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Joe Nicely breaks down the FanDuel DFS lineup picks for the 2022 Farmers Insurance Open. Daily fantasy golf advice on under-owned golfers and who to avoid for your lineups.
Hello RotoBaller PGA crew! It's great to be back with you guys and I appreciate you joining us here at RotoBaller for your PGA DFS research. Some consider the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines to be the first real event of the year. Can't wait to dive in!
In this article, we'll discuss some of the standout PGA DFS plays available on FanDuel for the Farmers. While it's impossible to hit on every player, we'll touch on some different plays across all price ranges, breaking the groups down into "High", "Mid", and "Low" price options that are worth considering.
Like always, the purpose of this piece is to help you put together your optimal daily fantasy golf lineups for FanDuel, whether that be from a GPP perspective or a cash-game mentality. Be sure to also read all of our other top-notch weekly PGA DFS and betting articles to help you win big!
Farmers Insurance Open - PGA DFS Overview
The Course: Torrey Pines
South Course: Par 72 - 7,765 Yards, Greens: Poa Annua, Designed By: William Bell
North Course: Par 72 - 7,258, Greens: Bent w/ Poa, Designed By: William Bell
While nothing like last week's American Express, we are again faced with rotating courses this week. Over the first two rounds, players will play once on Torrey Pines South and once on Torrey Pines North. Those that make the cut will finish out the weekend on the South course, the more famous and difficult of the two.
The South Course hosted last year's U.S. Open if that gives you any indication as to its quality. While we won't see U.S. Open-tough conditions this week, the two courses are vastly different with the North playing much easier than the difficult South.
Players will need to take advantage of their round on the North and survive the South in order to play on the weekend. The cut line is often around even or a few shots over par. Players that make the cut will play both weekend rounds on the South course and it can be brutal. Even with a non-U.S. Open setup it is long and mean with thick rough. The South course will test every facet of a player's tee-to-green game. This will send me toward targeting players with complete games rather than a specific strength with an emphasis on golfers that have a history of performing well on tough courses.
For an in-depth breakdown of this week's course, check out RotoBaller's PGA Premium Course Breakdown by Josh Bennett!
Let's Look At The Stats
| Stat | Torrey Pines (South) | Tour Average |
| Driving Distance | 285.2 | 282 |
| Driving Accuracy | 52% | 62% |
| GIR Percentage | 62% | 65% |
| Scrambling Percentage | 51% | 57% |
| Average Three-Putts Per Round | 0.73 | 0.55 |
Key Stats
- Total Driving
- Driving Distance
- SG: T2G
- SG: Approach
- SG: Putting (Poa Annua)
- Scrambling
Fantasy Golf Lineup Picks for FanDuel (PGA DFS)
We have tons of great weekly PGA articles, DFS analysis, tools and DFS advice. Be sure to read our other fantastic articles regarding this week's event including DFS lineup picks for DraftKings/FanDuel, betting advice and DFS prop picks.
High-Priced FanDuel DFS Plays
Jon Rahm ($12,200)
If you read much PGA DFS content this week, you're probably going to see Jon Rahm's name come up a lot. It's with good reason. Rahm is currently the top-ranked player in the world and his track record at Torrey Pines is second to none.
He heads to Torrey as the defending U.S. Open champion (it was played on Torrey Pines South Course) and with an elite Farmers resume that includes a victory and three top-seven finishes since 2017. The Spaniard is the only player teeing it up this week that possesses a career sub-70 scoring average (69.45) in this event. If you are spending up on this slate, he's worth every penny.
Xander Schauffele ($11,900)
The La Jolla native grew up playing much of his high school golf at Torrey Pines. Despite his extreme familiarity with the layout, Xander Schauffele initially struggled in his hometown event as a professional, missing the cut in four of his first five career Farmers starts.
However, Schauffele seems to have fixed whatever glitch was in the matrix for him at Torrey, as he notched a runner-up in last year's Farmers and a T7 at the 2021 U.S. Open. Xander gained a combined 18 strokes T2G in his two 2021 starts at Torrey (Farmers & U.S. Open), a mark that exceeds even Jon Rahm's combined total of 16.2, as well as anyone else's that is teeing it up this week.
Tony Finau ($11,100)
This lengthy Torrey layout seems to be tailor-made for Tony Finau's game. He's posted a mind-boggling four top-six finishes at the Farmers since 2017 and has never finished outside the top-25 in seven career starts in the event. Finau's 70.32 event scoring average trails only Jon Rahm among those with two or more Farmers starts.
His two 2022 starts haven't produced great finishes (T19 Sentry Toc & T40 AmEx), but he's gained strokes T2G, OTT, and on Approach in each, which indicates his form is rock-solid as he heads to one of his favorite events on the schedule.
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Mid-Priced FanDuel DFS Plays
Will Zalatoris ($10,600)
I featured Will Zalatoris in this article last week and he came through with a huge T6 outing at the AmEx. While Zalatoris carried little ownership on last week's slate, I expect he'll garner more attention for the Farmers. He posted a T7 in the event last year and has the skill set needed to handle the lengthy 7,700-yard behemoth that is Torrey South.
In his brief career, Willie Z has already displayed a penchant for handling "big ballparks". Among some of his most impressive performances are a T2 at Augusta National, and top-10s at both Winged Foot and Kiawah Island. He finished his rookie season on the PGA Tour ranked 23rd in Driving Distance and ninth in SG: T2G. A second-round 62 at the AmEx last week indicates the 25-year-old heads to Torrey with his game firing on all cylinders.
Ryan Palmer ($9,700)
The veteran has been around the Torrey block a few times in his career and has historically thrived on one of the toughest tracks on the PGA Tour schedule. Palmer has logged a pair of runner-up finishes at the Farmers since 2017 and hasn't finished worse than T21 in any of his last four starts in the event.
Despite being 45-years-old, Palmer finished the 2020-21 season ranked 38th on the PGA Tour in Driving Distance. That sneaky length off the tee has enabled him to successfully navigate Torrey's South & North courses, which rewards excellence in total driving. In addition to his strong course history, the Texan comes into this year's edition in sharp form. Palmer has gained strokes T2G, OTT, and on Approach in each of his last three starts.
Low-Priced FanDuel DFS Players
Lanto Griffin ($9,400)
Lanto Griffin might seem an odd fit for Torrey Pines on the surface, but his track record on the California layout speaks volumes. Over his last three Farmers appearances, Griffin has recorded a T7 and a T12, not to mention a T35 in last year's U.S. Open at Torrey South.
The former journeyman has quietly put together a nice stretch of golf lately. He's coming in off a T3 at the AmEx last week and recorded a pair of top-seven results during the Swing Season. Distance isn't really a notable part of his game, but Griffin has thrived on lengthy golf courses and ranks 16th in this week's stacked field in SG: T2G on layouts measuring over 7,400 yards.
Brandt Snedeker ($8,900)
As we dip below $9k on this week's salary scale, Brandt Snedeker is a clear standout thanks to his pristine history and the Farmers, as well as his surprising burst of recent form. Sneds is a two-time Farmers winner and has also posted four additional top-five finishes across his 15 career starts in this event.
He holds a 70.48 career scoring average in the Farmers (the third-best among those in this week's field). The Vandy alum comes to Torrey off an impressive T14 outing in the AmEx, an event in which he led the field in Driving Accuracy for the week.
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