Farmers Insurance Open Winners and History

Farmers Insurance Open Winners and History

The Farmers Insurance Open is one of a triumvirate of tournaments on the West Coast Swing once associated with Hollywood Royalty—Bob Hope, Andy Williams and Bing Crosby. Crosby’s Clambake now is the AT&T National Pro-Am, the Hope is now the “Career Builder-Clinton,” and Andy Williams’ tournament now is the Farmers Insurance Open.

Crooner Andy Williams (Born Free, Moon River) was the celebrity host of the tournament from 1968 to 1988, under a variety of sponsor names. Before that, the event was the San Diego Open.

Williams’ immense popularity helped to cement the San Diego Open / Andy Williams Open / Farmers Insurance Open on the golf schedule. Prior to Williams lending his name to the tournament, the San Diego Open moved around quite a bit. Once Williams was associated with it however, it landed at Torrey Pines, where it remains to this day.

Williams had 18 gold and 2 platinum records. His television variety show ran from 1962 to 1971. He hosted the Grammy awards show a record 13 times. Williams, a lifelong golfer, died in 2012 at age 84.

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The San Diego Open was played at the San Diego Country Club from 1952 – 1953, then moved to the Rancho Sana Fe Club in Rancho Santa Fe, California. It moved to Mission Valley Country Club in 1955, and stayed there until 1961, with a one year stop over at the Singing Hills Country Club in El Cajon, California. It’s also been played at the Mission Valley Country Club (which subsequently changed its name to the Stardust Country Club and then to the Riverwalk Golf Club.).

The tournament moved to Torrey Pines in 1968, and has stayed there ever since. There actually are two courses at Torrey Pines, and the first 36 holes are split between the North and South Courses. The weekend rounds are played on the South.

Buick became the tournament’s sponsor in 1992 and continued in that role until 2009, when the auto industry meltdown and subsequent government bailout of GM made sponsoring a golf tournament unseemly. Farmers Insurance stepped up and became the sponsor in 2010.

As an aside, when I played Torrey Pines a couple of years ago, the locals told me that they thought the North was actually the better of the two for amateurs—and prettier. I played the South anyway.

During his career, Tiger Woods absolutely owned the tournament, having won a record seven times there: 1999, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2013. That doesn’t include his epic 2008 US Open victory at Torrey Pines. Native son Phil Mickelson has won there three times: 1993, 2000 and 2001. Two Time winners include Tommy Bolt, Arnold Palmer, Steve Pate, JC Snead and Tom Watson.

A list of Farmers Insurance Open Winners follows:

Year	Player	Score	To par	Margin
Farmers Insurance Open
2024	Matthieu Pavon	275	-13	1 shot
2023	Max Homa	275	-13	2 shots
2022	Luke List	273	-15	Playoff
2021	Patrick Reed	274	-15	5 strokes
2020	Marc Leishman	273	-15	1 stroke
2019	Justin Rose	267	-21	2 strokes
2018	Jason Day (2)	278	−10	Playoff
2017	Jon Rahm	275	−13	3 strokes
2016	Brandt Snedeker (2)	282	−6	1 stroke
2015	Jason Day	279	−9	Playoff
2014	Scott Stallings	279	−9	1 stroke
2013	Tiger Woods (7)	274	−14	4 strokes
2012	Brandt Snedeker	272	−16	Playoff
2011	Bubba Watson	272	−16	1 stroke
2010	Ben Crane	275	−13	1 stroke
Buick Invitational
2009	Nick Watney	277	−11	1 stroke
2008	Tiger Woods (6)	269	−19	8 strokes
2007	Tiger Woods (5)	273	−15	2 strokes
2006	Tiger Woods (4)	278	−10	Playoff
2005	Tiger Woods (3)	272	−16	3 strokes
2004	John Daly	278	−10	Playoff
2003	Tiger Woods (2)	272	−16	4 strokes
2002	José María Olazábal	275	−13	1 stroke
2001	Phil Mickelson (3)	269	−19	Playoff
2000	Phil Mickelson (2)	270	−18	4 strokes
1999	Tiger Woods	266	−22	2 strokes
1998	Scott Simpson	204*	−12	Playoff
1997	Mark O’Meara	275	−13	2 strokes
1996	Davis Love III	269	−19	2 strokes
Buick Invitational of California
1995	Peter Jacobsen	269	−19	4 strokes
1994	Craig Stadler	268	−20	1 stroke
1993	Phil Mickelson	278	−10	4 strokes
1992	Steve Pate (2)	200*	−16	1 stroke
Shearson Lehman Brothers Open
1991	Jay Don Blake	268	−20	2 strokes
Shearson Lehman Hutton Open
1990	Dan Forsman	275	−13	2 strokes
1989	Greg Twiggs	271	−17	2 strokes
Shearson Lehman Hutton Andy Williams Open
1988	Steve Pate	269	−19	1 stroke
Shearson Lehman Brothers Andy Williams Open
1987	George Burns	266	−22	4 strokes
1986	Bob Tway	204*	−12	Playoff
Isuzu-Andy Williams San Diego Open
1985	Woody Blackburn	269	−19	Playoff
1984	Gary Koch	272	−16	Playoff
1983	Gary Hallberg	271	−17	1 stroke
Wickes-Andy Williams San Diego Open
1982	Johnny Miller	270	−18	1 stroke
1981	Bruce Lietzke	278	−10	Playoff
Andy Williams- San Diego Open Invitational
1980	Tom Watson (2)	275	−13	Playoff
1979	Fuzzy Zoeller	282	−6	5 strokes
1978	Jay Haas	278	−10	3 strokes
1977	Tom Watson	269	−19	5 strokes
1976	J. C. Snead (2)	272	−16	1 stroke
1975	J. C. Snead	279	−9	Playoff
1974	Bobby Nichols	275	−13	1 stroke
1973	Bob Dickson	278	−10	1 stroke
1972	Paul Harney	275	−13	1 stroke
1971	George Archer	272	−16	3 strokes
1970	Pete Brown	275	−13	Playoff
1969	Jack Nicklaus	284	−4	1 stroke
1968	Tom Weiskopf	273	−15	1 stroke
San Diego Open Invitational
1967	Bob Goalby	269	−15	1 stroke
1966	Billy Casper	268	−16	4 strokes
1965	Wes Ellis	267	−17	Playoff
1964	Art Wall, Jr.	274	−6	2 strokes
1963	Gary Player	270	−14	1 stroke
1962	Tommy Jacobs	277	−7	Playoff
1961	Arnold Palmer (2)	271	−13	1 stroke
1960	Mike Souchak	269	−19	1 stroke
1959	Marty Furgol	274	−14	1 stroke
1958	No toury – moved from Nov. to Jan.
1957	Arnold Palmer	271	−17	1 stroke
Convair- San Diego Open
1956	Bob Rosburg	270	−18	2 strokes
1955	Tommy Bolt (2)	274	−14	2 strokes
San Diego Open
1954	Gene Littler (a)	274	−14	4 strokes
1953	Tommy Bolt	274	−14	3 strokes
1952	Ted Kroll	276	−12	3 strokes
* 54 holes