open, Day began his 2026 campaign with a T2 effort last week in La Quinta where he paced the field in SG: Total across two measured rounds on the more difficult Pete Dye Stadium Course. This is probably going to be one of Day's better win equity spots of the season, while he's also not someone I'm looking to save for an event with a larger purse. --Bryce Danielson
Torrey Pines South forces long iron play, which happens to be a strong suit for Matsuyama. About a quarter of approach shots there come from 200+ yards, and Matsuyama ranked 5th in proximity from that range last season, giving him an advantage on a 7,700-yard par 72. While the one flaw in his game remains the putter, he's shown potential on these tricky poa greens by gaining 2+ strokes putting on four occasions at Torrey. His course results support the fit, too: three top-15s in his last four starts and a podium finish (T3) in 2019. Plus, he led the field in SG: Approach at last year's Farmers. From a OAD standpoint, I'm chasing Matsuyama now as he tends to spike early, opening 2025 with a win at The Sentry and 2026 with a T13 at The Sony. --Lauren Jump
Cantlay hasn't won in more than three years. He has clearly underperformed, and now has even fallen out of the top 25 in the OWGR. But statistically he was very solid across the strokes-gained spectrum last season. He is normally an excellent driver, which is a huge advantage this week at the monster-long Torrey Pines South Course. One of Cantlay's best showings last season was a tie for fifth at the relocated Genesis Invitational played at Torrey. He has to win some time, right? --Len Hochberg
Day -- save for the best golfer in the world -- was as sharp as anyone at The American Express, and I like his chances to keep the momentum rolling at Torrey Pines. His last two appearances in this event did not turn out well, but he reeled off four top-10s in his prior six trips. Oh, and he won this thing in 2015 and 2018. It's early in the season, so there should be no concern about the back problems that have plagued Day, and he doesn't tee it up as much as some others, so add it all up and this is the time to deploy him. --Kevin O'Brien
Farmers Insurance Open: One and Done Fades
I'm going to shy away from the betting favorite, who hasn't played an event in 3.5 months after skipping the first two events and the Hero World Challenge unlike many of the top players. Schauffele's results in his hometown events include two top-10s but also four missed cuts across nine appearances. I'd rather save the two-time major champion for one of those events or Quail Hollow. --Ryan Pohle
I started to get into it above, but Aberg is a tough pick right now because he's hard to trust, at least the week after he pulls out he's hard to trust. If he's 100% healthy and ready to go, then he probably will be in the mix come Sunday, but if there's anything left over from last week's illness, then I wouldn't touch him this week. Not to mention that you'll probably want to save him for later in the season anyway. --Greg Vara
I'm high on Young's prospects this season, but I'm going to save him this week. While the driving is encouraging, the iron play was really quite poor relative to the other players ranked in the Top 25 in the OWGR. Apart from his driving, Young's best attribute is the putter, but poa annua has been a surface he has historically struggled at. He was also 107th in SG: Around-the-Green and 95th in scrambling last season, which is not great heading to a difficult golf course. There will be better spots to use him. --Ryan Andrade
Kim is shorter than 30-1 to win the FIO after racking up his ninth consecutive top-25 result last week at The AmEx, but I worry about his lack of driving distance and iffy putter on these poa greens. He's made 10 career appearances at Torrey Pines across the FIO, The Genesis Invitational and the U.S. Open, but has never placed top-10 here. --Bryce Danielson
Aberg is a tough fade because he has the chops to win at Torrey. He hits long enough to handle the South Course, while his elite tee-to-green game has already flashed there, opening with a 63 to lead the Farmers last year and later winning the Genesis at Torrey Pines. The problem is risk, not talent. That hot start here a year ago faded over the weekend due to a mystery illness. And just last week, Aberg withdrew from The American Express with another health issue. In an OAD contest, that's enough uncertainty for me to pass on a high-end name I'd rather deploy later with more confidence. --Lauren Jump
It's easy to get caught up in the hype. But there is an incredibly bright spotlight on Koepka this week and incredible pressure. He even talked earlier in the week of being nervous. I expect him to find his footing in short order and have some good weeks ahead. But not this week. A made cut would make it a successful tournament for him. --Len Hochberg
McNealy is a California native, but he has racked up only one top-10 -- albeit in a playoff event -- since posting a T5 at the Memorial on June 1 of last year and has finished no better than T30 at Torrey Pines since 2020, so I'm keeping him in the bag this time around. --Kevin O'Brien
Don't get burned by late withdrawals. Visit RotoWire's PGA tournament field page for a live-updated summary of the field for the current week and list of players who have dropped out.
