This article is part of our Yahoo PGA DFS Picks series.
Farmers Insurance Open
San Diego, California
Torrey Pines (South Course) - Par 72 - 7,765 yards
Torrey Pines (North Course) - Par 72 - 7,258 yards
Field - 147 entrants
Purse - $9.6M
The Preview
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler leaned on a hot putter while coasting to his 20th career PGA Tour victory this past week at The American Express, but the West Coast Swing moves along without him in attendance this week as the Farmers Insurance Open now plays host to a 147-man field that features former LIV golfer and five-time major champion Brooks Koepka in his anticipated return. A two-course rotation splits the action at Torrey Pines, where we expect to see four-inch rough lining narrow fairways into small poa greens on the extremely long South Course. It's always important for players to take advantage of its much easier counterpart to the north before a 36-hole cut takes place ahead of the final two rounds. Not only is distance off the tee rewarded in San Diego, but nearly half of the expected approach-shot distribution lies within the 175-225 yard range. An extremely tame weather forecast calls for favorable scoring conditions, but the eventual champion still remains a big underdog to even sniff the 20-under-par mark.
Recent Champions
2025 - Harris English
2024 - Matthieu Pavon
2023 - Max Homa
2022 - Luke List
2021 - Patrick Reed
2020 - Marc Leishman
2019 - Justin Rose
2018 - Jason Day
2017 - Jon Rahm
2016 - Brandt Snedeker
Key Stats to Victory
Driving distance
SG: Approach
Rough Proximity and Proximity: 150-plus yards
Scrambling
Yahoo Value Picks
Based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Xander Schauffele - $45
We haven't seen Schauffele since his win at October's Baycurrent Classic, but he lands atop both the DFS salary and outright betting boards as the FIO's tournament favorite for his 2026 debut. He's placed T13 or better in four of his last five Torrey Pines appearances, including a T7 here at the 2021 U.S. Open.
Ludvig Aberg - $42
Aberg's WD from The American Express last week due to illness doesn't worry me, especially if it comes with an ownership discount while everyone flocks to a $41 Cameron Young. Aberg similarly dealt with an illness early last season before quickly rebounding with a win at The Genesis Invitational, which was held here at Torrey Pines' South Course. The 26-year-old Swede not only has a massive driving advantage, but poa also has been his best putting surface over the past 12 months.
Patrick Cantlay - $40
Cantlay historically underperformed at Torrey Pines, but he finally returned value with a T5 on the South Course at last year's Genesis Invitational when he ranked third among the field in SG: Putting and ninth in SG: Approach. He's coming off a T13 at The AmEx where he paced the field in scrambling en route to just four total bogeys across 72 holes.
Glue Guys
Jason Day - $33
Not even AmEx champ Scottie Scheffler played better than Day on the Pete Dye Stadium Course last week, as the Aussie ultimately gained over 13 total strokes on the field across his two rounds on the most difficult of the three tracks in La Quinta. Day is a two-time past champion here at the FIO, and he's No. 1 in SG: Short Game (ARG and Putting) over his last 50 rounds.
Taylor Pendrith - $33
It makes sense that a player with Pendrith's skillset would post back-to-back top-10s here at the FIO over the past two years, given he bombs it off the tee to go along with quality putting and long-iron play. The Canadian gained over two strokes ball striking on the Stadium Course before missing the cut by one last week, but that MC hopefully helps limit his ownership in this spot. Earlier this month, Pendrith tied for sixth at the season opener in Hawaii where he ranked T3 among the Sony Open field in scrambling.
Sam Stevens - $30
Stevens fired a bogey-free 67 on Sunday at The AmEx to ultimately tie for sixth in La Quinta, and he earned runner-up honors at last year's Farmers Insurance Open after pacing the field in SG: Tee-to-Green on the South Course. He's gained strokes off the tee in 12 consecutive measured events dating back to the 2025 U.S. Open.
Bargain Bin
Max Homa - $23
Enjoying an active streak of five consecutive top-40 finishes dating back to September's Procore Championship, Homa is trending in the right direction as he heads back to Torrey Pines where he won the 2023 FIO by two shots. The California native is coming off a T27 at The AmEx, and he ranks seventh or better in both SG: Approach and SG: Ball Striking over his last 36 rounds.
Will Zalatoris - $20
Zalatoris' salary didn't budge from Yahoo's $20 minimum despite notching a top-20 result in La Quinta last week, where he even gained over two strokes with the putter en route to 26 total birdies. Although his ball speed is down from previous seasons after undergoing another back surgery last year, Zalatoris appears healthy enough to still gain off the tee and with his long irons.
Haotong Li - $20
Li will be making his Torrey Pines debut this week, but a lack of experience doesn't feel quite as concerning after he just paced The AmEx in SG: Ball Striking on the way to a T8 finish. He also hit 82 percent of the greens in regulation and converted 11 of 13 scrambling opportunities in La Quinta.
Looking for the best golf picks on Yahoo? Find the top Yahoo PGA DFS picks and value plays for every tournament from RotoWire golf expert Bryce Danielson.
