2020 Farmers Insurance Open: Can ‘Woods make history’ at Torrey Pines?

Golf’s Farmers Insurance Open returns this month, where several of the sport’s top stars will be lining out in an attempt to clinch the trophy.

It’s another chance for many to get their careers back on track in the early stages of 2020, with others keen to continue their success on the USPGA Tour.

The action gets underway on Thursday at Torrey Pines Golf Course in California. But unlike other events throughout the year, golfers will be battling it out on two courses in La Jolla; the North Course and the South Course.

The North stands at 7,258 yards, with the South just that little bit further at 7,698 yards, with the par for the tournament at 72.

Having played host to the 2008 US Open, the South Course is undoubtedly the more famous of the pair, and as always will be used in three of the four rounds this week. The North Course meanwhile will see action for the players in one of their first two rounds. 

Unsurprisingly, a lot of the focus building up to the tournament has focused on serial winner Tiger Woods. He’s aiming for a record-breaking 83rd PGA Tour win, having equalled Sam Snead’s 82 at the Zozo Championship in Japan last year.

And it looks set in stone for Woods, who has eight wins at Torrey Pines, as well as boasting the joint-tournament record. Both he and George Burns have hit a 22-under par at the event, with the former doing so in 1999 after the latter set the feat in 1987.

Woods is currently 12/1 to pick up yet another win this time around.

But he is joined in the field by several others vying for the top prize, including Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele.

And defending champion Justin Rose will also be in that battle for first place, having shot a 21-under par in 2019. Only five players have shot 20-under par or better in the competition, and only once has that happened since Woods achieved the feat before the turn of the century.

That was Rose last year, and he’s currently 20/1 to make it back-to-back wins.

2016 champion Rahm is 8/1 to win the tournament, with 2015 champion Jason Day available at 40/1.

Mickelson is currently 100/1 to clinch victory, with Schauffele available at 18/1. McIlroy can be backed at 13/2 to lift the trophy on Sunday.

Other contenders include Hideki Matsuyama at 20/1, and Rickie Fowler at 25/1. Both Patrick Reed and Tony Finau are available at 33/1, with Jordan Spieth currently 50/1 to secure victory.