Betting: PGA Farmers Insurance Open Preview
Pamela Maldonado breaks down her top picks for the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, California.
Video Transcript
PAMELA MALDONADO: From Hawaii to California, the PGA rolls on over to Torrey Pines for the Farmers Insurance Open. You have two courses over 4 days, Torrey Pines South and Torrey Pines North, both of which are a par 72. And both are over 7,200 yards. The players that I'm looking to target are either bombers who can avoid those fairway hazards or the short game player who can get up and down. Either way, I'm also looking at the player that is really great on poa annua greens. I'm Pam Maldonado, and these are the players that I'm targeting for this week at the Farmers Insurance Open.
Player 1, Jon Rahm, he's a sure shot favorite at 7 to 1 to win this tournament. And I know those odds are low. However, not backing Rahm would be like not backing Novak Djokovic to win the Australian Open. Rahm does lead the field in strokes gained total here at Torrey Pines. He his top 10 in strokes gained putting over the last few seasons, and he is the third best putter over the last two years, with recorded rounds of 20 or more. And pao annua is his best surface. Rahm has been, by far, the best player over the last 12 to 18 months so I have no problem backing him again here in this spot.
If you don't like the 7 to 1 price, however, you could potentially grab Rahm at a better number live after day one. Player 2, Tony Finau, he has the third most strokes gained total here at Torrey Pines. If you look at his last five finishes here at this event, he has four top tens, including a runner-up last year. In back-to-back events this year, Finau has gained strokes ball striking, has been relatively neutral around the green, and even gained strokes putting at the American Express. And poa annua is his best surface.
You can find him at 25 to 1 to win this tournament, but +140 for him to finish in the top 20 is definitely in play.
Player three, Ryan Palmer, he is second in strokes gained total here, behind only Jon Rahm. In his last five starts at the Farmers, he has one missed cut, three top 20s, and the fourth was a T-21, including a runner-up last year. He's not necessarily great around the green. However, Palmer did gain strokes in all categories to finish T-12 at the Sony Open. He's also not the best putter, but poa annua is his best surface, where he has gained strokes in three out of his last five here.
Can Palmer win this event? Maybe not quiet, which is why this is a stacked field, and you have his odds listed at 66 to 1. However, getting 3 to 1 for him to finish in the top 20 is definitely doable. So then Jon Rahm, Tony Finau, and Ryan Palmer are the three players that I like to contend at this week's Farmers Insurance Open. You can find these odds and more at the Yahoo Sportsbook.
