X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

2024 Farmers Insurance Open Power Rankings: Top 10 Golfers To Watch At Torrey Pines

Joe Idone (@TourPicks) ranks his top 10 golfers ahead of the 2024 Farmers Insurance Open. Who are the top PGA Tour golfers at this week's Farmers? Which golfers can win the tournament at Torrey Pines in San Diego, CA when the event tees off January 24, 2024?

We have another fantastic field once again set to take on the dual course setup at Torrey Pines for the Farmers Insurance Open. The first two days, players will rotate between the much more scoreable North Course and the brute that is the South Course, which will be played solely on the weekend by all players who make the cut this week.

In this article, you will find my TourPicks Top 10 Power Rankings for The Farmers Insurance Open, which provides a first look at the players who I believe are primed to make a significant impact and play well next week. It should come as no surprise that many of the players listed below are favorites next week, but I put some serious thought into who I believe the course and event set up best for based on stats, course history, and, of course, motivational narratives.

I hope that these rankings will become a staple in your weekly preparation and the place where you start your research for the week. I have carefully evaluated each player in the field to project course fits and expected results in an attempt to give you a glimpse at how my brain operates when it comes to handicapping professional golf. In addition to my Top 10 rankings, I will provide a brief summary for each player to give some reasoning behind their rankings. As always, thank you for your support and I hope you can put these rankings into proper use for The Farmers Insurance Open.

Featured Promo: Get any DFS Premium Bundle for for 30% off using code WIN! Win more with expert advice from proven winners and exclusive DFS tools. Get instant access to RotoBaller's Lineup Optimizers, Research Stations, daily picks and VIP chat rooms across 10 sports! Go Premium, Win More!

 

#10. Tony Finau

Dating back to the year 2017, Tony Finau has been a consistent plug-and-play anytime you get to the Farmers. Since 2017, Finau has five different top-9 finishes at Torrey Pines which includes a T2 in 2021 that slipped away. The main reason he is NOT in the top five rankings this week is because of the deterioration of his Driver which was long a weapon for Finau, coupled with the disaster that has been his putting.

Before the Amex, he has lost strokes putting in five consecutive starts and more surprisingly lost strokes to the field Off The Tee in four of those five starts. As shown by his long-term course history, this is the type of golf course where you typically want to back Finau. He gained 3.6 strokes OTT last year at this event and putting level to the field, netting him a T9 finish. He understands the formula and the test, it is just all about execution for Big Tony.

 

#9. Ludvig Aberg

After consecutive perplexing starts at golf courses that did not accentuate his prowess in this young player's game, Torrey Pines and Ludvig Aberg might just be a match made in heaven. The South Course in particular is a big-boy ballpark, featuring long, repeated, and monotonous fairways that look like thin strips of bacon from the drone shots. BetTheNumber golf predicts that 14 holes will be Driver holes, and hitting it 20 yards longer than field average is worth 2.1 strokes per round at Torrey Pines!

Ludvig has of course never played this event and I expect his pricing and odds could be tempered a bit considering his below-average starts in Hawaii where he managed to finish just T30 and T47. He can really step on the gas at Torrey, and his ability to hit it longer and straighter than almost anyone in the field should land him firmly in contention.

 

#8. Jason Day

If you are looking for another course history stud who has been slightly more consistent than Finau, I have your guy. It's Jason Day. He has 2 wins at this event since 2014 and has posted a grand total of six top-7 finishes in the last 10 years at this very event. After a top-10 at the Sentry and another solid performance at The Amex, he looks primed for a big year and his eyes should certainly light up heading back to Torrey Pines.

Day's putting on the greens at Torrey Pines is just special. He's gained nearly 15 strokes putting at this event over the past five seasons. Day has been surging lately looking to reconnect with some of the form that made him the #1 player in the world at one point, and a win at Torrey Pines would absolutely put him squarely back on a path to greatness.

 

#7. Min Woo Lee

Chef Min Woo has been cooking and showing no signs of putting the spatulas down any time soon! Once he completes enough rounds to have his stats officially recognized by the PGA Tour, they will show he is one of the longest hitters in the game with somewhat ridiculous ball speed numbers given his size. During the first two rounds of the American Express, Lee averaged over 330 yards in Driving Distance which ranked 1st in the field.

Torrey Pines should present a wonderful landscape for his game. This will mark his debut at the Farmers, but expectations will be extremely high after another nice showing in the desert last week. A rapid ascension up the OWGR ranks has taken place over the past 6 months, and a win at Torrey Pines could continue to throw gas on the fire. I'm excited to see more of Min Woo Lee on the PGA Tour this season, and let this man cook!

 

#6. Sungjae Im

I will rinse and repeat my take from last week's article on Sungjae Im...the win is coming soon. Through the first three rounds at The American Express, he made 21 birdies. This came just two weeks after blistering Kapalua at The Sentry to break the PGA Tour record for birdies in a tournament with 34! He's back and locked in with his irons, giving himself as many looks at birdie as anyone in the field.

Sungjae has also been excellent at Torrey Pines the past 2 years, finishing 6th in 2022 and 4th place last season in 2023. The area that has been a bit shaky with Sungjae has been his wedge play of late, particularly from the rough. Fortunately for him, he excels from 175+ yards and that is exactly what Torrey Pines asks a player to do well, over and over again.

 

#5. Justin Thomas

How could you not be pleasantly surprised by the performance of Justin Thomas at the American Express where he made his season debut? Sunday was of course a letdown as he made collasel mistakes on the early par fives which destroyed his chances I believe that most, myself included have high expectations for Thomas in the 2024 season and he'll arrive at Torrey Pines nearly 20 months since his last professional victory which came at Southern Hills when he dramatically won the PGA Championship.

We have also seen definitive signs of life in the areas of the game that hurt Thomas last season. During the Fall swing, he played the Wyndham and the Fortinet which resulted in top-12 finishes and he gained over 3 strokes putting in each of those starts. He then made a start on the European Tour for the Nedbank Challenge where he proceeded to gain over 11.5 strokes with his short game. After a nice week where the irons looked to be dialed in, he's definitely a player to watch at Torrey who is eager to get back to winning big tournaments.

 

#4. Patrick Cantlay

One week ago, Patrick Cantlay was the highest-ranked player in this field. He was just surpassed by Xander Schauffele and in what will likely come with some pushback, I have him ranked #4 this week. I watched Cantlay rather intently at The American Express, and while there were flashes of brilliance, he honestly looked rusty on some rather simple shots. He was also legitimately awful on Sunday, finishing +4 on a day where the course played well under par. The recent results have shown similar inconsistencies, as he has been losing strokes with the putter, a club that was extremely reliable and clutch when he was playing his best.

The California native has never really taken to Torrey. In his three previous stints at The Farmers, he's finished T15, MC, and 51st. While Cantlay often looks stoic and unflappable, I have concerns that some residual negative juju from the Ryder Cup in conjunction with the additional pressures and responsibilities on the Tour Policy Board could be weighing on Cantlay. He can pop at any time with his skill level, but there are three players I like more this week than World #6 Patrick Cantlay.

 

#3. Collin Morikawa

It's hard not to take notice of the obvious positive signs on full display for Collin Morikawa lately. The smooth-swinging, world-class iron player and tempo king has returned. His worst finishing position in his last 4 starts on the PGA Tour is 7th. We, unfortunately, do not have strokes gained data from his win at the ZoZo Championship,  but his performance from Tee to Green at the Sentry was special, gaining 8.5 strokes on the field.

Morikawa has been simply awesome at Torrey Pines, finishing T4 at the US Open held here in 2021 and a solo third-place finish last season at this event. He's essentially tour average in ball speed but he hits nearly 10% more fairways than the rest of the field. Morikawa is able to really leverage that ability at a course like this where they are so tough to hit and the rough can be a legitimate penalty. Do I worry about the putting? Of course, but then I remember Luke List won here so I like his chances.

 

#2. Xander Schauffele

Checking in at the #2 spot on the Power Rankings this week is Xander Shauffele. He played well at the Amex with a top-5 finish after deploying his famous Sunday backdoor finish that will look much better a year from now even though he was never a real threat to win it. The hometown kid has always wanted this trophy though, and I think early on during his career the extra pressure this week was a lot to handle. He missed the cut in four of his first five starts at this tournament.

He finally settled in during the 2021 edition of the Farmers, where he finished in 2nd place while scoring the best on the South Course for the week by a decent margin. He then followed that up with a T7 at the US Open. More recently, Schauffele has just sort of been lingering around leaderboard top-10s without ever feeling in real contention late on a Sunday. That could very well change this week as nobody knows the ins and outs of Torrey Pines quite as well as Schauffele. He literally played this course every single day in High School.

 

#1. Max Homa

Yes, I think Max Homa is going back-to-back. The defending champion won't likely be the favorite on any odds board this week, but I have him #1 in my power rankings and I like his chances better than anyone. Homa rounded sneakily into great form to end last season, playing very well during the Fed Ex Cup Playoffs before being the best player on the United States Ryder Cup squad in Europe.

Home loves himself some California golf, and it likely has much to do with his comfortability on the greens. He won the Farmers last year and finished 2nd at the Genesis Invitations in Los Angeles, gaining a combined 15.8 strokes putting in the 2 starts. Homa has amassed 6 wins on the PGA Tour, and 4 of them have come within the borders of California. His swing has become so smooth and in rhythm since switching to his new coach Mark Blackburn and the only thing left for Max to prove is whether can he perform to his ability in the Majors.

We'll have to wait another couple of months before we get the answer about the Majors, but I feel strongly that he sets up better than any other player in the field to win this week at Torrey Pines. He lapped the field on Sunday last year, proving to himself and golf fans that he can come up big when it matters most.

Thanks again for reading and we'll be back next week with Power Rankings for the signature series edition of Pebble Beach!

 

  Win More With RotoBaller

Win more with expert tools and advice from proven winners! RotoBaller's PGA Premium Packages feature several savvy analysts and proven winners for DFS and betting.

Our very own Joe Nicely took down a big DraftKings DFS tournament for the Travelers Championship. And as an encore, RotoBaller subscriber @tenndolly2 won $100K on FanDuel with the help of Joe and the rest of our Premium PGA team:

Between all the incredible Premium PGA DFS and Betting content and tools we put out each week, and our Premium Slack Community where we chat with our subscribers before lineups lock, RotoBaller PGA subscribers are armed with the tools, analysis, and advice to win more.

Golf DFS News and Player Outlooks


More PGA Analysis and DFS Lineup Picks

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Joe Burrow

Bengals Not Closing the Door on Joe Burrow Returning This Year
CFB

LaNorris Sellers to Play Against Missouri?
Kyle Tucker

Progress has "Plateaued"
Isaac Paredes

has "Outside Chance" to Return This Weekend
CFB

Kaidon Salter Expected To Start for Colorado on Saturday
Willson Contreras

Goes on 10-Day Injured List, Done for Season
Justin Fields

Ruled Out for Week 3 Due to Concussion
Jayden Reed

Out Indefinitely After Foot and Shoulder Surgery
Washington Commanders

Preston Smith Signs With Commanders
Trey Jemison III

Joins Knicks on Two-Way Contract
Kevin McCullar Jr.

Signs New Two-Way Deal With Knicks
Matt Ryan

Returns to Knicks on Exhibit 10 Contract
New York Knicks

Alex Len Signs Exhibit 9 Deal With Knicks
Nickeil Alexander-Walker

Expected to Take on Larger Offensive Role With Hawks
Thomas Sorber

Undergoes Surgery
Dominic Canzone

Has Five-Hit, Three-Homer Game Tuesday
Cal Raleigh

Sets Single-Season Home Run Record for a Switch-Hitter
Jayden Reed

Undergoes Clavicle and Foot Surgeries, Out for Foreseeable Future
Bo Bichette

to Miss Rest of Regular Season
Zach Neto

Placed on 10-Day Injured List With Hand Injury
Yordan Alvarez

Out on Tuesday, Dealing With "Significant" Ankle Sprain
Aaron Jones Sr.

Vikings Place Aaron Jones Sr. on Injured Reserve With Hamstring Injury
CFB

Diego Pavia Refutes Report of Seeking Seventh Collegiate Season
Christian Kirk

Expected to Return in Week 3
CFB

Diego Pavia Seeking Another Year of Eligibility
Tarik Skubal

on Track to Start Thursday
CFB

Kevorian Barnes Questionable Against SMU
Bo Bichette

has Short-Term Knee Injury, Could Return for Postseason
Tosan Evbuomwan

Joins Knicks
NBA

Kai Jones Links Up With EuroLeague Team
Bismack Biyombo

Returns to Spurs
Bones Hyland

Rejoins Timberwolves
Kobe Bufkin

Moves to Brooklyn
Trey Yesavage

Sets Franchise Strikeout Record On Monday
Yordan Alvarez

To Receive MRI For Sprained Left Ankle On Tuesday
Willson Contreras

Exits Early Monday With Right-Biceps Tightness
Yordan Alvarez

Exits With Ankle Sprain
Brock Bowers

Officially Active on Monday Night
Jauan Jennings

Day-to-Day With Ankle Injury
Logan O'Hoppe

Activated Off Seven-Day Injured List
CBJ

Denton Mateychuk Dealing With Groin Issue
Bo Horvat

Fine for Training Camp
Kirby Dach

on Track to Be Ready for Opening Night
Jose Altuve

Returns Against Rangers
J.J. McCarthy

Expected to Miss 2-4 Weeks With High-Ankle Sprain
J.J. McCarthy

Likely Out for Week 3 With High-Ankle Sprain
Jean Silva

Gets Finished For The First Time In His Career
Aaron Jones Sr.

Unlikely to Play in Week 3 Due to Hamstring Injury
Diego Lopes

Returns To The Win Column
Jayden Daniels

' Week 3 Status in Doubt
Rob Font

Outclassed In The Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
David Martinez

Wins His Second UFC Fight
Jared Gordon

Suffers Brutal TKO Loss At Noche UFC 3
Rafa Garcia

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Brian Thomas Jr.

Dealing with Wrist Injury
Dustin Stoltzfus

Drops A Decision At Noche UFC 3
Kelvin Gastelum

Gets Back In The Win Column
Diego Ferreira

Suffers Second-Round TKO
Alexander Hernandez

Extends His Win Streak With A Brutal TKO
Quang Le

Suffers First-Round Knockout
Santiago Luna

Shines In His UFC Debut
Christopher Bell

Earns his First Bristol Cup Series Victory
Alex Bowman

Falls Short of Advancing Through Cup Series Playoffs
Chase Briscoe

Collects his Third Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Ryan Blaney

Strong Top-Five Bristol Performance Advances him to the Playoffs
Corey Heim

Earns his First Career Cup Series Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Leads Greece to Bronze Medal
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Drops 28 Points in EuroBasket Finals
CFB

Indiana's Lee Beebe Jr. Out for Season with Knee Injury
Dennis Schröder

Dennis Schroder Named EuroBasket MVP
Bryce Eldridge

Giants to Promote Bryce Eldridge
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Progressing in Recovery
Jonathan Kuminga

Receives New Offer From Warriors
Kenneth Walker III

Bounces Back with Big Week 2 Performance
Bijan Robinson

Rushes for 143 Yards in Week 2
Justin Fields

Currently in Concussion Protocol
Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals Calling Around to Available Free-Agent Quarterbacks
Joe Burrow

to Undergo Surgery, Out at Least Three Months
Emil Heineman

Aiming to Take the "Next Step" This Season
Braeden Cootes

Good to Go for Camp
Ivan Fedotov

Blue Jackets Acquire Ivan Fedotov From Flyers
Aaron Jones Sr.

Injures Hamstring During Sunday Night Football
Darren Waller

Not Expected to Play in Week 3
Garrett Crochet

Punches Out 12 in Win
Cole Ragans

to Return on Wednesday
George Kirby

Strikes Out 14 in Win
Carlos Estévez

Carlos Estevez Exits with Back Tightness
Quentin Grimes

Still Not Close to a New Contract Agreement
Joel Embiid

"Looking Slender, Spry and in Positive Spirits"
Ty Gibbs

Has Arguably his Best Career Drive, but Only Finishes 10th
Chase Elliott

Despite Crashing Out at Bristol, Chase Elliott Advances to Round of 12
Austin Dillon

Misses Round of 12 After Extremely Mediocre Bristol Run
Shane Van Gisbergen

Shane van Gisbergen Fails to Advance to Round of 12
Josh Berry

Finishes Last in All Three Round of 16 Races to Fail to Advance
CFB

Ryan Williams Explodes In Return To Field
CFB

Drew Allar Plays Mediocre Game In Blowout Win
CFB

LaNorris Sellers Exits Game In Blowout Loss
CFB

DJ Lagway Tosses Five Interceptions In Loss
CFB

Garrett Nussmeier Plays Game Manager in Saturday's Win
CFB

CJ Carr Remains Poised In Narrow Loss
CFB

John Mateer Leads Oklahoma In Rout
CFB

Arch Manning Struggles Against UTEP
CFB

Jeremiah Smith Impresses In Win
CFB

Sam Leavitt Shines As Arizona State Rebounds From Week 2 Loss
Ivan Demidov

Turning Heads in Rookie Camp
NHL

Calvin de Haan Signs With Swedish Team
Samuel Girard

Skates With Non-Contact Jersey
Mackenzie Blackwood

Dealing With Injury Ahead of Training Camp
Spencer Knight

Signs Three-Year Extension With Blackhawks
Chris Buescher

May have Another Solid Run at Bristol
Corey Perry

Out 6-8 Weeks Following Surgery
Kyle Busch

Should DFS Managers Roster Kyle Busch at Bristol?
Ricky Stenhouse Jr

Is Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Too Risky to Consider Rostering at Bristol?
Michael McDowell

Could be A Solid Value Option For Bristol DFS Lineups
Chase Elliott

Probably Won't Factor in for Bristol Win
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Not as Strong at Bristol as Other Short Tracks
Alex Bowman

Needs to Win to Make Round of 12
Ross Chastain

has Never Led at Bristol but Has Been Pretty Consistent
Austin Dillon

Richmond Speed Unlikely to Carry Over to Bristol
Josh Berry

Might Run Well at Bristol, but Almost Certainly Won't Win to Advance
Justin Haley

Bristol One of Justin Haley's Few Recent Bright Spots
CFB

Austin Simmons Listed As Game-Time Decision Against Arkansas
CFB

Nico Iamaleava Struggles In Fourth Straight Loss
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Dealing With a "Tweak"
BUF

Alexandar Georgiev Joins Sabres on One-Year Deal
Corey Perry

Injured During Pre-Camp Skate
CFB

Antonio Williams Out Against Georgia Tech
CFB

CJ Bailey Flashes Again in Win Over Wake Forest
CFB

Jaxson Moi a Game-Time Decision for Tennessee on Saturday
Jean Silva

A Favorite At Noche UFC 3
Diego Lopes

Set For Noche UFC 3 Main Event
Rob Font

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
David Martinez

Set For Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
Rafa Garcia

An Underdog At Noche UFC 3
Jared Gordon

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Dustin Stoltzfus

Looks To Return To The Win Column
Kelvin Gastelum

In Dire Need Of Victory
Diego Ferreira

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Malcolm Brogdon

Heading to Knicks on One-Year Deal
Landry Shamet

Staying with the Knicks
Adam Lowry

Aims for Early-Season Return
P.J. Washington

Officially Signs Contract Extension

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP