2021 Farmers Insurance Open Odds and Picks

By Michael Harrison in Golf
Updated: January 27, 2021 at 12:27 pm ESTPublished:

- The Farmers Insurance Open from famed Torrey Pines in San Diego tees off Thursday, January 28th
- 2017 champion Jon Rahm is the slight favorite over Rory McIlroy
- We’ve narrowed down the golfers with the best chance of emerging victorious and provided the best value bets below
The Farmers Insurance Open always attracts a stellar field as one of the crown jewel tournaments on the PGA Tour, and this year is no different, with Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy the headliners teeing it up. With the Torrey Pines South Course hosting the US Open this June, golfers competing this week could perhaps gain an advantage for the third major of the season later in the year.
Close calls at this event are the norm, with twelve of the last 15 victories being by two strokes or less. For the first two rounds, players will alternate between the considerably easier North Course and the more demanding South Course, with the final two days both on the South. Tiger Woods has won this tournament a record seven times, but he won’t be competing while rehabbing from his latest back surgery.
Foreign born winners have become the norm in recent years, with four in a row and five of the last six champions being from outside the US, with the lone exception being Brandt Snedeker in 2016.
2021 Farmers Insurance Open Odds
Golfer | Odds |
---|---|
Jon Rahm | +700 |
Rory McIlroy | +750 |
Xander Schauffele | +1300 |
Tony Finau | +2100 |
Harris English | +2100 |
Viktor Hovland | +2300 |
Hideki Matsuyama | +2400 |
Scottie Scheffler | +2900 |
Patrick Reed | +2900 |
Sungjae Im | +2900 |
Brooks Koepka | +3100 |
Matthew Wolff | +3200 |
Marc Leishman | +3300 |
Adam Scott | +3400 |
Jason Day | +3700 |
Si Woo Kim | +3700 |
Bubba Watson | +4500 |
Gary Woodland | +4500 |
Billy Horschel | +4600 |
Cameron Davis | +4700 |
Odds taken January 27th from FanDuel
Rahm and McIlroy Both Play Torrey Pines Well
Trying to decide between the top two favorites Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy is a very difficult task, given that they both have had strong showings on this golf course. Rahm won his first PGA Tour event here in 2017, then led after 54 holes last year before finishing second.
Eagle for the win. 💪
Jon Rahm closed out his first PGA Tour title at the 2017 Farmers Insurance Open in style.pic.twitter.com/byTXhnV0HS
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) January 22, 2020
McIlroy was T-3rd last year and T-5th the year before in his only two appearances at this tournament. The Ulsterman also led the European Tour’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship after 54 holes last week before finishing third, while Rahm had to withdraw from the American Express with a tweaked back.
Both players have been really solid at this track, but is that back worse than a one week ailment? It’s a toss-up between the two, but I’d rather select the potentially healthier golfer in McIlroy at ever so slightly better odds of +700.
Last Five Farmers Insurance Open Winners
Year | Winner |
---|---|
2020 | Marc Leishman (-15) one shot win |
2019 | Justin Rose (-21) two shot win |
2018 | Jason Day (-10) playoff |
2017 | Jon Rahm (-13) three shot win |
2016 | Brandt Snedeker (-6) one shot win |
Farmers Insurance Open Best Value Picks
- Jason Day (+3700): Twice a winner at this tournament in 2015 and 2018, Day also had a runner-up finish in 2014. T-5 and T-16 the last two years in his bids to make it three victories. After an uncharacteristically really poor stretch of events, has righted the ship with a T-7 and T-12 in two of his last three starts.
- Cameron Davis (+4700): Bludgeons the golf ball, which is paramount to success at this lengthy course, as he’s tenth in driving distance on tour. At last week’s American Express, shot 66-64 on the weekend to finish in third place. 25-year-old Australian has been knocking on the door more the last few years looking for his first PGA Tour victory. Made the cut in his two showings at the Farmers Insurance Open.
- Brandt Snedeker (+15000): Deep dive with huge potential upside. Since 2010 he’s been a force at Torrey Pines, with two triumphs in 2012 and 2016, two runner-ups in 2010 and 2013 and three other top-10’s, including a tie for third just last year.

Sports & Entertainment Writer
Michael "Hound Dog" Harrison is well known in the sports industry as the resident statistician for the SC with Jay Onrait Show. He has worked at TSN for over 16 years, where he's been featured on Sportscentre, That's Hockey, That's Hockey 2Nite, The Masters preview shows, and several more.