It has been exactly one year since Tiger Woods made his last appearance on the PGA Tour. Now he returns with something to prove after a strong performance at the Hero World Challenge. The question on everyone’s mind is which Tiger will we see? For the most part, he’s been a fading commodity over the last few years. Dealing with injuries and Father Time, Woods has looked nothing like the dominant golfer he once was. But he did show well at the Hero World Challenge. Was that just a one-tournament aberration on a fairly easy course? We’ll find out as Woods makes his return at the Farmers Insurance Open, where he missed the cut a year ago.
The 14-time major champion has dominated at Torrey Pines in the past so this could be the perfect venue for him to make his PGA Tour comeback. While he hasn’t won a PGA Tour event since 2013, Woods is among the sports betting favorites to clinch an outright win at this tournament. Here is a look at what to expect at the Farmers Insurance Open this week.
Event Details
Event: Farmers Insurance Open
Category: PGA
Date: January 25-28, 2018
Location: Torrey Pines Golf Course, La Jolla, California
Tiger isn’t the only big name that will compete in this week’s Farmers Insurance Open. Jon Rahm is listed as the sports betting favorite to win the tournament. Meanwhile, Rickie Fowler, Justin Rose, Jason Day and Hideki Matsuyama will all compete at Torrey Pines this week. Rahm dominated here last year and it will be interesting to see if he can put it all together again here in 2018.
Past Five Winners
2017: Jon Rahm -13
2016: Brandt Snedeker -6
2015: Jason Day -9
2014: Scott Stallings -9
2013: Tiger Woods -14
What To Know About The Course
The field will play the South course at Torrey Pines three times and play the recently renovated North course only once. Historically, the North course has played much tougher over the years. The fairways at both courses are hard to hit so Driving Accuracy will be extremely important. Driving Distance is also worth considering when evaluating the field for this week’s event. Meanwhile, the last six winners at this tournament have had an average ranking inside the top-22 in Greens In Regulation. Check out the GIR and DA stats before placing your bets for this week.
The Field
The defending champion Rahm is listed at +700 to win this event outright. Fowler is next in line at +1000, while Rose and Matsuyama are both listed at +1400 odds to win outright. Woods is currently listed at +2200 odds. While he can’t be completely overlooked, he isn’t exactly getting very much value for a golfer that hasn’t even played on the PGA Tour since missing the cut at this event last season. Day is also in the mix at +2200 followed by Marc Leishman at +2500 and Patrick Cantlay at +3000 odds.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Jason Day over Tiger Woods
Day hasn’t won a tournament since 2016, but he has all of the tools to deliver a strong performance at the Farmers Insurance Open this week. First of all, he won here in 2015. Second, his disappointing play over the past couple of months has him listed slightly below Woods in terms of the betting odds. For as interesting as Tiger’s entry in to this event is, it’s hard to imagine him producing better numbers than Day at this tournament. The value is there betting on Day to finish ahead of Woods at Torrey Pines.
Top-Five Pick: Jon Rahm
Rahm secured his first PGA Tour win here a year ago and will be motivated to defend his title with another strong performance this week. The No. 2 ranked golfer in the world appears poised to contend at the highest level this year and a strong performance in California could provide the spark and confidence he needs this season. While he might not win again, Rahm should finish in the top-five at the Farmers Insurance Open this weekend.
2018 Odds To Win Farmers Insurance Open
Jon Rahm +805
Rickie Fowler +1215
Hideki Matsuyama +1415
Justin Rose +1550
Jason Day +1650
Marc Leishman +2050
Tiger Woods +2250
Brian Harman +2550
Tony Finau +3050
Bud Cauley +5050
Patrick Cantlay +3050
Gary Woodland +2050
Brandt Snedeker +3550
Patrick Reed +4550
Phil Mickelson +4550
Cameron Smith +4550
Brendan Steele +4550
Charles Howell III +3550
Shane Lowry +4550
Ollie Schniederjans +4550
Francesco Molinari +5500
Jhonattan Vegas +4550
Kyle Stanley +4550
Xander Schauffele +5500
Charley Hoffman +6050
Anirban Lahiri +10000
Alex Noren +6550
Adam Hadwin +6050
Peter Uihlein +6550
Keegan Bradley +6550
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