2021 Farmers Insurance Open: PGA Tour Betting Odds
World No. 2 Jon Rahm is favoured on the golf odds.
Let’s start with the bad news first. This normally would be where Tiger Woods would debut in a calendar year as he loves and thrives at Torrey Pines. Tiger has won this tournament a record seven times (last in 2013) and also memorably won the 2008 U.S. Open in a 19-hole playoff on one leg essentially at the track. This year’s U.S. Open also will be held there.
However, it was revealed last week that Woods had yet another back surgery for a pinched nerve and has no timetable for a return. Tiger said on social media he first started having trouble again in December. It’s hard to know when Woods will return but also fair to question if he’s done as a winner on Tour. Back injuries to a golfer are like a torn Achilles to a basketball player. It’s the fourth time that Woods has had a “microdiscectomy procedure” in his career, and he also had spinal fusion surgery.
The Farmers Insurance Open is played at both the North and South Course at Torrey Pines, each a par 72. The South is much tougher and longer at nearly 7,700 yards. Players split the first 36 holes on the two tracks and then play the final 36 holes on the South Course.
The Farmers Insurance Open debuted in 1952 in San Diego and has been won all but six times by Americans – what’s unusual is the past five of the past six champions were not from the USA. The defending champion is Aussie Marc Leishman. He began the day four shots behind Rahm but shot a 7-under 65 to finish at 15-under 274 and one up on Rahm. Leishman is +3100 to repeat. Only Tiger, Phil Mickelson and J.C. Snead have repeated in the event.
Farmers Insurance Open Betting Odds
Rahm was supposed to play last week at the American Express but withdrew after we had published the story because he suffered an injury in the gym. Apparently, the Spaniard is OK to go this week, and he’s priced at +629. He won this tournament by three shots in 2017 (first career PGA Tour win) and was fifth in 2019 and a runner-up last year.
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy (+718) makes his first PGA Tour start of the new year. He was third last week on the European Tour in Abu Dhabi. McIlroy has been fifth and third his two times at this tournament.
Xander Schauffele is +1200 with Tony Finau +1600 and Viktor Hovland +2200. Schauffele has missed the cut in four of his past five trips here. Finau hasn’t been worse than 13th in his past four trips. It’s the event debut for Hovland. Si Woo Kim, who won the American Express on Sunday, is +3600.
No Canadian has won here. Graham DeLaet was part of a six-man playoff in 2014 won by Scott Stallings. Al Balding finished runner-up in the tournament in 1961 and 1957, both to Arnold Palmer. Last year, every Canadian in the field missed the cut: Mackenzie Hughes, Michael Gligic and Roger Sloan. Corey Conners is +6200 this week with Hughes +12700, Adam Hadwin +12800, Sloan +30900, and David Hearn and Gligic both +52600.
Farmers Insurance Open Predictions
Take McIlroy and Charles Howell III for Top 10s, but Finau is the winner. He was T4 last week.