Now that the 2017 Farmers Insurance Open is here, we can finally exhale. The wait is over. That’s right, it’s time to reveal Tom Weiskopf’s redesign of the North Course at Torrey Pines. More on this beneath the ranking. Of course, this also marks the official competitive return of Tiger Woods. His last PGA TOUR start was 17 months ago at the 2015 Wyndham Championship. In his only public action since, he finished third-from-last among 17 who completed 72 holes of last month’s Hero World Challenge that he hosts. When the World Golf Hall of Fame welcomes Woods in nine years, it could annex property just for the space to illustrate his accomplishments at Torrey Pines. His lifetime wins include the 1991 Junior World Championships, seven victories in the Farmers and the 2008 U.S. Open, his last major title. All trophy presentations occurred on the South Course. So, despite the fact that it’s going to be the most difficult course of the season thus far – all 13 host courses to date in 2016-17 have averaged under par – Torrey South is a soft landing for the 41-year-old, which means that it also could serve as a launch pad. POWER RANKINGS: FARMERS INSURANCE OPEN RANK PLAYER COMMENT Alleviated doubt over how his back would restart with a T12 on Maui. Rested since, the Aussie now returns to the site of victory in 2015. Also placed T9 in 2013 and T2 in 2014. Not enough room to lay out all of the superlatives surrounding the TOUR’s leader in adjusted scoring. One of the best tee to green has also been filling the cup. Rested and presumably recovered from an illness and missed cut at Waialae. In last five editions of the Farmers, he’s cashed four times, all for top 10s, including two T4s. The two-time winner and defending champ has six top 10s in 10 trips, including five of his last seven. Led last year’s field in bogey avoidance. Outstanding on Poa annua. Overall form is terrific, so the concern is simply adjusting his body clock after a long trip from a one-stroke loss in Abu Dhabi. Trio of top 20s at Torrey Pines; T18 in 2016. The last breakthrough winner is unlikely to have much of a letdown. He makes just as much sense at Torrey Pines. Long and straight enough. T13 here last year. Remains as predictable as ever with top 15s in last five starts of 2016-17. Superb slate in 14 visits to Torrey Pines features six top 10s and another three top-16 finishes. Bracketed the holiday break with a runner-up at Mayakoba and a T6 on Oahu. Perfect in seven stops at Torrey Pines with two top 20s. Over par in every final round played. The holiday break did nothing to slow the Scot. He flashed his patented power and precision en route to a T9. Torrey Pines accentuates the same; T7 in 2015 and T8 last year. Led the CareerBuilder in scoring on the 36 holes played at the host Stadium Course at PGA WEST, but placed T8. Winner here in 2014; P2 in 2015 and a T25 last year. First start anywhere since a T9 at the World Cup. The gritty Irishman loves a challenging test. He’s proved it in both previous trips here with a T7 (2015) and T13 (2016). The ball-striker is dangerous when he’s scoring. Carried tiptop form with which he concluded 2016 into the CareerBuilder Challenge where he finished T12. Making 2017 debut. Polished off official competition in the fall with a solo second at the Shriners and a win in Japan, thus eliminating concern over an injured ankle. A late entry and why not, even though the world-class escape artist has struggled here. Closing 65 at PGA WEST was field low for the day. A T12 piggybacked a T6 at Kapalua. The only first-timer at Torrey Pines on this page, but his pace since the Olympics can’t be ignored. Six top 15s in eight starts, including last week’s T13 in Abu Dhabi. No, Woods doesn’t appear above, but you’ll find my analysis and opinion on him, Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler, Justin Rose and many others in Tuesday’s Fantasy Insider. Every golfer in the 156-man field will get one crack at the North Course before the 36-hole cut. Only Torrey South will host the third and final rounds. Both are stock par 72s. Torrey North has been one of the stingiest off the tee to split fairways, but it’s also been measurably easier than its bigger brother, thus emphasizing the need to go low the one time through. Just last year, the North Course yielded a scoring average of 70.929, which was a five-year high, and it still paled in comparison to the South’s 74.498, highest of any par 72 all season. Indeed, the North’s value is greater to membership as a co-host to allow for the maximum field size during a time of the year when daylight hours are precious. Similar to his mission of his makeover work at TPC Scottsdale in 2014, Weiskopf kept both eyes on the recreational golfer during his nine-month redesign of Torrey North. The most noticeable conversion is the routing. The nines are reversed to enhance the overall walk what with the best views of the Pacific Ocean on the new inward side. Numerous trees were removed due to infestation, but that has expanded the vistas. Thanks in part to new tees on half of its holes, Torrey North now reads 7,258 yards on the scorecard. That’s an increase of 206 yards. The old par-4 eighth hole and par-5 ninth are now the par-5 17th and par-4 18th, respectively. The fairways throughout are a hair wider, but the greens are nearly 40 percent larger, lifting them into the average range of approximately 6,400 square feet. Weiskopf’s vision also included the reduction of 18 bunkers, leaving 41. If there’s a primary difference between the two tracks, it’s the greens. Torrey North has been converted to entirely bentgrass, while the South Course still has Poa annua. Stimpmeter readings of 11.5-12.5 feet are planned for both. The aforementioned scoring average of Torrey South in 2016 was skewed by a final-round split of 77.901. Remember, going out in the second threesome on Sunday, Brandt Snedeker posted 69, and then waited out a Monday finish due to inclement weather that included gusty winds. His was the only red number of the finale. In the process, he extended the streak of winners who played the North Course in the second round to six. However, his 70 was the first by a winner in 10 years that wasn’t in the 60s. The previous? Woods’ 71 in 2006. Weather conditions will be tamer, but not a non-issue. After a persistently strong system blows through Southern California early in the week, cool and dry conditions will be left to dominate. Gradually increasing daytime highs from the upper 50s to the upper 60s will be accompanied by potentially strong winds. ROB BOLTON’S WRITING SCHEDULE PGATOUR.COM’s Fantasy Columnist Rob Bolton will be filing his usual staples leading up to this week’s event. Look for the following columns this week. MONDAY: Power Rankings TUESDAY*: Sleepers, Comfort Zone, Fantasy Insider WEDNESDAY: One & Done THURSDAY: Ownership Percentages in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf and One & Done presented by SERVPRO * – Rob is a member of the panel for PGATOUR.COM’s Expert Picks, which also publishes on Tuesdays.
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