Farmers Insurance Open 2023 Betting Preview
25 January 2023
Jon Rahm has been on a tear and now heads to an event and course that has a special meaning to the Spaniard. Rahm, who is the world’s No. 3 ranked golfer, has won consecutive PGA Tour events and four of the last six. His first win on tour was during the 2017 Farmers Insurance Open, and his first major championship was the U.S. Open when it was hosted at Torrey Pines in 2021.
Rahm is the odds favorite to win the 2023 Farmers Insurance Open, held Wednesday through Saturday at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, California. Half of the top 10 players in the world are part of the field. Xander Shauffele (No. 6), Will Zalatoris (No. 7), Collin Morikawa (No. 8), and Justin Thomas (No. 9) are all part of the weekend’s event.
The Challengers
Here is a look at the Dunkel Index Top 10 for the Farmers Insurance Open 2023:
- Xander Schauffele -11.163
- Jon Rahm -11.245
- Max Homa -23.545
- Tony Finau -24.298
- Si Woo Kim -27.302
- Will Zalatoris –27.781
- Taylor Montgomery -30.249
- Sungjae Im -30.721
- Jason Day -30.832
- Collin Morikawa -34.176
Thomas is a former world No. 1, but he has not played that well in a while. He tied for 25th and tied for 40th in his first two events this season and does not have a top 10 since June 2022.
Schauffele fired a 10-under 62 to close The American Express Open as he tied for third at 25-under.
Schauffele tied for second in the 2021 Farmers Insurance Open and was fifth in scoring average a season ago. Three of his seven tour victories were last season, which included 15 top-25 finishes in 21 events. The San Diego native finished third in total driving last year.
Tony Finau is another popular pick. In his last eight events at Torrey Pines, he has four finishes in the top six and three more in the top 25. He also won consecutive events on tour last season, so he plays well under final-day pressure.
Longer Shots
Taylor Pendrith is one of the newer faces on the PGA Tour, but he has good ranks entering this event. He is fourth in total driving after finishing 38th last season. He finished 16th in last season’s Farmers Insurance Open in his first appearance at Torrey Pines.
Scott Stallings finished in the top 10 five times in three months last season and has not missed a cut yet in 2023. He had a win at Torrey Pines in 2014, a second-place and a 25th-place finish on his record too.
Emiliano Grillo has missed the cut the last three years at Torrey Pines, but he was 17th in ball striking and sixth in total driving last season. He also has finished 12th at the course in southern California and has a pair of top-five finishes this season.
Jhonattan Vegas is a fan favorite who has not been worse than 39th in the last eight years at the Farmers Insurance Open, and he also made the cut in the U.S. Open in 2021. Vegas fits the measurables for a longer course like Torrey Pines, ranking highly in total driving and ball striking.
The Pick
While a 4.2 magnitude earthquake shook the coast of southern California Wednesday morning, the event is planned to carry on as scheduled, and our Dunkel Index pick is Xander Schauffele.
Dunkel Index pick: Xander Schauffele
You can find all of our daily sports betting picks here.
