There is a bit of extra hype around the PGA Tour this week as Tiger Woods makes his official return to the tour in the Farmers Insurance Open. Woods is joined by a host of other star names who will tee it up at Torrey Pines, the scene of so much drama down the years.
Recent Winners
2016 – Brandt Snedeker
2015 – Jason Day
2014 – Scott Stallings
2013 – Tiger Woods
2012 – Brandt Snedeker
2011 – Bubba Watson
2010 – Ben Crane
2009 – Nick Watney
2008 – Tiger Woods
2007 – Tiger Woods
The Courses
There are two courses in play this week – the North Course and the South Course. The South Course is a monster which will be played three times by those who make the cut while the North Course will be played once in either the first or second round by the entire field. The school of thought is that you score on the North and defend the score on the South.
The North Course will look different this year as the nines have been flipped and some trees have been removed. New tee boxes are in play on a lot of the holes and so the course, which is a par 72, now measures 7,258 yards.
The South Course remains a monster. It plays to a par of 72 and measures nearly 7,700 yards. On both courses finding the fairways is tough but it is essential with the dense rough which will be recovering from a recent soaking so isn’t the place to be. The greens are a bit bigger this year but still not easy to find. This is a tee to green beast with those who have length without losing accuracy major players.
The Field
Tiger Woods is inevitably the big focus in the field this week on a venue he absolutely loves but there are plenty of other big names that tee it up this week including another former champion in Jason Day. US Open winner Dustin Johnson and the USPGA champion Jimmy Walker also tee it up.
Brandt Snedeker returns to defend his title which he won from the second group out on the final day last year. In shocking conditions he managed to break par in the final round, the only one to do so, and watched as a Monday finish was played out in his favour.
Market Leaders
Dustin Johnson is the 9/1 favourite this week and if he drives it like he can he could put these two courses under real pressure. DJ was second in Abu Dhabi last week and if his body has recovered from all the travelling he is a worthy favourite.
Jason Day is the second favourite at 11/1 and having won here in the past we know he has what it takes to be competitive. His driving accuracy has sometimes let him down though and that would be a concern for taking a short price this week.
Hideki Matsuyama is in the form of his life and with no Justin Thomas around to beat him this week he will be a popular selection. In theory the Japanese star should fit this course really well.
Defending champion Brandt Snedeker has a wonderful record around here and he is 28/1 to win a third title. As well as the two wins he has six top 10s in this tournament so there is something about Torrey that brings out his best and he can’t be ruled out. It is 30/1 bar that quartet.
Main Bets
I’m taking two main bets this week and I can’t ignore the form of Hideki Matsuyama. Since the end of last season Matsuyama has caught fire worldwide and even with Johnson and Day in the field I think Matsuyama rates a leading chance here. He is driving the ball really well and then his iron play is a strength of his. If the putter stays hot he could take all the beating.
Francesco Molinari may lack for length but he certainly doesn’t lack in accuracy and his tee to green game should give him every chance here. I don’t think he is sufficiently weaker on the greens than people make out these days so he looks a big price. He scored well last week so if he isn’t too inconvenienced by a lack of length I fancy the Italian for a big run.
Outsiders
It is hard to ignore the quality of Byeong-Hun An and the fit of his game to these courses. He is a majestic driver of the golf ball and that is perfect for here but we’ve seen time and again that when he is dialled in with his irons he can go very low. He began the year well in Abu Dhabi last week and a repeat of that will see him go nicely this week.
Marc Leishman has a decent record around here and again that is no surprise for a man who has a pretty good all-round game but who drives the ball really well. If he can continue driving it well this week the door could open for a big title for the Australian.
Jhonattan Vegas isn’t the kind of player you would expect to go well here but his record is good so there must be something about the place that inspires him. He was third on debut six years ago and has two top 20 finishes in the last two years. Each time he has delivered a poor final round when high up on the leaderboard. If he can stay solid on Sunday he could deliver a nice pay out here.
Tips
Back H.Matsuyama to win Farmers Insurance Open (e/w) for a 1.5/10 stake at 15.00 with Skybet (1/4 1-6)
Back him here:
Back F.Molinari to win Farmers Insurance Open (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 56.00 with Paddy Power (1/5 1-7)
Back him here:
Back B-H.An to win Farmers Insurance Open (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 67.00 with Boylesports (1/4 1-6)
Back him here:
Back M.Leishman to win Farmers Insurance Open (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 67.00 with Coral (1/5 1-7)
Back J.Vegas to win Farmers Insurance Open (e/w) for a 0.5/10 stake at 126.00 with Coral (1/5 1-7)
Back them here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2017
