Farmers Insurance Open 2023: Course and current form stats

• Rahm chasing fifth win in seven starts

• Torrey's South Course one of longest in Tour history

• Finau's all-round game statistically strong

As is often the case, and especially at this time of year, the PGA Tour will swap the hot, arid air of a California or Arizona desert, with the more unpredictable conditions experienced by the coast.

And so, following on from last week's 'Desert Classic' in Palm Springs, the players have now journeyed to the outskirts of San Diego for the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.

Laid out along cliff tops high above the Pacific Ocean, the North and South courses at Torrey have been hosting PGA Tour events since 1968.

The more difficult South has also staged two US Opens, most recently in 2021 when Jon Rahm won his first major championship.

Both courses are publically owned by the City of San Diego and, for the second consecutive year, the tournament will start on Wednesday and end Saturday.

As is tradition with this event, the golfers will play one round on each course over the first 36 holes, before the South takes charge for days three and four.

Course Characteristics

Torrey Pines, situated around 16 miles north of downtown San Diego, is one of golf's most iconic locations.

Both courses have undergone major renovations during the past decade, with the South being lengthened to more than 7,650 yards ahead of staging the 2021 US Open.

A number of its greens were relocated closer to hazards, while every putting surface was re-contoured to provide multiple pin positions.

The South's undulating greens are smaller than their counterparts on the North Course which was upgraded by the late Tom Weiskopf seven years ago.

Weiskopf increased the size of the greens by approximately 20-30%, and they now measure on average around 6,400 square feet.

The putting surfaces on the North are sown with Bentgrass, while those on the South are Poa Annua.

Although both courses are par 72s, the South is considerably tougher and usually averages around two strokes per round higher. Water is not an issue on either layout.

And when the Farmers Insurance Open was held last year, the South was extended beyond 7,750 yards, making it the longest course on the FedEx Cup rota.

Latest betting for this week's Farmers Insurance Open

Stroke Averages

Lowest 15 in Farmers Insurance Open (2017-22)
Average .... (Rounds)
69.29: Jon Rahm (24)
69.33: Justin Rose (18)
69.65: Ryan Palmer (20)
69.70: Will Zalatoris (10)
69.91: Tony Finau (22)
70.10: Jason Day (20)
70.40: Keegan Bradley (20)
70.41: Luke List (22)
70.44: Michael Thompson (16)
70.50: Sung Jae Im (16)
70.54: Hideki Matsuyama (24)
70.71: Lanto Griffin (14)
70.73: Gary Woodland (22)
70.79: Doug Ghim (14)
70.83: Xander Schauffele (18)
Min. No. of Rounds = 10
Only those entered this week are included in table

Four To Watch

Jason Day: Bit of a long shot, but the Australian certainly thrives when conditions get tough. Has a great record at Torrey, having won this event twice previously, along with two other podium finishes.

Even in 2022, his sole top-six finish came at Torrey Pines where he tied-for-third. He tied-18th in the desert on Sunday.

Tony Finau: The American is looking in great shape, if you examine a number of Strokes Gained categories on the PGA Tour this season. He's 11th for Approach the Green, 5th in Putting, 8th Tee-to-Green, and 2nd for Total. He has a solid record at Torrey and his last four PGA Tour starts read: Won-7th-7th-16th.

Jon Rahm: Man of the moment by far. Four wins in his last six outings and he tees-up at Torrey where he has twice tasted victory in the past: Won the US Open over the South Course in 2021, as well as the Farmers Insurance four years earlier.

Xander Schauffele: The world No 6 closed with a 62 on Sunday when he finished in a tie-for-third at Palm Springs. Runner-up in this event in 2021, the same year he posted a top-10 finish at Torrey's US Open.

Latest betting for this year's Masters Tournament

MC* - Missed Additional 54-Hole Cut

Note: List Contains Leading Reserves