How expected winds influenced course setup at Torrey Pines

LA JOLLA, Calif. – It was breezy early and often Thursday on the Pacific coastline, as sustained winds of 15-20 mph – with gusts up to 30 mph – greeted the Farmers Insurance Open field at Torrey Pines.

This week’s unique twist: a two-course setup (Torrey North and Torrey South) meant that the course setup for Wednesday’s first round would mirror the second-round setup. Conditions weren’t as blustery on Wednesday, with winds 6-12 mph, but the strategy implemented by the PGA TOUR Rules committee is simple: prepare for the most demanding conditions.

“We didn’t really worry about yesterday’s wind as much,” said PGA TOUR Senior Tournament Director Ken Tackett, who is setting up Torrey South’s back nine this week, “because it was so much more significant today than yesterday.

“Sometimes you have very differing winds and have a more moderate setup to handle both situations, but you always set up for the most severe weather conditions for a given round. We knew that Round 2 was going to have the Santa Ana winds, so our focus was on today.”

Sam Ryder leads the Farmers Insurance Open at 12-under total, following an opening-round 64 at Torrey North with a second-round 68 on the more demanding Torrey South.

The Round 2 scoring average at par-72 Torrey South was 75.859, compared to a 72.217 average in Round 1. Torrey North averaged 73.179 in the second round, compared to a 69.731 average in the opening round.

Thursday’s second round wasn’t easy for anyone – the low round was 67, carded by Jon Rahm and Tano Goya at Torrey North. Rahm, who has won four of his last five official starts worldwide, said he would be “skipping out of the golf course today” in giddiness after his round.

The conditions were tough but fair, with a setup prepared a day in advance. One notable adjustment: the par-5 13th hole at Torrey South, which plays to 621 yards on the scorecard, measured just 538 yards for the first and second rounds.

The hole yielded just seven birdies Thursday, compared to 39 on Wednesday, as the wind whipped throughout Round 2. Players might have been caught slightly off-guard upon arriving at No. 13 tee, but upon further reflection, they knew it was a product of Mother Nature’s plan for the week.

“That was a bit of a surprise,” Ryder said of the adjustment on No. 13, “but I think they were just prepared for some tougher conditions. “It turned from a three-shot, tough layup, to hit a good drive and you could go for the green in two and make birdie.”

“I didn’t mind it,” added Max Homa, the California native who stands T4 entering the third round. “I love that hole being up, even if it’s not windy. The other option is 60 yards behind; there’s a bunker there that if you can’t cover it, the fairway is far too small.”

Another notable adjustment on Torrey South came at the par-4 17th, which offers left and right tee boxes, the left box directly behind a canyon that runs parallel to the fairway.

The 17th hole, like No. 13, played directly into the wind Thursday. Driven by this knowledge, the right tee box was utilized for the Farmers’ opening two rounds.

“It’s still a tough hole, right into the wind, but you have the full fairway to play with,” Tackett said. “It pulls the shot away from the canyon a little bit.”

Those who faced the more difficult Torrey South in more benign Wednesday conditions had a less scoreable scenario on the gentler North on Thursday. Those who had a more birdie-friendly test at the North on Wednesday had to turn a more brutish South amidst Thursday’s gusts.

The numbers suggest that it (mostly) evens out. Of the top 13 players on the leaderboard through two rounds, seven players went North to South, while six went South to North. Of the 73 players to make the cut, 33 went North to South, with 40 going South to North.

One thing is for sure: the conditions meant a stark day-to-day contrast outside San Diego.

The FedExCup leader perhaps said it best.

“Yesterday was very easy,” Rahm said. “Today was very hard.”