2023 Farmers Insurance Open: PGA Tour Golf Betting Odds
Red-hot Jon Rahm is favoured on the golf odds.
Normally, Tiger Woods would play here because Torrey Pines is basically his home course as he has won this tournament seven times and also a U.S. Open there, but Tiger is limited to perhaps only major championships and a few other events these days with all his health problems. The South Course is the main track at Torrey Pines and is a par 72 at 7,765 yards. The North is also a par 72 at 7,258 yards. Golfers play one round on each ahead of the 36-hole cut and just the South on the weekend.
The tournament originated as the San Diego Open in 1952 and has been sponsored by Farmers Insurance since 2010. It runs Wednesday-Saturday to get out of the way for the NFL’s conference championship Sunday. That “tradition” began last year and is wise.
California has been inundated with devastating rainfall, but the Torrey Pines courses are in good shape and it’s not supposed to rain this week. Torrey Pines is known for its thick rough, and when you add water that rough becomes very difficult to play.
The defending champion is American Luke List as he beat Will Zalatoris in a playoff after both finished 72 holes at 15-under 273. List began the final round five shots back of leaders Zalatoris and Jason Day but shot a 6-under 66 and then waited a few hours in the clubhouse.
Zalatoris had a great chance to win on the 72nd hole but barely missed an 8-foot birdie putt. List then birdied the first playoff hole and Zalatoris missed another birdie putt. It was List’s first PGA Tour victory, and he hasn’t won or even come close since. The last repeat winner was Tiger in 2008 when it he won a fourth year in a row, and List is a +8100 long shot.
Farmers Insurance Open Golf Odds
Spain’s Jon Rahm might be favoured in every tournament the rest of the year the way he is playing and is +350 this week. That’s a Tiger Woods number in Tiger’s prime. Rahm won The American Express on Sunday for his fourth worldwide victory in his past six starts and is up to No. 3 in the world. He could get to No. 1 this week with no worse than a solo third. Rahm won here in 2017 and has finished Top 10 each of the past four years, including a runner-up in 2020. He also won the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. Complete “Horse for the Course.”
Tony Finau is +1100 with San Diego native Xander Schauffele +1200, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas and Will Zalatoris each +1400. Sungjae Im is +1800.
Finau has four Top 10s here, including a runner-up in 2021. He comes off a T16 up the California coast on Sunday. Schauffele has contended here once: Runner-up in 2021. Thomas finished tied for 20th last year, though he was tied for first Rahm and Adam Schenk through 36 holes. Morikawa has played this event once and was T21. As noted above, Zalatoris lost in the playoff last year. Im’s best finish has been T6 last year.
No Canadian has won this event. Al Balding finished runner-up to Arnold Palmer twice, and Graham DeLaet was a runner-up in 2014 with four other golfers. Last year, Taylor Pendrith was T16, Nick Taylor T30, Michael Gligic 77th and Adam Svensson 79th, while Mackenzie Hughes, Corey Conners, Adam Hadwin, Maxwell Sear and Jared du Toit missed the cut. Hadwin is +3600 this week, with Pendrith +8500, Svensson +12800 and Gligic +100000.
Farmers Insurance Open Golf Predictions
Have to take Rahm for a Top 10 but it’s so tough to win on Tour in back-to-back weeks. Thus, we’ll go with Schauffele at +1200. He comes off a final-round 62 on Sunday at The American Express and T3 finish and had that runner-up here a couple of years ago.