Trying to avoid a matchup for eyeballs with the NFL’s conference championship games on Sunday, the Farmers Insurance Open will get underway a day early, with a tournament finale set for Saturday.
This year’s PGA Tour stop at Torrey Pines – the second leg of the five-event West Coast swing, will feature a bevy of top-ranked superstars including six of the top 10 and twelve of the top 20.
Despite a stacked field, the clear favorite in southern Cal has to be world No. 1 Jon Rahm, whose recent history at Torrey shows two wins, highlighted by a maiden major title.
Including Rahm, here are the 10 players we like most this week in San Diego.
10. Daniel Berger
The Florida native has made just two starts since the 2021 Tour Championship – finishing inside the top-10 in both, including a T5 at Kapalua… While Berger’s PGA Tour starts at Torrey Pines have been less than stellar, with three missed-cuts alongside a T24, he did post a T7 at last summer’s major.
FedEx: 110th
OWGR: 20th
Odds: 22-1
Last Six: 5, 7, 8, 26, 56, 5
Best at Farmers: 24 (2015)
2021 U.S. Open: T7
9. Jordan Spieth
It was a missed-cut at the 2021 Farmers which kicked off Spieth’s comeback season… Unfortunately, Spieth enters Torrey Pines – one year later – looking for his first top-10 finish since, gulp, last summer… In six career starts at the Farmers, Spieth has missed the cut three times, with a T19 in 2014 his only result inside the top 20… In two starts to the 2022 campaign, the 28-year-old Texan owns a T21 and T18.
FedEx: 125th
OWGR: 14th
Odds: 33-1
Last Six: 20, 18, 24, 34, 73, 12
Best at Farmers: T19 (2014)
2021 U.S. Open: T19
8. Sam Burns
Following a breakout 2021 year, the rising American star has made six starts on the new season, and owns a win and five additional top-20 finishes, including a trio of top-10s… Ranked No. 13 in the world, Burns sits 4th on both the tour’s money list and points standings… The LSU product finished T18 in his most recent start at the Farmers.
FedEx: 4th
OWGR: 13th
Odds: 20-1
Last Six: 19, 3, 7, 5, 14, 1
Best at Farmers: 18 (2021)
2021 U.S. Open: MC
7. Dustin Johnson
DJ appears on our list based strictly on his world-class repuation… He enters the Farmers as the world No. 4, and with only one start on the 2022 season (T45, CJ Cup)… In nine career starts at the Farmers, Johnson owns just a single top-10 finish (T3 2011) against three missed cuts.
FedEx: 213th
OWGR: 4th
Odds: 20-1
Last Six: 45, 8, 6, MC, 10, MC
Best at Farmers: T3 (2011)
2021 U.S. Open: T19
6. Bryson DeChambeau
Similar to DJ, DeChambeau’s place here is based on reputation alone… Bryson has made just one start in 2022, posting a T25 in the 38-player field at Kapalua… For the second consecutive year, the big bomber finished ranked No. 5 in the Official World Golf Rankings… In his only two career starts (2017, 2018) at the Farmers, the California native missed the cut both times.
FedEx: 176th
OWGR: 9th
Odds: 20-1
Last Six: 25, 14, 11, 2, 31, 8
Best at Farmers: MC (2017, 2018)
2021 U.S. Open: T26
5. Patrick Reed
Reed is the defending champion but enters in questionable form with just one top-10 finish in seven starts on the season… He did, however, post a T3 at the unofficial Hero World Challenge against a super stout field… In his last five starts at Torrey Pines, Reed owns a victory (2021), and four top-25 finishes.
FedEx: 29th
OWGR: 26th
Odds: 40-1
Last Six: 55, 15, 3, 32, 61, 56
Best at Farmers: 1 (2021)
2021 U.S. Open: T19
4. Hideki Matsuyama
In six starts to the 2022 season, the reigning Masters champion owns two wins (ZOZO, Sony) and an additional top-10… The Japanese star sits first in the FedEx Cup standings, and No. 10 in the world rankings… In eight career starts at the Farmers, a T3 at the 2019 edition is Matsuyama’s best showing.
FedEx: 1st
OWGR: 10th
Odds: 20-1
Last Six: 1, 13, 1, 59, 67, 6
Best at Farmers: T3 (2019)
2021 U.S. Open: T26
3. Justin Thomas
JT first teed it up at the Farmers in 2014 as a 20-year-old sponsor’s invite, posting an impressive T10. He returned in 2015 during his rookie season, and after a missed cut, he never returned. He did make a third career start at the San Diego course for the 2021 U.S. Open where he finished T19… Following a somewhat down year, the 28-year-old Kentucky native enters off four top-5 finishes in his last five starts, including three straight.
FedEx: 26th
OWGR: 6th
Odds: 14-1
Last Six: 5, 5, 3, 18, 4, 22
Best at Farmers: T10 (2014)
2021 U.S. Open: T19
2. Xander Schauffele
Despite growing up on Torrey Pines, the San Diego native struggled in four career starts on his home course, posting finishes of MC, MC, T25, and MC. But his hometown fortunes changed in 2021 – first with a T2 at the Farmers, followed by a top-10 result at the U.S. Open… In three official 2022 starts, a solo 12th is Schauffele’s best showing thus far.
FedEx: 85th
OWGR: 7th
Odds: 18-1
Last Six: 12, 12, 28, 18, 3, 49
Best at Farmers: T2 (2021)
2021 U.S. Open: T7
1. Jon Rahm
The world No. 1 is a beast on most any course, but at Torrey Pines, his world class game kicks into another gear. In six career starts at the San Diego track, the Spaniard owns five top-7 finishes highlighted by a pair of wins (2017 Farmers, 2021 U.S. Open)… The 27-year-old enters in strong form, including a record-setting runner-up at the Sentry.
FedEx: 22nd
OWGR: 1st
Odds: 8-1
Last Six: 14, 2, MC, 17, MC, 1
Best at Farmers: 1 (2017)
2021 U.S. Open: 1
