This article is part of our Yahoo PGA DFS Picks series.
Farmers Insurance Open
San Diego, California
Torrey Pines (South Course) - Par 72 - 7,765 yards
Torrey Pines (North Course) - Par 72 - 7,258 yards
Field - 156 entrants
Purse - $8.4M
The Preview
A short drive from the Coachella Valley to the Pacific coast of California accompanies a quick turnaround on the PGA Tour, as Torrey Pines plays host to the Farmers Insurance Open from Wednesday through Saturday with NFL conference championships games set to capture the nation's Sunday afternoon spotlight. A 36-hole cut awaits, as the low 65 and ties advance among a full field of 156 entrants. Everyone will at least get one chance to go low on the North Course, which can play several strokes easier while measuring about 500 yards less than its counterpart to the south.
We've seen the emergence of birdie- and even eagle-fests since the start of the Hawaiian Swing earlier this month, but that shouldn't continue on the South Course, where eight holes lend a bogey rate of 21.2 percent or more. Although bombers can get aggressive off the tee, both FIR and GIR percentages fall well below Tour averages here, and long-iron usage is still prevalent from an approach-shot distribution perspective. Scrambling obviously matters when there are so many opportunities for important up-and-down conversions, and in that way Patrick Reed found the winner's circle in 2021.
Recent Champions
2021 - Patrick Reed
2020 - Marc Leishman
2019 - Justin Rose
2018 - Jason Day
2017 - Jon Rahm
2016 - Brandt Snedeker
2015 - Jason Day
2014 - Scott Stallings
2013 - Tiger Woods
2012 - Brandt Snedeker
Key Stats to Victory
SG: Off-the-Tee
Scrambling
Proximity: 175-plus yards
SG: Putting (Poa)
Yahoo Value Picks
Based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Jon Rahm - $50
We transition from last week's putting contest in La Quinta to what may, at least to some, feel like a beast of a setup at Torrey Pines. Rahm won't be one of those, as his elite all-around game consistently shines on the South Course. His Farmers Insurance Open track record includes a 2017 victory followed by results of T29-T5-2-T7 from 2018 to 2021, and he also became a major champion here last year when Torrey Pines hosted the U.S. Open. Rahm still doesn't get enough love for his touch around the greens, as he paces this week's field in both scrambling and bogey avoidance over his last 24 rounds.
Sungjae Im - $40
Bouncing back from a missed cut at Waialae CC, Im tied for 11th at The American Express last week and gained an impressive 8.7 strokes from tee to green in just 36 holes on PGA West's more difficult Stadium Course. Over his past 24 measured rounds, Im ranks first in proximity from 200-plus yards, second in SG: Around-the-Green, third in SG: Off-the-Tee and fourth in GIR percentage. That combination helps propel him to the No. 3 spot in my custom model for the FIO.
Will Zalatoris - $40
A relatively low-rostered Zalatoris provided leverage in DFS contests en route to a T6 finish during his 2022 debut last week, so he should be a bit more popular at Torrey Pines, where he tied for seventh last season. Throughout his last 24 rounds, the 25-year-old is first in GIR percentage, fifth in bogey avoidance and tied for fifth in Prox: 200-plus yards.
Glue Guys
Ryan Palmer - $33
Palmer has been a horse for the course over the past four years, stringing together results of T2-T13-T21-T2 at Torrey Pines since 2018. He is coming off three straight top-30s, most recently tying for 12th at the Sony Open in Hawaii, where he finished third among the field in SG: Off-the-Tee. Across his last eight rounds, Palmer has gained a collective 11.5 strokes from tee to green.
Maverick McNealy - $32
McNealy lost over three strokes putting in one round alone on the South Course to miss the cut at the FIO last year, but he posted top 30s in each of his first two career appearances at this venue. The Stanford product has placed no worse than T27 in four consecutive starts dating back to the ZOZO Championship, and he's gained an average of 3.9 strokes from tee to green per tournament throughout his last five measured events. Over his past 24 rounds, McNealy sits second in SG: Putting on poa, fourth in par-5 efficiency and seventh in Prox: 200-plus.
Cam Davis - $32
Davis, who ended the 2020-21 campaign inside the top 20 on Tour in driving distance, has been able to use his length advantage at Torrey Pines on the way to four straight made cuts since his FIO debut in 2018. Somewhat surprisingly, the Aussie has been on the positive side of both SG: Around-the-Green and SG: Putting in each of his last three starts, and if the trend continues, that would be a first for him at Torrey Pines.
Bargain Bin
Lanto Griffin - $25
Griffin picked up his third top-10 of the season last week at The American Express while gaining strokes in each subcategory. In the process, he ascended to 25th in the early FedExCup Standings. Given the fact that he placed T12 or better in two of three FIO showings, Griffin is sure to draw some attention at this price.
Luke List - $23
There's always the risk of List not being able to make any putts outside two and a half feet on a given day, but he's an underrated scrambler and his ball striking alone makes him an incredible value in this range of players. Over his last 24 rounds, List ranks eighth or better in every single one of the following metrics: SG: T2G, SG: OTT, SG: ARG, Birdie-or-Better percentage, driving distance, GIR percentage, proximity from 175-200 yards and par-5 scoring. List's FIO resume also includes finishes of T10-T36-T40-T12 since 2018.
Francesco Molinari - $20
The California resident surely enjoyed teeing it up in his new home state last week when he tied for sixth at The American Express, marking his best finish on the PGA Tour since the 2019 Masters Tournament. Molinari now returns to the Farmers Insurance Open, where he tied for 10th in 2021 and gained 8.9 strokes from tee to green in three rounds on the South Course. This season, the Italian is top-20 in both overall putting average and one-putt percentage through 198 holes.
