Hideki Matsuyama is the defending champion at The Genesis Invitational, but any course metrics from last year’s performance won’t help handicappers this week.

Usually hosted at The Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California, the event relocated down the coast to Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla. The South Course, which hosted the Farmers Insurance Open only three weeks ago, was called into emergency hosting duty after devastating fires ravaged parts of Los Angeles last month. The North Course, the other track used during the Farmers event, is not in play this week.

Even without a victory, Matsuyama (+2200) enjoys the South Course and the 7,765 yards and par-72 layout. Making his 13th consecutive start in late January, he played the weekend for the ninth straight season. Sharing third in 2019 is his best payday, but he also owns four other paychecks of T16 or better.

Players listed below are competing this week.* - won in playoff

Jason Day (+5000) is the only two-time champion at Torrey Pines entered this week after host Tiger Woods withdrew on Monday. Needing extra holes in both 2015 and 2018, the Australian short-game wizard, who is not shy off the tee, reinforces there is more than one way to play the South Course. The field will struggle to hit the narrow fairways or find greens in regulation from four-plus inches of overseeded rough. Getting up and down and avoiding bogeys have been the recipe for success for recent winners. Making the cut in 11 of 16 attempts at Torrey Pines, he cashed 10 times T35 or better.

Appearing at Torrey Pines for the first event since cashing T7 in the 2021 U.S. Open, Rory McIlroy (+650) is the second choice at the top of the FanDuel Sportsbook this week. The winner at Pebble Beach two weeks ago took last week off and should have had plenty of time to reunite with the big ballpark resting on top of the bluffs of La Jolla overlooking the Pacific Ocean. In three starts at the Farmers Insurance Open, the world No. 3 cashed T5 on debut in 2019, followed by T3 in 2020, and T16 in the winter of 2021 before the major that summer. Not including the U.S. Open, he owns an aggregate of 18-under on the South Course, thanks to his proficiency with the driver. The tight, demanding examinations from the tee boxes translate into the strength of one of the best drivers of the golf ball on TOUR.

Best South Course aggregates from past Farmers Insurance Opens:

Never accused of being one of the longest off-the-tee or strongest tee-to-green, Sungjae Im (+3500) has thrived recently on the South Course. Playing the weekend in six of seven career starts, he has hit the top 10 in three of his last four, including T4 in late January. Grinding out pars, his worst round from 14 loops on the weekend is 73, twice. Recent winners on the South Course have excelled in getting up-and-down and holing putts to save par, two areas of strength for the Korean. He missed the cut once, on 2-under-par, in 2024.

The winner in cool, blustery conditions at the end of January, Harris English (+9000) finally reached the winner’s circle in his 12th start. A playoff runner-up to Day in 2015 and a podium finisher (solo third) at the 2021 U.S. Open, the now five-time winner on TOUR owns four top-10 paydays at Torrey Pines. Continuing the trend, he became the sixth consecutive champion to place inside the top 10 in SG: Putting (No. 1) and led the field in Bogey Avoidance.

Notables

• Tiger Woods owns the course record (62) which was set in 1999.
• Every champion at Torrey from 2014 has registered in the top 10 in Bogey Avoidance.
• Nine of the last 11 winners have been 30 or older.
• Internationals have won five of the last 10 events at Torrey Pines.
• Outside of the two debutant winners, including Pavon in 2024, eight of the last 10 champions needed 6 or more visits before lifting the trophy.

Oddsmaker’s Extras

Scottie Scheffler (+400): The world No. 1 returns for the first time since T20 in 2022, his only result from three visits to the municipal course north of San Diego. He posted all three rounds on the South Course in red figures, but none better than 70.

Collin Morikawa (+1600): The world No. 4 collected T21 on his debut in 2020 and hit the podium with a solo third the following year. Returning in 2024, he missed the cut and did not tee it up in January.

Ludvig Åberg (+2200): The world No. 6 posted all three rounds on the South Course in 2024 at par or better (5-under) to secure T9 on debut. Last month, he opened with 63 on the North Course (not in use this week) before fighting illness and cashing T42.

Viktor Hovland (+5000): The Norwegian returns for the first time since sharing second in 2021. A second-round 65 on the South Course was the driving force behind his podium result.

Justin Rose (+15000): The Englishman cashed in the top 10 four times in five years, including his victory in 2019. Missing the cut in defense, he returned two years later and collected T6 and T18 before MC-T56 in his last two tries.

Keegan Bradley (+6000): Making his 15th start, he’s only missed the 2021 edition since debuting in his 2011 rookie season. Advancing to the weekend for the eighth straight time in January, he cashed T15, his best payday since solo second in 2023 and sixth T16 or better career.

Tony Finau (+4000): Teeing it up for the 12th time, the big hitter from Utah has never finished worse than T24. He’s missed the cut twice in his last six events but owns four top-10 results.

Will Zalatoris (+5000): Withdrawing before the January event started due to illness, the 2022 runner-up in a playoff could not add to his gaudy course history. Cashing T13 during his last visit in 2024, he also picked up T7 in 2021.

Justin Thomas (+1800): Including the 2021 U.S. Open, the 15-time winner on TOUR has cashed T25 or better in four out of five events on the property.

Thomas Detry (+5500): Posting T37 on debut in 2023, he returned last year with T20 and last month with T15. When recent form meets course form...

Max Homa (+17000): The 2023 champion won on his seventh attempt and backed it up with T13 in defense. Posting T9 in 2020 and T18 in 2021, four of his last six have been fruitful.

Rickie Fowler (+15000): Playing as a sponsor exemption this week, the SoCal native rediscovered his touch around Torrey Pines on his last visit in 2023. He cashed inside the top 15 (T11) for the first time in 10 starts and was 5-under on the South Course.

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