Farmers Insurance Open: Jon Rahm eyes another title, can finally retake No. 1 ranking at Torrey Pines
All eyes are on Jon Rahm this week as he returns to San Diego to try to win a third straight PGA Tour event and a fifth in his past seven starts.
Come Saturday night, Rahm can finally retake the top spot in the Official World Golf rankings — something he somehow hasn’t done yet, despite what has been an incredible stretch of golf.
Here’s everything you need to know for the Farmers Insurance Open.
Tournament Basics
Farmers Insurance Open
January 25-28
Torrey Pines Golf Course | San Diego, CA
Par 72 | 7,765 yards
Purse: $8.7 million/$1.566 million
FedExCup points for winner: 500
Betting favorite, via BetMGM: Jon Rahm (+450)
Last time out: Luke List wins in playoff
It took an extra hole, but Luke List secured his first career PGA Tour win last season at Torrey Pines.
List, after starting the final round 5 shots back of the leaders, beat Will Zalatoris in a playoff to win the 2022 Farmers Insurance Open. He posted a final-round 66 and had to wait almost two hours for the playoff to even start to get the win.
That tournament ended up being the highlight for List in what was otherwise a pretty rough season. He closed out the year missing the cut in five of his last seven starts and finished inside the top 10 just two other times.
Jon Rahm ready for quick turnaround
With the Farmers Insurance Open starting on a Wednesday, that doesn’t leave those who played in last week's The American Express much time to reset.
Rahm, however, is here for the quick turnaround — and it's easy to see why.
Rahm enters this week as the betting favorite once again in San Diego, where he’s coming off his fourth win in his past six starts. And Torrey Pines, where he won the 2021 U.S. Open and got his first career Tour win, feels like the perfect spot for him.
“It's very nice that if I'm going to have the short turnaround after a win after a tough Sunday, coming to a golf course or golf courses that I've had a lot of success and a lot of positive, positive memories at, right?” Rahm said Tuesday. “It's always refreshing to come here, and I love this tournament so much that every time I come I have that extra motivation to hopefully win it again.”
Rahm can finally retake No. 1 in the world rankings this week a number of ways, starting with a win. Depending on how Rory McIlroy does on the DP World Tour, Rahm could finish as low as solo third and still get the top spot.
It’s not just Rahm who feels confident about his game. Justin Thomas, coming off an extended break and his wedding earlier this month, sees it from him, too.
“I would clearly say whatever Jon Rahm's game is is pretty good for Torrey Pines,” Thomas said Tuesday. “It seems like that's — not that his game is bad for any course, but seems like he does all right around this place.”
Xander Schauffele’s back seems fine
Earlier this month, Schauffele withdrew from the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii due to a back injury.
After seeing what he did Sunday with his wild albatross, it’s safe to say he’s back to his old self.
Schauffele drained his approach from 225 yards out Sunday at The American Express for a rare double-eagle, which helped propel him to a third-place finish.
ALBATROSS FOR XANDER!@XSchauffele holes out from 225 yards to move to 18-under @TheAmexGolf 🔥 pic.twitter.com/TLGu90jdIN
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 22, 2023
“I'd say I'm always going to feel like I'm 100 percent. It's probably a little tired,” he said Tuesday of his back. “Didn't do a whole lot of golf since Maui. Even leading up I had the little hiccup at Bahamas is kind of where the whole back thing started. And then Maui was unfortunate, one of my favorite spots of the year and then just not a whole lot of golf.
“So I feel great, but if I had to feel like I was swinging as hard as I could off of every tee, I'd probably get pretty tired soon. It's just, like, a golf thing. You start playing more golf, you start walking around, you start swinging more, you'll get in the swing of things.”
