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Longest course on 2023 PGA Tour calendar
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Finau 20/121.00 ready to shine again in San Diego
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Expect Day 28/129.00 to contend for Torrey title No 3
Tournament and Course Notes
• The North and South courses at Torrey Pines have been hosting PGA Tour events since 1968. Situated around 16 miles north of downtown San Diego, Torrey is one of golf's most iconic locations;
• Laid out along cliff tops high above the Pacific Ocean, the more difficult South Course has also staged two US Opens, most recently in 2021. At 7,765 yards, the South was the longest course on the 2023 FedEx Cup rota. Not surprisingly, the big hitters have usually come out on top in this event;
• Both courses are owned by the City of San Diego and, for the third consecutive year, the tournament will start on Wednesday and end Saturday. As is tradition, the golfers will play one round on each course over the first 36 holes, before the South takes charge for days three and four;
• The two courses have both undergone major renovations during the past decade. On the South, a number of 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 nine years ago. Weiskopf increased the size of the greens by approximately 20-30%, and they now measure on average around 6,000 square feet;
• Putting surfaces on the North are sown with Bentgrass, while those on the South are Poa Annua. Although both layouts are par 72s, the South is around two strokes tougher than the North. Water is not an issue on either layout.
Latest betting for this week's Farmers Insurance Open
Good Current Form
Xander Schauffele 9/110.00 finished strongly in The American Express last week when he needed just 128 strokes for his final 36 holes.
This earned him a spot on the podium and his second straight T10 on the PGA Tour.
He is also a former runner-up at Torrey Pines where, three years ago, he tied-7th in the US Open which was staged on the South Course.
Defending champion Max Homa 10/111.00 has played solidly since last summer, while Collin Morikawa's 9/110.00 last four starts have all yielded finishes of seventh or better. And the two-time major winner stood on the Torrey podium 12 months ago.
Latest betting for this year's Masters Tournament
Good Course Form
This is a tournament where previous course form does tend to carry greater weight than at many venues.
Among those who have performed well here in the past are Keegan Bradley 25/126.00, Jason Day 28/129.00, Tony Finau 20/121.00 and Sung Jae Im 20/121.00.
Day's record is particularly impressive, with two victories, two other podiums and seven T10s in all.
Finau has posted five T10s since 2017, and has a best finish of tied-2nd three years ago.
Meanwhile Bradley, who was runner-up in 2023, was second two weeks' ago in Hawaii.
As for Sung-Jae Im, he's finished 6th-4th in his last two visits to Torrey Pines. And the Korean opened his 2024 campaign with a tied-5th at Kapalua three weeks' ago.
One other player to keep an eye on is Sahith Theegala 28/129.00 who has played well on both previous visits to Torrey Pines and was runner-up at the season-opening tournament in Hawaii.
Stroke Averages
Lowest 10 in Farmers Insurance Open (2018-23)
Average .... (Rounds)
69.67: Justin Rose (18)
69.77: Jason Day (22)
69.93: Max Homa (14)
70.00: Tony Finau (22)
70.17: Will Zalatoris (12)
70.30: Keegan Bradley (20)
70.35: Sung Jae Im (20)
70.42: Luke List (24)
70.42: Hideki Matsuyama (24)
70.55: Xander Schauffele (20)
Min. No. of Rounds = 10
Only those entered this week are included in table
Note: List Contains Leading Reserves