FARMERS INSURANCE OPEN Betting Tips
We have had only two PGA Tour tournaments in 2026 and Scottie Scheffler has already indicated he is going nowhere after winning last week’s American Express by four shots.
However, the world number one will not be at this week’s Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego and it looks an open heat, with much of the attention likely to fall upon Brooks Koepka following his decision to return from LIV Golf.
Xander Schauffele was posted as the favourite at the beginning of the week but it is sure to be a competitive challenge to topple Harris English, who enjoyed a one-shot victory at the California venue 12 months ago.
Tip 1 - Si Woo Kim to win the Farmers Insurance Open @ 25/1
Quality tee-to-green play is key to success at Torrey Pines and it is striking that seven of the last eight winners were ranked in the top five in strokes gained with their approach shots.
And, while he failed to make the cut last year and had a best finish at the venue of 11th four years ago, Si Woo Kim is in the sort of form that cannot be ignored.
A victory for the South Korean appears to be on the horizon as he was sixth at the American Express after starting 2026 with 11th spot at the Sony Open in Hawaii.
Those performances built upon a strong end to the previous year when he was fourth at the RSM Classic and third at the Australian open, and nine straight top-20 finishes demonstrates great consistency.
But it is the strength of his approach play in recent weeks that is particularly striking as he was the 11th best last week and the third best in Hawaii, so that asset of his game is at a high level just when it could prove to be most valuable.
Tip 2 - Ryan Gerard to win the Farmers Insurance Open @ 35/1
Another player who has flown out of the blocks in the new year has been Ryan Gerard, who has been unfortunate not to have gained a victory.
The 26-year-old from North Carolina was second in last month’s Mauritius Open and has proved himself in even better company with runner-up finishes at both the Sony Open and the American Express.
He knows exactly what it takes to win on the PGA Tour, having tasted success in July’s Barracuda Championship and he is up to 24th in the world rankings as he goes from strength to strength.
Like Kim, Gerard scores highly on this week’s key metric as he was 24th in strokes-gained: approach last year and was fourth in that regard in Hawaii.
He posted a creditable 15th in last year’s tournament and there looks a strong chance he could perform better than that to extend his purple patch.
Tip 3 - Nicolai Hojgaard to win the Farmers Insurance Open @ 55/1
It is quite a surprise to see Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard available at 55/1, particularly as he was fourth at the Dubai Desert Classic last week, where LIV operator Patrick Reed took the big prize.
Hojgaard finished second in his only previous Torrey Pines effort two years ago when he found Matthieu Pavon just one shot too good for him.
His performances in the United Arab Emirates last week was a stark improvement on the 52nd he posted at the Dubai Invitational the week before and the fact he was ranked 11th in strokes-gained: approach on the PGA Tour in 2025 is another feather in his cap.
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to fluctuation
