From La Quinta, California, we take a short 80-mile jaunt down to beautiful San Diego for the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. In yet another unique tournament on the West Coast Swing, we will see our 2nd multi-course event of the season. 

The first 36 holes will take place on Torrey Pines North and South, with the final 36 coming on the South course. While over the last few years, this event as shifted dates due to the AFC and NFC Championship games, this year the event will be back to the standard Thursday through Sunday schedule.

Let's dive in!

 

 

The Farmers Insurance Open 2026: Daily Fantasy Golf Picks & Projections

With 147 players teeing it up, this will be quite the show. This event is a favorite of players, as Torrey Pines has such an important history on tour. Being this is one of the few U.S. Open venues to be used for regular tournament play as well, this is a popular early season test for player.

This event will also mark our first non-birdie fest of the year, as the winning score has historically been between -6 and -16, with an average winning score of -12 since 2016, with one outlier season in 2018 with Justin Rose winning with a score of -21. With limited weather, I think we see more on the high end of scoring this week.

 

 

Torrey Pines North and South: Course Breakdown This Week

With yet another multi-course event, we will be looking at both the North and South Course at Torrey Pines this week. Torrey Pines North plays at a much more approachable 7,258 yards, while Torrey Pines South will be playing at 7,765 yards. It’s easy to see why the South course will be used for the post-cut rounds. Both courses feature Kikuyugrass/Ryegrass fairways and rough, as well as Poa annua/ creeping bentgrass greens. Each will be playing at par 72.

At the South course, we see a few key things that stand out when breaking the course down at a statistical level. Compared to your average PGA course, Driving Distance plays a much larger factor here, so this will be included in my model this week. Driving accuracy will come into play here as well, as the long rough is very penal to wayward tee shots. Total driving will be a key stat this week as a result. 

At the North Course, we see much of the same. Driving Distance and Around The Green numbers look to be above tour average, while putting, driving accuracy, and approach all rate out as lesser factors. However, it is important to note that we do not have ShotLink data for Torrey Pines North, so we’re going to take some of this with a grain of salt. Additionally, we will only see 18 holes on this course, and it typically players 2.5 strokes easier than the South Course. This will be the course players want to go low on to ensure their spot on the weekend.

Looking at the key statistics for this week, we will see many carry-overs from other early season events historically. Birdie or Better Percentage, Bogey Avoidance, and Strokes Gained: Approach-to-Green all make a return here given the historical impact of them at these courses. 

We do have new statistics coming into play this week as previously mentioned. Driving Distance plays a much larger role this week, given the length of both courses. With the penal rough throughout the course, SG: Around-the-Green will come into play as well, as well as historical performance out of long roughs. Additionally, we will be looking at Approach from more than 200 yards out. In 2024, nearly 33% of approach shots came from this distance, with the next largest batch coming from the 150-200 range, which made up 38% of shots. This did change in 2025, but that was largely due to the coastal winds picking up for most of the event, leading to more laying up. Even with that in mind, a larger number of approach shots than average were still taken from 225+. Lastly, given the importance of putting and par-5 scoring at these events, we will be factoring in Birdie or Better Percentage on Par-5’s as well as 3 putt avoidance. 

One thing to consider this week is that weather will likely NOT come into play. At the time of writing, we see good temps, minimal winds, and no rain on the forecast. This means the only impact of the weather should be the marine layer for early tee times, making the course play a bit easier as the day progresses.

 

 

Farmers Insurance Open 2026 Field: Golf DFS

As is typical for the Farmers, we see a much stronger field at this venue than we've seen thus far. Xander Schauffele enters as the favorite, and highest ranked player in the OWGR as he currently sits at 6th. J.J. Spaun and Justin Rose join him from the top 10, and 10 others in the top 25 are in the field as well. 2025 champion Harris English and other previous winners will be teeing it up this week as well, with Matthieu Pavon, Max Homa, Luke List, Justin Rose, Jason Day, Brandt Snedeker, and 2025 Genesis Invitation winner Ludvig Aberg (as the Genesis was hosted here) in the field as well. Additionally, Brooks Koepka will be making his return to the PGA Tour this week, which is arguably the biggest storyline in golf.

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PGA Best Bets & Predictions: 2026 Farmers Insurance Open (1-3 Overall, -1.15 Units)

  • Tony Finau: Top 20 (+550)
  • Jason Day: Top 20 (+200) 

 

 

 

GOLF DFS PICKS THIS WEEK: Top Tier

Xander Schauffele ($12,000 FanDuel/$10,500 DraftKings)

Schauffele is the favorite this week, but I think it still makes a lot of sense to have him in lineups. He's the number one player in my model this week, and has historical performance at Torrey Pines, and is the one of only two players in the top half of the field in every major statistical category in my model this week. He lines up very well for this event, and has a great chance to take home the win.

Ludvig Aberg ($11,900 FanDuel/$10,400 DraftKings)

Ludvig was pacing to win here last year before fighting illness through the end of the event, and then won at this venue just a few weeks later. It's clear this event fits his game well. He ones of the best drivers in the field over his last 36 rounds, and one of the best players at long distance approach. He's scoring at a very high level (top 12 in the field) and he's got the all around game to take this one home.

Jason Day ($11,400 FanDuel/$9,600 DraftKings)

Day is finally healthy again, and his runner up finish last weekend proved that. He's got one of the best historical performances at this event, with two wins, and a handful of top 5 and top 10 finishes outside of that. While his statistical profile over his last 36 rounds isn't perfect, I'm leaning into his health and history at this venue. 

 

 

GOLF DFS PICKS THIS WEEK: MID TIER

Maverick McNealy ($10,400 FanDuel/$8,900 DraftKings)

McNealy, the 2025 Genesis Invitational Runner-Up at this venue, has played well recently. He's 4th in my model, with some great numbers on approach, off the tee, and on the tricky Poa Annua greens. He's struggled to score at a high level, and hasn't been the best avoider of bogeys of late, but his overall play and strong history of just one missed cut in 8 starts at Torrey Pines makes him a favorite of mine in this range.

Will Zalatoris ($10,000 FanDuel/$8,800 DraftKings)

Zalatoris is a bit of the inverse of McNealy. He hasn't played well of late, but he also is truly healthy for the first time it what seems like 2 or 3 years. He has great history here, with multiple top 5 finishes, and top 25 finishes here in his last two starts. He's one of the best approach players in this field, and besides his recent struggles to make birdies and avoid bogeys, he's a clear threat in this field. 

Jake Knapp ($9,900 FanDuel/$8,200 DraftKings)

Jake Knapp, over his last 36 rounds, has been the single best driver of the golf ball on the planet. When his driver swing is on, he's going to be a threat at every event he enters. He's been one of the more underrated scorers as well, ranking 5th in the field in Birdie or Better Percentage. As long as his iron swing cooperates, he's going to sneak his way into contention, and is one of my personal favorites to take this one him.

 

 

GOLF DFS PICKS THIS WEEK: VALUE TIER

Christiaan Bezuidenhout ($8,900 FanDuel/$7,300 DraftKings)

It should be no surprise that one of the longest players on tour, who is deadly with the putter is in the article this week. Bezuidenhout has put together a strong stretch of golf. Since his missed cut at the John Deere, he has not missed a single cut between the PGA and DP World Tour, and he's rattled off 6 top 20 finishes in that span, along with 4 top 10's. He's playing some strong golf, and should be a great way to get upside without the price this week. 

Denny McCarthy ($9,300 FanDuel/$7,500 DraftKings)

The best putter on the planet in an event where putting comes into play heavily for scoring? Sign me up. McCarthy has played strong all around golf of late, as he's been a top 25 player over his last 36 rounds. He hasn't scored at a high rate, finish just 122nd in the field in Birdies or Better Gained, but the rest of his game has been so strong, he should sneak into the top 20 of this tournament with relative ease if all goes well. 

Tony Finau ($8,600 FanDuel/$7,000 DraftKings)

Finau isn't as big of a threat as he's been in recent years, but at Torrey Pines he's as big of a threat as anyone. He's arguably the best player who hasn't won here in the field. In 13 starts here, he has missed the cut three time, but when he hasn't missed the cut he's finished no worse that T24, with finishes as high as T2. He can be absolutely deadly at this venue, and I can't fade that upside at this price.

 

 

 

PGA DFS Picks This Week (Cheat Sheet)

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