Sleeper Picks: Farmers Insurance Open
2 Min Read

'The Early Card' on 'The Drop' looks at picks for The American Express
Written by Rob Bolton
NOTE: Sleeper Picks did not appear in Rob’s Power Rankings, but each presents value for the bet specified.
Top 20
S.H. Kim (+550) ... After connecting for this finish as a Sleeper both at the Sony Open in Hawaii (+450) and The American Express (+600), there’s zero reason not to make another trip to the well to reload the bucket at the Farmers Insurance Open. After all, you’re tripling down on $1,050 of house money if you bet exactly $100 each time. Of course, there’s also the philosophical argument that he’s no longer a Sleeper, but these odds continue to defend it. The 27-year-old has run his active streak of top 20s to seven across multiple circuits. He’s done it with a strong short game and putter, and he’s also capitalizing on the par 5s. In his fourth appearance at Torrey Pines, on which both courses carry the full boat of four par 5s, he recorded a T20 in his debut in 2023.
Nicolai Højgaard (+240) ... He’s +500 for a top 10, but this still is robust value for this finish, so let out the leash. In his only prior appearance at Torrey Pines, he was the runner-up in 2024. The Dane led the field in par-4 scoring and slotted second in bogey avoidance while saving strokes throughout his balanced bag. It’s the kind of performance that the South Course demands and rewards. Not that he lacks for confidence or ability, but young Europeans for whom expectations are elevated need results like that on a course like it to feel like they belong. Now the 24-year-old is fresh off a T4 at the Dubai Desert Classic, his fourth top 20 in his last five starts worldwide.

Nicolai Højgaard holes out for eagle from 176 yards at Wyndham
Takumi Kanaya (+700) ... If you were following his form at the end of last year, then you know how tasty these odds are for this finish now. They look like a misprint. After a win at home in Japan, he delivered a pair of top fives in the FedExCup Fall and another on his home circuit (where he was the earnings leader in 2024). All told, he rattled off six top 25s in nine starts worldwide. He returns to Torrey Pines for a second appearance after pacing the PGA TOUR in fairways hit as a first-time member last year. That’s the handiest of weapons while staring down some of the toughest fairways to find on this circuit, but his short game and putting are also already elite at this level. Finished second in Scrambling and eighth in Bogey Avoidance last season, both strong attributes when par is of such tremendous value as it is this week.
Odds were sourced at FanDuel.
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