The 2026 PGA TOUR season is off to a thrilling start what with a pair of come-from-behind victories that were also convincing. Neither Chris Gotterup nor Scottie Scheffler led after 54 holes en route to their respective titles at the Sony Open in Hawaii and The American Express, but both emerged with strong fourth rounds to reach traditional paydirt. It’s where the best belong.

Speaking of whom, Torrey Pines Golf Course has been the personal playground for Tiger Woods. With nine victories on site, seven of which in the Farmers Insurance Open, it’s brought out the best from the best.

This year’s edition of the annual stop in La Jolla, California, returns to the familiar cadence of a Thursday open and Sunday close. Other than that, its construct is the same. The North and South Courses co-host, albeit for a field of 147. The explanation for that, why last year was an anomaly, how the tracks will test and more are detailed beneath a ranking of those projected to contend.

Perhaps you’ve picked up on the news that Brooks Koepka accepted the terms of the Returning Member Program earlier this month. As a result, he’s teeing up as a PGA TOUR member once again and for the fifth time in the Farmers. A condition of his agreement is that he’ll be added to every field so as not to slot ahead of another member. He is the reason why this week’s field is larger than originally planned. The same provision will apply when he pegs it at next week’s WM Phoenix Open.

Whatever Koepka remembers from his last appearance at Torrey Pines in 2022 won’t hurt this week, but he couldn’t have picked a tougher spot to return. The South Course is not only the longest on the PGA TOUR, the stock par 72 was the most difficult among all non-majors in 2025 with a scoring average of 73.685. Koepka missed the cut in his last two trips but stuffed a T4 in between on the South when it hosted the 2021 U.S. Open.

Last year’s scoring average was impacted significantly by gusty winds in the second and final rounds. It checked in pre-cut at 74.026, so it eased slightly when only it was the stage for the last two rounds. Until the 36-hole cut of low 65 and ties occurs, every golfer gets one try at the much easier North Course. But just like last week’s The American Express, for which golfers were better off cycling through the Stadium Course at PGA WEST when wind blew strongest in the third round – as counterintuitive as that might seem – the same applied at Torrey Pines a year ago.

Historically, the North averages about 2.5 strokes easier than the South, but when it played five strokes harder in last year’s second round than it did in the opener, it was just 0.335 strokes lower than the South in that round. That yielded a two-round gap of just 1.455 strokes. When guys don’t get a crack at the easier course in easier conditions, they suffer. Case in point, of the 70 who made the cut, 45 (or 64%) played the South in the second round.

Fortunately for all, conditions nowhere close to last year’s experience are forecast, except that they weren’t entirely last year, either. The strongest breezes targeted for the third round arrived early and spoiled many expectations. This week’s weather woe might be limited to the morning marine layer that never can be ruled out alongside the Pacific Ocean. If so, when it burns off, golfers and viewers alike will be left with spectacular imagery amid a sunny sky and daytime highs that will flirt with 70 degrees. Repeating: Wind is not expected to be a factor.

Overseeded rough once again has been allowed to grow to four inches on both courses, and the combination bentgrass-Poa annua greens will have every opportunity to touch 13 feet on the Stimpmeter. The North plays easier because it tips at just 7,258 yards, also as a stock par 72, but finding a fairway on the par 4s and par 5s on both tracks essentially is a coin flip. However, the greens on the North can be attacked with confidence because they check in at a PGA TOUR average of 6,000 square feet. Their counterparts on the South are only 5,000 square feet on average.

The Farmers is the third leg of four for entry into the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Genesis Invitational via the Aon Swing 5, and it’s a potential play-in game for the WM Phoenix Open for which top 10s at Torrey Pines would be eligible. However, if the cutoff into the scheduled field of 120 at TPC Scottsdale falls above the category (No. 25 in the Priority Ranking), the top-10 exemption would carry over to the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches at the end of February.

ROB BOLTON’S SCHEDULE

PGATOUR.com’s Rob Bolton previews and recaps every tournament. Refer to the timing of his contributions below. He’s also active as @RobBoltonGolf on X where you can connect with him.

• MONDAY: Power Rankings
• TUESDAY: Fantasy Insider; Expert Picks*; Sleepers**
• SUNDAY:Qualifiers

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