2024 Farmers Insurance Open: Power Rankings, Defending Champion, Prize Money and Major Details

After an exhilarating four days at the La Quinta greens, the next event on the calendar, the Farmers Insurance Open (formerly known as the San Diego Open), will soon start with its 71st edition on the PGA Tour. The marquee event is a part of PGA Tour history and will start on January 24 at the Torrey Pine Golf Courses.

The heralded event has the 156 player’s field ready to duke it out against each other. Among them are several past champions, along with new faces on the PGA Tour. Who among this talented lot has the best chance of winning the event?

The top five out of the rest

The 2024 season of the PGA Tour is seeing the rise of underdogs like Chris Kirk, Grayson Murray, and Nick Dunlap who won the last three events. The Farmers Insurance Open may see a similar pattern, though nothing can be guaranteed.

In the 156 player’s field, anyone can emerge as the winner. In the field are former winners Luke List, Justin Rose, and Brand Snedeker; 2023 Rookie of the Year Eric Cole; and 3-time DP World Tour winner Min Woo Lee. However, the five golfers below seem to have more chances than the rest.

1. Xander Schauffele: The seven-time PGA Tour winner is the top choice, as his last two performances are evidence of what Xander Schauffele is capable of. At the inaugural event of the 2024 season, The Sentry, Schauffele carded 24 under 268.

The world number five was tied for ten at The Sentry. On his second appearance at the American Express, Schauffele was T3 and 27 under. In the last few weeks, he has already had two top-10 finishes. At the Insurance Open, Schauffele might make the jump to becoming the first.

2. Max Homa: The 33-year-old is the defending champion and will play his second event of the 2024 season. At the first event held on the Kapalua Plantation course, Homa secured the T14 finish with 22 under. Last year, he defeated Keegan Bradley with two strokes and claimed the title. This year, too, Homa has his eyes set on the tree trophy. After the Sentry, the 6-time PGA Tour winner is 7th in OWGR and 4th in SG: Tee to Green. As his stats show, the bets are that Homa may successfully keep his title.

3. Keegan Bradley: The six-time PGA Tour winner was a runner-up at the last edition of the Farmers Insurance Open. He was only two strokes away from winning. This year, Bradley is coming off another playoff made at the Sony Open.

He missed the birdie putt, and Grayson Murray claimed the victory. However, looking at his current run at the Farmers Insurance Open, Bradley has had three career top fives at Torrey Pines. Will this appearance also result in a top-place finish? Only time will tell.

4. Jason Day: Day has thirteen wins, amassing his decade-long career at the PGA Tour. The golfer from Land Down Under has won the Farmers Insurance Open twice in his life (2015 and 2018). In 2023, the 13x PGA Tour winner was T7 at the Torrey Pines. Now he is coming off two top-35 finishes at the Sentry (T10) and the American Express (T34). As the past champion, Day is well aware of Torrey Pines’s conditions and how to tackle them. He may secure his career’s 14th victory this week.

5. Sungjae Im: In the last five appearances at the Farmers Insurance Open, Im has positioned himself in the top 10 twice (T4-T6). Moreover, recently at the Sentry, he set the record for making 34 birdies in 72 holes on the PGA Tour.

At the American Express as well, Im was inside the top 25 with a T25 finish. The South Korean golfer is sailing through the PGA Tour 2024 season with great momentum. He is the underdog on the list and may clinch his third victory on the PGA Tour.

The schedule and prize money

The Farmers Insurance Open is an additional event on the PGA Tour and boasts a prize purse of $9 million. The winner will get $1.62 million, while the runner-up will suffice with $981,000. The four rounds will start on the 24th and conclude on the 27th of January, Saturday.

Read More: Justin Thomas Joins Rickie Fowler to Give Farmers Insurance Open an ‘Exit’ Shocker Amid Recent AmEx Defeat

The event has been played on the Torrey Pines GC since 1982, with rounds one and two played simultaneously on the North and South Courses. While the last two rounds are laid only on the South Courses. The event schedule is given below (all times in PST):

• Round 1 & 2 Tee time: 8:50 a.m.; Round 3 & 4 Tee time: 9:15 A.M.
• TV Schedule: Golf Channel: Round 1 and 2: 12:00–4:00 P.M.
• Round 3: 12:00–2:00 P.M.
• Round 4: 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
• CBS Broadcast Live: Round 3: 2:00–5:00 P.M., Round 4: 1:00–5:00 P.M.

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