2017 Farmers Insurance Open Preview

The big story heading into the 2017 Farmers Insurance Open is the official return of Tiger Woods to the PGA TOUR.  Woods committed to the tournament last week, and it will be his first official tournament of the 2016-2017 PGA TOUR.

Other top names expected to play in the tournament is Jason Day, the number one ranked player in the world, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and the red hot Hideki Matsuyama.

The last time Tiger played in a competitive tournament was the Hero World Challenge, which is not an official PGA TOUR event.  Woods has not played an official PGA TOUR event since the 2015 Wyndham Championship.

The Torrey Pines South Course is home to the Farmers Insurance Open, where Tiger Woods has won eight times over the years.  His last victory at Torrey Pines came in 2013, a year in which Tiger won five times and was named PGA TOUR Player of the Year.

Jason Day is set to play in his second tournament on this year’s PGA TOUR.  Day shot -13 under par in his first tournament of the year, the SBS Tournament of Champions.  

Although Jason has been out of competitive golf for several months due to long-standing problems with his back, Day finished the SBS ToC tied for 12th, while Justin Thomas, one of the PGA TOUR’s brightest young stars, ran away with the tournament by finishing with a -22 under par 270.  Day enters the Farmers Insurance Open as the number one golfer in the world.

After two hernia surgeries late in 2016, Phil Mickelson will make his 2016-2017 PGA TOUR debut at the Farmers Insurance Open.  Torrey Pines in La Jolla, California is a hometown golf course for Mickelson, who serves an unofficial role as ambassador of the tournament.

Mickelson has won the tournament three times during his illustrious career, but he will face some of the top players in the world that also include Rickie Fowler, Brandt Snedeker and Justin Rose.

There is plenty of hype surrounding the return of Tiger Woods.  Although Woods has spent most of his career dealing with hype and the media, this go around could bring unparalleled hype as golf fans around the world hope Tiger can return to his previous form.  

Tiger has a long way to go before he can ever reach the unprecedented bar he once set, and that pressure to return to those levels could cause Woods to deal with a new kind of fan and media scrutiny.  It’s common knowledge that Tiger has not won a tournament in over three years, and he has not won a major since 2008.  Fans should expect it to take some time before Woods returns to form, let alone a return to the winner’s circle.

Cover Image via Flickr