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Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider will include Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler, Adam Scott, Matthew Wolff and Jordan Spieth among other notables.
Torrey Pines South is already a beast. At 7,765 yards, it’s the longest course in the PGA TOUR, so the USGA probably won’t need to play with him for his US Open presentation in five months. In the truncated 2019-20 season, he scored as the fourth toughest par 72 at 0.534 strokes over par. While this is a firm and fair test, it’s still not as difficult as it has proven to be for the Farmers Insurance Open.
Unlike Pebble Beach’s early adjustment to narrower, rougher fairways two years ago, Torrey Pines can get away with saying, “Here I am. Come and get me. “It rewards distance from the tee, but in 2021 it’s almost a wash out given the proliferation of muscle among the limbs. Pivoting to emphasize the value of hitting fairways ignores the same in respecting the review.Last year, the South Course placed in the top 15 toughest in slapped fairways, cleared greens, proximity to the hole, putting: birdies-or-better ( a measure of scorability), jamming and par 3, par 4, and par-5. That’s always what you think it is.
Of course, Torrey Pines is no stranger to hosting a US Open. We’ll look at that in more detail when the Major arrives, but now let’s not forget that Tiger Woods, whose 2008 US Open win here is one of eight professional wins on the course. He is sidelined for a while after having back surgery on December 23.
Each of the Farmers’ 156 participants will face Torrey Pines North once before the 36 hole cut. After having alternated with the South before the cup, those among the bottom 65 and tied at the end of the two rounds will try to attack only the South in the third and last rounds.
In its fourth year after Tom Weiskopf’s overhaul, the North Course averaged 70.574 last year. This is at the heart of expectations in the days of FedExCup. Compared directly to the South for the two rounds in which both courses are used in 2020, the North has an average of 2.97 easier strokes in the first round and 2.47 easier strokes in the second. It’s also a par 72 stock, so there is pressure on every golfer to capitalize on their walk on it.
On his way to his one stroke win at 15-under 273, Marc Leishman carded a 4-under 68 in the first round over the North. It was the second year in a row (Justin Rose, 63, 2019) that the winner opened up the easiest of the duo. That’s statistically noticeable after eight straight years in which the champion has turned north in the second round, but no “trend” deserves as much attention as the weather.
Moderate winds and the threat of rain increase until Friday before both factors subside, but daytime highs may not eclipse 60 degrees throughout. This means the bullet won’t fly that far, which is already a variable along the coast. The early onset can also be slowed down by the marine layer. While possible, these items are not expected to return in mid-June.
ShotLink is only used on the south course, so full tournament data which includes shots measured and shots won analyzes only reflects three rounds. That didn’t stop the tournament from slapping a three-hole stretch of the North’s outer side with a nickname. The second par 4, the third par 3 and the fourth par 4 are now known collectively as the Undertow.
Prior to Weiskopf’s work, every hole was consistently on average below par, but they have evolved into one of the toughest three-hole sprints on the calendar. Last year, the field averaged 0.697 above par in the two laps the North hosted. Since 2017 champion Jon Rahm has walked them par-bogey-par, each of the last three winners being penciled in pars on all three holes.
ROB BOLTON SCHEDULE
PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton recaps and presents each tournament from many angles. Look for his following contributions as expected.
ON MONDAY: Power ratings
TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Fantasy Insider
SUNDAY: Qualifiers, Reshuffle, Medical extensions, Recruit watch
* – Rob is a member of PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks panel for PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf, which also publishes Tuesday.
As of January 26, 2021, PGATOUR.COM will no longer support Livefyre comments on our website. We invite you to join the conversation by following and interacting with Rob Bolton on Twitter. (@RobBoltonGolf) and PGA TOUR Twitter, Facebook and Instagram canals. If you have any comments or questions, please contact us through the Contact us page.”
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