Farmers Insurance Open Preview
The Farmers Insurance Open 2019
Dates: January 24-27, 2018
Where: San Diego, California
Courses: Torrey Pines Golf Course; South Course (host), North Course
Field Size: 156
2018 Champion: Jason Day
Purse: $7,100,00 ($1,278,000)
FedExCup: 500 points to the winner
Seven things you should know about the 2019 Farmers Insurance Open
- An eight-time winner at Torrey Pines (Seven Farmers Insurance Open titles, one U.S. Open title/2008), Tiger Woods will make his 2018-19 PGA TOUR Season debut. It marks his first start in an official PGA TOUR event since winning the TOUR Championship for his 80th career TOUR victory.
- 24 of the top-50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking are in the field, including nine of the top-15.
- San Diego native Xander Schauffele, who blitzed the field at the Sentry Tournament of Champions with a final-round 11-under 62, is in search of his third win in his last three starts. Schauffele has missed the cut in all three starts at the Farmers Insurance Open.
- 10 of the 12 Farmers Insurance Open champions have qualified for the FedExCup finale, the TOUR Championship (Scott Stallings/2014 and Tiger Woods/2008). After winning the event in 2008, Tiger Woods was unable to compete in the FedExCup Playoffs due to injury. Woods (2007) and Brandt Snedeker (2012) are the only two players to win the Farmers Insurance Open and the FedExCup in the same season.
- Defending champion Jason Day looks to become a three-time winner of the Farmers Insurance Open and the fourth player to go back-to-back, joining J.C. Snead (1975-76), Phil Mickelson (2000-01) and Tiger Woods (2005-08).
- Jordan Spieth returns to Torrey Pines, site of his professional debut (2013), for the first time since 2015.
- The last eight winners of the Farmers Insurance Open started the week on the South Course. Ben Crane (2010) was the last champion to start play on the North Course.
A look back at the 2018 Farmers Insurance Open
In a playoff that was suspended due to darkness (five holes) and completed on Monday (one hole), Jason Day defeated Sweden’s Alex Noren after six extra holes to win the Farmers Insurance Open for the second time in his career. Ryan Palmer was eliminated from the playoff after the first hole.
- The six-hole playoff was the longest in the tournament’s 67-year history and was just the third in the last 50 years of being played at Torrey Pines to last three holes or more.
- Day became the ninth player to win the Farmers Insurance Open multiple times.
- The win was Day’s first of two victories in 2017-18 (Wells Fargo Championship). He ended the season 16th in the FedExCup standings, finishing in the top 30 for the eighth time in nine years.
More on Jason Day
- Is making his fourth start of the 2018-19 PGA TOUR Season; Finished T5 in his season debut at THE CJ CUP @ NINE BRIDGES and 13th most recently at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
- Between his wins at the Farmers Insurance Open (2015/2018) missed the cut in both starts. Has a total of four top-10s in nine starts.
Tiger at Torrey
- Woods will make his first start of the 2018-19 PGA TOUR Season and first since winning the 2018 TOUR Championship, his 80th career PGA TOUR title, two short of Sam Snead’s record 82 wins.
- Woods has won the Farmers Insurance Open seven times. Only Woods and Phil Mickelson have more than two wins in the event.
- Woods’ most recent major title came at Torrey Pines, when he defeated Rocco Mediate in a playoff to win the 2008 U.S. Open.
| Tiger Woods Tournament History at Farmers Insurance Open | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Events | Rnds | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Top 10 | Top 25 | Cuts Made | Missed |
| 17 | 60 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 1 |
| Year | Position | Rnd 1 | Rnd 2 | Rnd 3 | Rnd 4 | Total | To Par | Winnings |
| Farmers Insurance Open | ||||||||
| 2018 | T23 | 72 | 71 | 70 | 72 | 285 | -3 | 59685 |
| 2017 | CUT | 76 | 72 | 148 | ||||
| 2015 | W/D | |||||||
| 2014 | T80 | 72 | 71 | 79 | 222 | 6 | 10919 | |
| 2013 | 1 | 68 | 65 | 69 | 72 | 274 | -14 | 1098000 |
| 2011 | T44 | 69 | 69 | 74 | 75 | 287 | -1 | 18096 |
| Buick Invitational | ||||||||
| 2008 | 1 | 67 | 65 | 66 | 71 | 269 | -19 | 936000 |
| 2007 | 1 | 66 | 72 | 69 | 66 | 273 | -15 | 936000 |
| 2006 | 1 | 71 | 68 | 67 | 72 | 278 | -10 | 918000 |
| 2005 | 1 | 69 | 63 | 72 | 68 | 272 | -16 | 864000 |
| 2004 | T10 | 71 | 68 | 72 | 69 | 280 | -8 | 106400 |
| 2003 | 1 | 70 | 66 | 68 | 68 | 272 | -16 | 810000 |
| 2002 | T5 | 66 | 77 | 69 | 66 | 278 | -10 | 131400 |
| 2001 | 4 | 70 | 67 | 67 | 67 | 271 | -17 | 168000 |
| 2000 | T2 | 71 | 68 | 67 | 68 | 274 | -14 | 264000 |
| 1999 | 1 | 68 | 71 | 62 | 65 | 266 | -22 | 486000 |
| 1998 | T3 | 71 | 66 | 68 | 205 | -11 | 109200 | |
| Average | 69.81 | 68.69 | 69.27 | 69.15 | 69.23 | -11.3 | 406805.88 | |
| Total $ | 6, 915, 700 |
Only two players have won a single event eight times on the PGA TOUR: Sam Snead and Tiger Woods.
Most PGA TOUR Victories in a Single Event All-Time
| Player | Event | # of Wins |
| Sam Snead | Wyndham Championship | 8 |
| Tiger Woods | WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational | 8 |
| Tiger Woods | Arnold Palmer Invitational | 8 |
| Tiger Woods | Farmers Insurance Open | 7 |
| Tiger Woods | WGC-Mexico Championship | 7 |
The Farmers Insurance Open is one of four PGA TOUR events Woods has won seven or more times.
Tiger Woods: Most Wins By Tournament
| Tournament | # of Wins |
| WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational | 8 |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | 8 |
| Farmers Insurance Open | 7 |
| WGC-Mexico Championship | 7 |
| the Memorial Tournament | 5 |
When Woods won the 2013 Farmers Insurance Open, he became the first player in TOUR history to win on the same golf course eight times, including his U.S. Open victory.
Most Victories at One Course PGA TOUR All-Time
| Wins | Player | Course | Years |
| 8 | Tiger Woods | Torrey Pines GC | 1999, 2003, 2005-08, 2013 Farmers; 2008 U.S. Open |
| 8 | Tiger Woods | Bay Hill Club & Lodge | 2000-03, 2008-09, 2012-13 Arnold Palmer Invitational |
| 8 | Tiger Woods | Firestone CC (South) | 1999-2001, 2005-07, 2009, 2013 WGC-FedEx St. Jude Inv. |
No player has more wins in the state of California (since 1997) than Woods.
Most Wins in State of California PGA TOUR Since 1997
| Player | # of Wins |
| Tiger Woods | 14 |
| Phil Mickelson | 11 |
| Brandt Snedeker | 4 |
| Bubba Watson | 4 |
Woods won his next start after each of his first two titles at the TOUR Championship. After winning the 1999 TOUR Championship, Woods won in a playoff over Miguel Angel Jimenez in the 1999 WGC-Mexico Championship (held at Valderrama GC). Following his 2007 TOUR Championship victory, Woods won the 2008 Farmers Insurance Open by eight shots.
Tournament Results Following TOUR Championship Victories
| Result | |
| 1999 TOUR Championship | Win |
| Next Start: 1999 WGC-Mexico Championship | Win |
| 2007 TOUR Championship | Win |
| Next Start: 2008 Farmers Insurance Open | Win |
| 2018 TOUR Championship | Win |
| Next Start: 2019 Farmers Insurance Open | ?? |
Additional Player Notes: Farmers Insurance Open
Justin Rose
- The World No. 1 has top-10s in his last two starts at the Farmers Insurance Open (T8/2018, T4/2017)
- Is making his 10th career start in the Farmers Insurance Open
- Finished T34 at last week’s Desert Classic, his second start of the season following a third-place showing in the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions
- Won the 2017-18 FedExCup by a margin of 41 points over Tiger Woods
Xander Schauffele
- The Scripps Ranch High School and San Diego State University alum is No. 1 in the FedExCup standings and No. 6 in the Official World Golf Ranking after two wins this season
- Attempting to become the first player since Dustin Johnson in 2016-17 to win in three straight starts
- Defeated Tony Finau in a one-hole playoff at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions
- Closed with a final-round 62 to erase a five-shot deficit at the Sentry Tournament of Champions
- Has never made a cut in three starts in the Farmers Insurance Open
Jon Rahm
- Has top-10s in both starts in the calendar year, including solo-sixth at last week’s Desert Classic
- Won his first career PGA TOUR title at the 2017 Farmers Insurance Open
- In November, won the Hero World Challenge for his sixth worldwide victory
Rory McIlroy
- Making his first-ever start in the Farmers Insurance Open
- Finished T4 in his most recent TOUR start at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, his first time competing in that event
Tony Finau
- Is making his first start of the calendar year and fourth of the season
- Lost in a playoff to Xander Schauffele at the WGC-HSBC Champions in the fall
- Has two top-six finishes in last two starts at the Farmers Insurance Open (T6/2018, T4/2017)
- Has never missed a cut in four starts at Torrey Pines
- Finished sixth in the final 2017-18 FedExCup standings
Rickie Fowler
- Is making his first start of the calendar year and third of the season
- In two starts in the fall, finished T4 in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open and T16 at the Mayakoba Golf Classic
- This marks his 10th start in the Farmers Insurance Open
- Has missed the cut the last three years at the Farmers Insurance Open
Patrick Reed
- The reigning Masters champion will make his fourth start of the season
- Finished T7 in his season debut at the WGC-HSBC Champions and most recently, T13 at the Sony Open in Hawaii
- Is making his fourth start in the Farmers Insurance Open; best result: T23/2018
Marc Leishman
- Is No. 3 in the FedExCup standings on the strength of three top-four performances in four starts this season: CIMB Classic (won), Sentry Tournament of Champions (T4) and Sony Open in Hawaii (T3)
- Has four top-10s in 10 previous starts at the Farmers Insurance Open including a T8 in 2018; Has two T2s (2010 and 2014)
Jordan Spieth
- Is playing the Farmers Insurance Open for the first time since 2015; Only made cut in three previous starts was a T19 in 2014
- Made his professional debut on TOUR at the 2013 Farmers insurance Open
- Has missed cuts in his last two starts on TOUR: Sony Open in Hawaii, Mayakoba Golf Classic
Notable Exemptions
- Viktor Hovland (amateur) – The reigning U.S. Amateur champion (Pebble Beach) will make his second PGA TOUR start of the season after missing the cut at the Mayakoba Golf Classic in the fall. Hovland is a junior at Oklahoma State and is from Norway.
- Braden Thornberry – The 2017 NCAA champion will make his professional debut. A member of the Web.com Tour, Thornberry finished T4 at the FedEx St. Jude Classic in 2017.
- Doug Ghim – Ghim will make his third PGA TOUR start of the season after two starts in the fall. Last week, he finished T45 in his first start on the Web.com Tour at The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic.
Past champions in the Farmers Insurance Open Field (7):
| Jason Day | 2018, 2015 |
| Jon Rahm | 2017 |
| Brandt Snedeker | 2016, 2012 |
| Scott Stallings | 2014 |
| Tiger Woods | 2013, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2003, 1999 |
| Ben Crane | 2010 |
| Nick Watney | 2009 |
Farmers Insurance Open Preview via PGA TOUR
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