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All eyes are on Jon Rahm this week as he returns to San Diego to try to win a third straight PGA Tour event and a fifth in his last seven starts.
On Saturday night, Rahm can finally recapture the top spot in the Official World Golf rankings – something he somehow hasn’t yet done despite what has been an incredible piece of golf.
Here’s everything you need to know for the Farmers Insurance Open.
Tournament Basics
Farmer’s insurance opened
January 25-28
Torrey Pines Golf Course | San Diego, California
Par 72 | 7,765 meters
Wallet: $8.7 million / $1.566 million
FedExCup points for winner: 500
Bet favourite, via BetMGM: Jon Rahm (+450)
Last timeout: Luke List wins in playoff
It took an extra hole, but Luke List got his first win on the PGA Tour last season at Torrey Pines.
List, after starting the final round 5 shots behind the leaders, defeated Will Zalatoris in a playoff to win the 2022 Farmers Insurance Open. He posted a final round 66 and had to wait almost two hours before the playoff even started to take the win.
That tournament ended up being the highlight for List in what was otherwise a pretty tough season. He ended the year missing the cut in five of his last seven starts, finishing in the top 10 only twice.
Jon Rahm ready for rapid turnaround
With the Farmers Insurance Open starting on a Wednesday, those who played at The American Express last week won’t have much time to reset.
However, Rahm is there for the quick turnaround – and it’s easy to see why.
Rahm re-enters this week as the betting favorite in San Diego, recording his fourth win in his past six starts. And Torrey Pines, where he won the 2021 US Open and took his first Tour victory, feels like the perfect place for him.
“It’s really nice that if I’m going to have the short turnaround after a win after a tough Sunday, come to a golf course or courses where I’ve had great success and a lot of positive, positive memories, right?” Rahm said Tuesday. “It is always refreshing to come here, and I love this tournament so much that every time I come I have that extra motivation to hopefully win it again.”
Rahm may finally recapture the world No. 1 ranking this week in a number of ways, starting with profit. Depending on how Rory McIlroy does on the DP World Tour, Rahm could solo third and still take first place.
It’s not just Rahm who is confident in his game. Justin Thomas, coming off a long hiatus and his wedding earlier this month, sees it from him too.
“I would clearly say whatever Jon Rahm’s game is pretty good for Torrey Pines,” Thomas said Tuesday. “It seems that – not that his game is bad for any track, but it seems that he is doing well at this place.”
Xander Schauffele’s back seems fine
Earlier this month, Schauffele pulled out of the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii due to a back injury.
After seeing what he did with his wild albatross on Sunday, we can safely say he’s back to his old self.
Schauffele exhausted his 225-yard approach on Sunday at The American Express for a rare double eagle, which helped push him to a third-place finish.
“I would say I will always feel like I am 100 percent. It’s probably a little tired,” he said over his back on Tuesday. “Haven’t played much golf since Maui. Even leading up, I had the little hiccup in the Bahamas, where all of the past began. And then Maui was unlucky, one of my favorite places of the year and then just not a whole lot of golf.
“So I feel great, but if I felt like I was swinging as hard as I could from every tee, I would probably get tired quickly. It’s kind of like golf. You start playing more golf, you start walking around, you start swinging more, you get in the mood.”
