The PGA TOUR continues its West Coast Swing, but Torrey Pines will feel much different than PGA WEST as players try to acclimate quickly to a different style of play. The South Course at Torrey Pines is a brute, measuring 7,765 yards on the scorecard — more than 500 yards longer than the Pete Dye Stadium Course at The American Express.

If that wasn’t enough, the rough in La Jolla will be twice as long as it was in the Coachella Valley, starting the week at 4 inches — and it will certainly be longer by the time this tournament is decided Sunday afternoon. Torrey Pines has long been a test of execution. On nearly every hole, it’s driver followed by a long iron into the green, and the golfer who can do that better than the field is often left holding the trophy.

Birdies will be at a premium this week, with the average winning score checking in at just 13-under across the last six years. From a statistical standpoint, players with the ability to drive it far, separate with their long irons, and avoid bogeys have routinely found success at the Farmers Insurance Open.

If the golf gods sculpted a man for Torrey Pines, it would look a lot like Aldrich Potgieter. He was No. 1 on TOUR in Driving Distance last year, averaging an impressive 325 yards off the tee. With that kind of speed, you can expect him to miss plenty of fairways, but he also boasts the second-fastest club speed on TOUR — a metric that’s highly correlated to success out of thick rough. His range of outcomes is one of the widest on TOUR, so click carefully. I prefer to embrace the upside and back Potgieter in the top-10 market (+1150) at DraftKings Sportsbook.

If you’re looking for elite long-iron play, look no further than Kevin Yu. Over the last two seasons, he’s gained 0.06 strokes per shot from 180 yards and beyond. That doesn’t sound like much, but it’s the fourth-best rate on TOUR. That’s great news for Yu since Torrey Pines has the seventh-longest average approach shot at 182.6 yards. This event is often a test of driving and long irons, which should be music to the ears of Yu backers. He’s +285 to finish inside the top 20 at DraftKings.

Despite one bad round in Honolulu, Maverick McNealy got off to a solid start to his 2026 campaign with a T24 at the Sony Open in Hawaii. He gained 2.5 strokes tee to green and another 1.4 with the flatstick. The California kid loves playing in his home state, where he’s most familiar with the poa annua greens he’ll see this week. His putting record on poa annua reveals that he’s gained 0.56 strokes per round — the third-most of anyone in this field. He also claims a 14.8% top-five rate when playing in California, the sixth-best mark of anyone on the circuit. With his significant upside, a top-10 wager seems reasonable, which can be found at +360 via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Speaking of poa annua, that’s where Lee Hodges thrives. He has gained 0.50 strokes putting per round on poa annua surfaces and earned a T9 at this event last year. It was a disappointing missed cut for Hodges last week in La Quinta, but there are still plenty of positives in his game right now. He finished T6 at the Sony Open to start his year, and his ability to hit fairways at a 65% clip (38th on TOUR) will give him an edge with the longest club in his bag. There are a variety of appealing finishing position markets for Hodges, but my favorite is the top-20 wager at +340, which includes ties at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Since playing this event last year and finishing T25, Chris Gotterup has won twice, earned four top-five finishes, and proven himself to be one of the more talented players on TOUR. From a statistical standpoint, Gotterup’s “secret” is that he doesn’t have to be great in all facets of his game to win. In fact, he won in Honolulu a few weeks ago while losing strokes on approach, which is an incredibly rare feat. He has such a high floor with his driver that it allows for leniency in other areas. That driver will be on full display around Torrey Pines this week, and I find it quite likely that Gotterup contends for a second straight start. DraftKings has his top-10 odds at +280.

Cameron Young will make his 2026 debut after a stellar finish to 2025, which saw him finally break through for his first PGA TOUR victory at the Wyndham Championship. From May 1 to the end of the year, Young was the sixth-best player on the TOUR, gaining 1.44 strokes per round. He piled up five top-10 finishes, which was third behind only Scottie Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood. Now he’ll travel to Torrey Pines, which should be one of the better setups on the schedule for him. Young sits at +1800 to win the Farmers Insurance Open.

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