Fantasy Golf Sleeper Report – 2023 Farmers Insurance Open

2023 Farmers Insurance Open Fantasy Sleeper Report

With a formline of 1-1-8-1-4-1-2 around the globe, you can forgive Jon Rahm for feeling pretty rankled that he isn’t ranked number one in the world.

Whether that’s what put the fuel on his fire at the American Express last week we can only guess, but the California Swing generally heralds good times for Rahm and he added another West Coast title to his collection at PGA West.

Embed from Getty Images

A word should go to Davis Thompson, who proved to be a very worthy adversary in just his seventh start on the PGA TOUR. He will remain available at long odds despite his second-place finish last week, so expect the 23-year-old to feature in this column in the near future.

To send shockwaves down the spine of his opponents, Rahm is already a two-time winner at Torrey Pines, the host venue for the Farmers Insurance Open this week, and with motivation abounding it wouldn’t be a surprise if he makes it a hat-trick. The likes of Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Will Zalatoris and Justin Thomas are among those most likely to put up a strong challenge.

We certainly expect a classier sort to get the W in La Jolla, anyway. The Farmers trophy contains the names List, Reed, Leishman, Rose, Day and Rahm, and that is a collection of players that bring ball-striking purity and/or recovery game magnificence to the table.

Given that Torrey Pines South, which hosts 54 holes this week (the South is on rotation for one of the first two rounds), measures more than 7,700 yards long, with narrow fairways and smaller-than-average greens, you won’t be amazed to learn that scrambling and chipping are also of importance.

And so finding an all-round class act at odds of 50/1 or greater becomes something of a challenge, although it’s interesting that we make the switch to Poa Annua greens – that can be a real point of difference.

Poa greens tend to be slower and bumpier than other grasses, and so the advantage of the usual putting merchants is somewhat nullified. Also, Californians and Canadians also have a natural advantage in these conditions, so that’s something to consider.

We’re expecting a cool and windy week in La Jolla, and that could also be a leveller. So, we can back a handful of sleeper plays and hope Rahm doesn’t rampage once more at his favorite course….he’s our quintet of picks for the Farmers Insurance Open.

You must be a Premium Member to view our exclusive fantasy golf picks.

Already a member?  Sign in Here.

Want more of this week’s fantasy predictions? Check out our full fantasy preview for the Farmers Insurance Open here.

Sleeper Report Predictions This Season (2022-2023)

Cover photo via Instagram