Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – Farmers Insurance Open

Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the Farmers Insurance Open

The Farmers Insurance Open Fantasy Preview

There is just something about The American Express, and its various other guises, that seems to throw up the most unlikely of outcomes.

In 2019, for example, Adam Long won despite a spectacularly poor start to the season – a nice little 500/1 earner for any soothsayers that saw that victory coming.

And you’d have to say that Andrew Landry’s triumph in La Quinta on Sunday was right up there as far as bonkers PGA TOUR wins is concerned.

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How does a player who has five consecutive missed cuts to his name just wake up and win an event like The American Express? Who knows, but the former Texas Open champion had a simple manifesto: make more birdies than anybody else.

And that he did – four more than anybody else, to be precise – to cap a two-shot victory over the fast-finishing Abraham Ancer.

Are we expecting such an unlikely conqueror of Torrey Pines this week? Given that the last four winners here have been Rose, Day, Rahm and Snedeker, perhaps not!

The Torrey Pines South Course tends to sort the men from the boys, and that’s where we’re heading this week for the Farmers Insurance Open.

Last Week’s Fantasy Results

Our top two guys last week were Fowler (T10) and Noren (T14) while Landry ended up running away with it. Fowler, after firing 64-65 in the first two days, closed the weekend a bit disappointingly, going 70-71.

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The Farmers Insurance Open Field

The Farmers Insurance Open has historically felt like the tournament where the PGA TOUR year really gets underway, and the stellar cast that will meet at Torrey Pines is of the highest order.

There’s Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Jon Rahm and Justin Rose, as well as the exciting young bucks Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa and, following last week’s disappointment, Scottie Scheffler.

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The quality keeps on coming in the shape of a pair of two-time champions at Torrey Pines in Jason Day and Brandt Snedeker, while the likes of Hideki Matsuyama, Tony Finau ad Rickie Fowler will be desperate to get another PGA TOUR win on the board.

Sony Open champion Cameron Smith and bad-boy Patrick Reed are also in the mix for what is the first ‘proper’ field of 2020.

This Week’s Course Preview

It’s another split course event in California….albeit this week’s assignment is rather different from The American Express.

I’s more difficult, for one thing, with three rounds played at Torrey Pines South, which is a real test of ball striking.

It’s a relentlessly long stretch at 7,698 for its Par 72, and with thinner-than-average fairways there is a real challenge to consistently find the short grass. With thick rough and plenty of hazards in play, it’s no surprise to learn that Torrey Pines South once played host to a US Open.

The greens are a touch unusual too, in that they are Poa Annua – a strain fairly native to this part of the country on the west coast.

Light relief is provided by the North Course, which the players tackle for one of their opening rounds. The Tom Weiskopf track is much easier than the South – playing as much as two strokes lower, on average, with wider fairways and slick Bentgrass greens that are very receptive.

Weather Forecast for San Diego, CA

La Jolla, a stone’s throw from San Diego, looks set for a cool but dry week ahead.

The sun will be out but look at the temperatures – 64°F does not exactly get the juices flowing, so it will be something of a comedown for those who played last week and in Hawaii.

Barely a drop of rain is expected, with wind speeds of 7-9 mph doing very little to put anybody off.

Last Year’s Results for the Farmers Insurance Open

From the moment he opened up with a round of 63, there was no looking back from Justin Rose as he claimed his tenth PGA TOUR title.

The Englishman led by three after the second and third rounds, and it was always going to take something extraordinary to overturn this prolific champion’s lead.

That said, Rose himself tried his best to throw it away, bogeying three of his opening five holes on Sunday as the likes of Adam Scott and Jon Rahm edged closer.

But the major winner showed his pedigree by rallying, playing his final 12 holes in -5 to secure a two-shot triumph over the Australian.

No Title

In the final round of the 2019 Farmers Insurance Open, Justin Rose was able to hold off a charging Adam Scott, carding a 3-under 69 to get to 21-under for the tournament and two strokes clear of the field for his 10th career PGA TOUR victory.

Where to Play Fantasy Golf for Farmers Insurance Open this Week

The big guns will be taking to the tee in California this week, and so the DFS sites have rolled out some big guns of their own to celebrate!

• PGA $500k King of the Pines: DraftKings has brought back this popular contest, where for $5 players can attempt to win $100k top prize. Fear not if you fall short: the top 100 players all bag at least $100.

• PGA $50k Slice: With a $5k top prize and a minimum of 2x cash for the top 20% of players, there’s plenty to like about this $9 entry contest. An excellent choice for gamers of all budgets.

This Week’s Fantasy Notes for the Farmers Insurance Open

Given the length of the South Course and the combination of thin fairways and tough rough, clearly this is a golf course where outstanding drivers of the ball can thrive.

That is evident in the rollcall of winners here: Tiger Woods (x7), Jason Day (x2), Jon Rahm, Bubba Watson and Justin Rose, who are all behemoths with the big stick when on song.

Classier operators tend to thrive here too, and so that has to be the takeaway point for gamers this week: those who rank nicely for Total Driving and SG: Off-the-Tee, and have a habit of winning, are must-picks.

Those who find the fairway don’t have too much to fear at the business end of holes. These greens are receptive and run quite smoothly too, with little protection or danger. Hit your approaches close or drain some long putts – either is valid.

Unusually, the business end of the holes tends to be easier, with large greens easy enough to find for accurate types with a long iron in hand.

An aside is that going low on the North Course is pretty much a necessity, and that Par 72 layout is there for the taking – especially those who can convert birdies and better on the Par 5s.

There will be some nerves around on the tee on Sunday, and that is once again why we have to be backing proven horses this week in California.

Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the Farmers Insurance Open

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Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2019-2020)

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