Geoff Ulrich gets you set for the Farmers Insurance Open with winning trends and his picks for your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups.
The Cheat Sheet provides DraftKings fantasy golf players with course info, player history and the most noteworthy trends of the week to help them with their roster selections.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $700K Sand Trap [$200K to 1st]
The Field
The field this week will again be set at around 156 golfers. The cut line will move back to Friday (top 65 and ties play the weekend), but we do have a two-course rotation in play. Players will tee it up once on Torrey South and once on Torrey North between Thursday and Friday, then switch over strictly to the South Course this weekend. The North Course always plays significantly easier than the South, so scores between the two will differ drastically on most days.
The setup this week will vary dramatically from the first three events as well. While Torrey North is slightly easier, Torrey Pines South is one of the toughest courses the players see all season, and there will be far fewer birdie opportunities for the players. The change from Bermuda to Poa greens is also significant as putts are far harder to make on the bumpy Poa greens at Torrey Pines South, and three-putt percentage will rise dramatically. As for which of the top players are attending, the top three in betting odds this week are Xander Schauffele (+1450) and Ludvig Aberg (+1700), who withdrew last week due to an illness.
The Course
Torrey Pines—San Diego, California
South (home course) 7600-7700 yards, par 72
North 7200-7300 yards, par 72
As mentioned above, two courses are in play over the first two days of the event. As for how the venues are set up, Torrey Pines South is a completely different challenge than what the players will have been exposed to so far this year. It’s consistently ranked as one of the hardest courses on the PGA TOUR and yields one of the lowest birdie-or-better percentages every season. In 2022, despite relatively calm conditions, it played as the seventh-toughest on the PGA TOUR and +.534 above par. In 2023 and 2024, the winner came home at just 13-under par, the lowest winning score in over four years. Last season, Harris English won at just 8-under par. Players may be getting bigger and stronger, but Torrey Pines South is still a challenge for the modern pro.
Torrey North will play much more easily than the South. It plays 400 yards shorter and also uses newly renovated bentgrass greens, which are easier to putt on. The greens at Torrey South are some of the toughest on the PGA TOUR, so don’t be shocked when you see some players struggle on the South but light it up on the greens at the North Course. It should be noted that the 2024 winner, Matthieu Pavon, actually went four strokes better (65) on the South in Round 2 than he did on the North in Round 1 (69), but that’s a split you will rarely see from winners.
The North Course features four reachable par 5s, and you’ll almost certainly need a good under-par round from your players there if they are going to advance to the weekend. On the South course, scoring well on the par 5s is also important as the venue features seven par 4s over 450 yards, which are all very difficult to play.
As a result of the longer par 4s — and lengthy par 5s — we’ll see far more approaches from 175-200 yards and >200 yards, putting a large emphasis on good mid-to-long iron play. Setting yourself up well off the tee then is also paramount, and players with good strokes gained off the tee metrics often thrive at Torrey Pines. In 2022, seven of the top-10 players gained over one stroke OTT for the week, and in 2021, every single player in the top 10 for the event gained strokes OTT. In 2023, four of the top-10 finishers gained over 2.0 strokes OTT.
The players will also be putting on Poa annua greens (on the South course anyway, the North is now Bentgrass), which can be very difficult to maneuver. Three-putt percentages often spike this week, and three-putt avoidance will be crucial to success, along with good efficiency from putts 15 feet and in. A few of the other courses on the West Coast swing also feature Poa on the greens (Pebble Beach and Riviera), and many of the players this week will be more comfortable than others on this surface.
While you don’t need to use putting splits exclusively to make picks this week, using strong Poa putting history as a tiebreaker when making 1v1 or 2v2 decisions often pays dividends this week.
2026 Weather Update: The weather this week looks like it won’t play much of a factor, which is rare at Torrey Pines. We have four days of steady, sunny skies or partly cloudy skies at the very least, with highs in the 70F range. That is also combined with almost no chance of precipitation and winds that are rarely expected to spike above 10mph all week. At this point, we could see the course play somewhat easier than it did last season, but it’s important to remember that when the Torrey greens get speedy, they are also impossible to hold. That last point could make long-distance putting a nightmare as well. Either way, with the wind down, it’s possible that elite putters will be able to make a breakthrough, with ball-striking conditions ideal for almost everyone. For stacking purposes in DFS lineups, I would potentially look to target early tee times on Friday, as the wind does get up slightly on Friday afternoon (10mph wind gusts), which could hamper the late finishers.
Last 5 winners
2025-Harris English -8 (over Samuel Stevens -7)
2024–Matthieu Pavon -13 (over Nicolai Højgaard -12)
2023-Max Homa -13 (over Keegan Bradley -11)
2022-Luke List -15 (over Will Zalatoris playoff)
2021-Patrick Reed -14 (over Xander Schauffele -9)
Winning Trends
Recent form does not seem to be a huge deal at this event (at least for the winners), as only four of the last 12 winners had recorded a top-10 performance in the new year before winning here (Pavon in 2024, Homa in 2023, Jason Day in 2015, and Brandt Snedeker in 2016).
Nine of the last 15 winners had a South/North draw — meaning they played the South course on Thursday and the North on Friday. HOWEVER, six of the last seven winners (2019-2023) have now started on the North course.
Last year’s winner, Harris English, started with a 68 on the North Course on Thursday.
11 of the past 12 winners (the exception being Jason Day in 2018) had all made at least one professional start in the calendar year before winning.
Winners Stats and Course Highlights
Harris English – 8 under par (started on North Course)
2025 lead-in form (MC-T43-T60-T14-T9) – played Sony (MC) and Amex (T43).
SG: OTT—-0.7
SG: APP—+4.0
SG: TTG—+4.2
SG: ATG—+1.0
SG: PUTT—+6.0
This is still a venue where you want to emphasize distance and consistency off the tee, however, of late, approach play and putting have been more vital, suggesting that perhaps the rough and length of the course are no longer as big a factor (or the greens are getting easier to hold).
Four of the last six winners now (Pavon, Reed, English, and Leishman) have ridden insanely hot putters to win. Reed gained less than +2.0 ball-striking for the week but was +8.4 ATG/Putting for the week combined.
Leishman did gain over 3.0 strokes on approach in 2020, which is very typical for winners at Torrey. Pavon in 2024 gained over 6.0 strokes putting (but also gained over 5.0 strokes on approach) while English gained 4.0 strokes on approach and over 6.0 strokes putting.
List (2022) also had a terrific week putting and was one of the top players from 15 feet and closer in strokes gained putting.
He also gained 5.4 strokes on approach, which was the fourth-best mark in that category for the week. List also ranked top 10 in proximity gained from 150-175 yards and 175-200 yards.
Homa was also fantastic on approach in 2023 and was able to win by multiple strokes thanks to a hot putter as well.
Finding Values on DraftKings Sportsbook
Odds to win are one factor to think about when picking players (but not the only thing, so be careful putting too much weight on them). This section is going to detail a few of the players who have the best fantasy value compared to their DraftKings Sportsbook odds of winning this week.
Comparable:
Comparable:
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
HORSES FOR COURSES
(These players have had a lot of success at this event over their career.)
1.Jason Day ($9,600; best finish: win – 2018, 2015): Despite being marred by perpetual poor form and injuries the last few years, Day has maintained a solid record at Torrey Pines. He’s posted two wins and seven top-10 finishes at Torrey over his career. He’s finished top 10 here in two of the last four seasons and has started 2025 looking healthy with a top-five finish in Palm Springs last week.
2. Tony Finau ($7,000; best finish: T4-2017, T6-2018): Despite missing the cut here last season, Finau ranks highly this week in Strokes Gained: Total stats at Torrey Pines the last five years. He’s now landed finishes of T-9 or better at this event in six of his last nine trips to Torrey as well. While he’s started the year poorly with two missed cuts, it wouldn’t be overly shocking to see him come alive this week.
3. Luke List ($6,500; best finish: 2022-win, T12-2018): List has played well at Torrey Pines, even before winning the event in 2022. The veteran has now made the cut in each of his last seven appearances at this event. He’s an elite ball striker with plenty of distance but has been in terrible form of late, making him a complete boom-or-bust pick for DFS.
4. Max Homa ($8,300; best finish: win-2023): Homa dominated at this event during his win in 2022 and has been a horse to back on this portion of the PGA calendar every year. Even before his win, he’d landed two top-20 finishes at Torrey and leads the field in SG: Total stats at this event the past five seasons. He’s due for a decent start.
5. Harris English ($9,100; best finish: win-2025, T2-2014): English has always had a penchant for playing well at this week’s venue. Early in his career, he put up some bigger finishes, and he showed his true ceiling at this venue last season when he reeled off a win. His course form is baked into his price this week, but he remains a solid DFS option at this venue.
Recent Form
1. Si Woo Kim ($9,500, Recent finishes: T6-T11): Kim has opened his season with a couple of solid efforts, including a T6 last week at the American Express. He’s playing very solid golf and is certainly a player worth riding again until he shows regression.
2. Ryan Gerard ($8,600, Recent finishes: 2nd-T2-T2): Gerard’s hot run continued again last week after he finished T2 at the American Express, his third runner-up finish in a row after he finished T2 in South Africa over the winter. Gerard is playing great golf and looks due for another win soon.
3. Hao Tong Li ($7,300, Recent finishes: T8-T55): After a T55 at the Sony, Li finished strongly last week, posting a T8 and his first top 10 of the PGA season. After a strong fall, the Chinese golfer has remained in solid form.
4. Chris Gotterup ($9,000, Recent finishes: T3-T37): Gotterup would be higher on this list, but he took last week off and didn’t play a ton over the fall. He posted a dominant victory in his first 2026 start and gets another classic coastal course to attack this week.
5. Patrick Rodgers ($7,200, Recent finishes: T21-T3): Rodgers didn’t fare well last week, but he started off his year with a 3rd place finish at the Sony and also posted a top 10 in the fall swing. He’ll look to grab that elusive first win this week.
DRAFTKINGS DFS STRATEGY
Big Field Punt plays:
David Ford ($6,700): I’ll keep Ford here for one more week at least. The American is a great talent and a very accurate driver, which should help on a tougher course. He landed a T13 finish last week and continues to be priced very cheaply.
Aldrich Potgieter ($6,500): With the course this week expanding and helping big hitters, there is no better time to target the biggest hitter on the PGA in Potgieter. While he can be up and down, it would not be shocking if he excelled on a couple of longer par 72s this week.
Gary Woodland ($6,800): Woodland has some of the best course history in the field this week. Despite starting slowly last week, he did show some form last fall with a top 20 at the Procore Championship (also played in California).
Core plays:
Ryan Gerard ($8,600): No reason to start doubting this man now. He’s playing well in all facets of his game, and with his price still well below 9k in price, he sets up as a solid building block on a week where everyone’s all-around games will be tested.
Jake Knapp ($8,200): A California native who has played well at this event before, posting a T3 back in 2024. He started his season well with a T11 at the Sony and should come into this week fresh.
Contrarian click: Will Zalatoris ($8,800): Taking on Torrey in your second start after a long injury layoff is a big ask, but Zalatoris has the requisite ball-striking to stay out of trouble on this venue and putted very well last week. He’s also a former playoff loser at this venue and should be in good spirits after a solid start to his season.
MY PICK: Alex Noren ($8,400)
Noren started the season slowly last week with a missed cut at the American Express, but that result hasn’t hampered former winners of this week’s event. Last year’s winner, Harris English, started his year with an MC-T43, while Patrick Reed, the 2021 winner, also missed the cut at the American Express (his first PGA event of the season) before going on to win at Torrey.
From a bigger picture standpoint, Noren is the sort of player who is overdue for an outright win on the PGA Tour. He had a great fall that led to two wins on the European Tour and also finished strong with a T2 at the Hero World Challenge. He’s not the longest hitter, but he did lose in a playoff at this event (on his first time playing the course) back in 2018 to Jason Day. His weaker off-the-tee game and propensity to spike with his irons and putter are also in line with more recent winners at Torrey Pines, like Reed and English, who rarely rank inside the top 20 in driving stats.
While he’ll be a bit of a contrarian name in DFS this week, that also makes him perfect for GPPs, and his salary of $8,400 should make him easy to fit in beside one or two of the elite names at the top. For betting, his +3600 outright odds and +310 top 10 with ties price also make him a solid target on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
MY SLEEPER: Tony Finau ($7,000)
I’ll start by saying that Finau hasn’t exactly looked great this season. He missed the cut by a long shot at the Sony Open after opening with a 75, then played decent golf for a couple of days before shooting 71 on Day 3 and missing the cut by a couple of strokes at the American Express. Still, there were signs of progression last week that Finau can build on and that will likely help him around his favorite venue. He struck the ball quite well the last two days, even gaining 1.7 strokes on approach in Round 3, but could not bury enough putts to get through the abnormally low cut line.
This week, he’ll have a much different bar to judge himself on, playing a venue he’s known for handling well. Torrey South has always been a venue where Finau has been able to excel, with seven top 10 finishes and nine top 25 finishes at this venue over his career. He’s also tended to scramble much better around Torrey’s greens, and that’s a part of his game that should play a bigger role this week given the overall toughness of this course. From a long-term perspective, Finau also rates as a great buy-low target for DFS, especially tournaments, given that he was only 20-1 in betting odds this season but is going off at +17500 on the DraftKings Sportsbook, an absurd spike for someone with his course history.
I rate him as a nice GPP play who should go lower-owned thanks to his slow start, and a great placing target at +1050 in the top 10 and ties market.