Held at the world famous Torrey Pines Golf Course, the Farmers Insurance Open is one of the biggest tournaments on the PGA Tour schedule and it regularly attracts a suitably strong field.
First played in 1952 when it was known as the San Diego Open, this tournament has had numerous name changes for sponsorship reason. Most notably, this event was backed by US car makers Buick between 1992 and 2009 when Farmers Insurance took their place.
Tiger Woods has won this an incredible 7 times including a 4-win streak between 2005 and 2008. Woods is 4 wins clear of fellow American Phil Mickelson on the list of the most successful winners.
Next Played: TBD
Next years tournament dates have not been scheduled yet. We'll update this page with more information as we have it.
Last Played: January 2021
- Winner: Patrick Reed
- To Par / Margin: -14 / 5 Strokes
Course Info
| Course | Location | Length | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Course, Torrey Pines Golf Course | San Diego, California | 7,258 Yards | $7,500,000 |
| South Course, Torrey Pines Golf Course | 7,765 Yards |
Torrey Pines is one of the most prestigious golf courses in America. It is always a very popular stop off on the PGA Tour but the field for the Farmers Insurance Open has a particularly strong feel to it this year. That is because the South Course at Torrey Pines will be used as the host venue for the 2021 US Open.
In order for a course to even be considered for US Open hosting duties it must be a fearsome test of golf. That is certainly the case for Torrey Pines. The South Course is the longest on the PGA Tour, has incredibly penal rough and features greens which are both difficult to hit and to putt on thanks to their design and the Poa Annua grass which grows at unpredictable rates throughout the day.
The North Course has a similarly classical feel to the South but it is considerably less challenging and this is where players will look to do their scoring. Unfortunately for those golfers in the field, they’ll play only one round on the North Course and three on the South Course (assuming they make the halfway cut). A certain amount of power is required to cope with the length of the South Course but that must be paired with accuracy both off the tee and with approach shots into those demanding greens.
Farmers Insurance Open Betting Tips
Note: The following tips are from 2021. Tips for next year will be added the week of the tournament.
The Farmers Insurance Open is the fourth PGA Tour event of the year and the second of the West Coast Swing but this event still has a feeling of starting afresh. A significant reason for that is the strength of the field competing this week with the likes of Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm all teeing up in California.
It always takes an all-round excellent performance to win at Torrey Pines but the strength of the field adds another layer of difficulty to this year’s event. It would be no surprise at all were another big name added to the list of most recent winners which includes Marc Leishman, Justin Rose, Jason Day, Jon Rahm and Brandt Snedeker. This is an event which has served up a few surprises in terms of winners and those in contention though, so it’s worth considering players from different parts of the betting market too.
Rory McIlroy - 8/1
Rory McIlroy is not messing around in 2021 and has clearly decided that more is more this year. His recent announcement that he will play in the Phoenix Open means that he is playing seven out of eight weeks as he looks to ensure that his game is in full working order ahead of the Masters in April. Many fans would love the Northern Irish ace to finally complete the career Grand Slam and there are some signs he is nearing his best golf.
McIlroy’s year began very well with a third place finish in Abu Dhabi last week. Still, as he flew from the Middle East back to the USA he had reason to be disappointed that he did not push Tyrrell Hatton even harder. After overcoming the first round difficulties that he’s had lately he was disappointingly flat on Sunday. There were a lot of positives to take from his performance last week though and that slight bit of disappointment can fire McIlroy ahead of the Farmers Insurance Open, a tournament in which his two starts have yielded results of fifth and third.
As well as his technical suitability to Torrey Pines, there are big motivational reasons to suggest that McIlroy is well placed to win this week. Beating such a strong field at this early stage of the season would send out a big message that McIlroy will be a serious contender for the major championships and other huge events to come in 2021, so he is well worth his place towards the top of the betting at solid odds of 8/1.
Adam Scott - 45/1
For many golfers, the return to Torrey Pines comes with a certain amount of trepidation. Not Adam Scott. The Australian loves little more than a tough golf course to really get the competitive juices flowing and it was no surprise that he rose to the challenge on his tournament debut in 2019 when he finished second to Justin Rose.
Scott has all the attributes required to play well at Torrey Pines. Like McIlroy, he also has the right mentality heading into the week. Scott has recently spoken about his approach to the season ahead which will revolve around the biggest tournaments of all. That is a luxury that players who are scrapping to earn their tour cards do not have. Scott understands how fortunate his position is and is intent to take full advantage. 2021 should be a big year for Scott and after blowing away the cobwebs in Hawaii, he is very interesting at 45/1 in San Diego.
Francesco Molinari - 70/1
Francesco Molinari has all the tools required to keep pace with the challenge of Torrey Pines. The Italian has form on difficult golf courses as evidenced by his win at the 2018 Open Championship, he is an elite level ball striker and he’s worked hard over the last five years or so to add power to his game.
There was a time not so long ago when Molinari was considered a serious danger to his opposition every time he teed it up as he reached a high of fifth in the world rankings. A loss of form and a long period away from competitive golf due to the challenging situation globally and his relocation from London to California saw Molinari drop outside the top 100 in the world. His eighth place finish at the American Express last week showed that he is ready to climb his way back up the rankings though and Molinari certainly makes each way appeal at the massive price of 70/1 at Torrey Pines.
Farmers Insurance Open Recent Winners
| Year | Winner | To Par | Winning Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Patrick Reed | -14 | 5 Stroke |
| 2020 | Marc Leishman | -15 | 1 Stroke |
| 2019 | Justin Rose | -21 | 2 Strokes |
| 2018 | Jason Day | -10 | Playoff |
| 2017 | Jon Rahm | -13 | 3 Strokes |
| 2016 | Brandt Snedeker | -6 | 1 Stroke |
| 2015 | Jason Day | -9 | Playoff |
| 2014 | Scott Stallings | -9 | 1 Stroke |
| 2013 | Tiger Woods | -14 | 4 Strokes |
| 2012 | Brandt Snedeker | -16 | Playoff |
About the Farmers Insurance Open
The PGA Tour season is scheduled to include a number of different ‘swings’. These are runs of tournaments over the course of a few weeks which take place in the same locale. Three examples are the Florida Swing, the new Asian Swing which takes place at the start of the season and West Coast Swing.
The Farmers Insurance Open is arguably the most prestigious of the events on the West Coast Swing. It takes place at the infamous Torrey Pines, a fearsome test of golf which is set high up on the California cliffs above the Pacific Ocean.
Farmers Insurance are one of a number of companies to have sponsored this event since it was first held back in 1952 as the San Diego Open. Convair were the first sponsors and were followed by companies as varied as Wickes, Isuzu and Lehman Brothers. It has also moved around to a few different courses in the San Diego area before settling on the North and South Courses of Torrey Pines.
Star Quality Gives the Tournament a Boost
With Hollywood and Los Angeles, California is widely regarded as the home of the entertainment industry. Golf has long done a good job of using the pull of stars from the world of screen, stage and music to boost events. The San Diego International (as the Farmers Insurance Open was known in 1968) was an early mover in this regard by getting in the legendary crooner, Andy Williams, as a host for the event.
Williams was one of a number of celebrities who served as celebrity hosts of PGA Tour events at the time. Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Sammy Davis Jr. all added star quality to golf tournaments and Williams decided he could do likewise, whilst turning San Diego into a hotbed of golf.
Many people played key roles in the growth of the Farmers Insurance Open as it developed into one of the most respected tournaments on the PGA Tour, but Williams holds a special place in the hearts of everybody involved with the event and with golf in San Diego in general.
Tiger’s Five In a Row
When you go through a list of people who had a significant positive impact on the Farmers Insurance Open it doesn’t take long before you get to Tiger Woods. The man that many believe to be the greatest golfer of all time has set a string of records at golf courses all around the world but few events have seen Tiger hunt as successfully as this.
Woods’ first tournament win in what was then the Buick Invitational came in 1999 in what was just his second start at Torrey Pines. His love affair continued through the years with seven wins in the Farmers Insurance Open including an incredible run of four victories on the spin between 2005 and 2008. That run of four wins is actually five when you factor in the 2008 US Open which was held at Torrey Pines and was won, rather predictably, by Woods. All of Tiger’s wins at Torrey Pines are detailed below.
| Year | Tournament |
|---|---|
| 1999 | Buick Invitational |
| 2003 | Buick Invitational |
| 2005 | Buick Invitational |
| 2006 | Buick Invitational |
| 2007 | Buick Invitational |
| 2008 | Buick Invitational |
| 2008 | U.S. Open |
| 2013 | Farmers Insurance Open |