SAN DIEGO (CNS) - The $9 million Farmers Insurance Open is scheduled to begin Wednesday at Torrey Pines Golf Course, with San Diego State and Scripps Ranch High School alum Xander Schauffele the 9-1 pre-tournament favorite.
Schauffele is fifth in the Official World Golf Ranking, the highest- ranked player in the field of 156. He was among three golfers tied for third at The American Express, which concluded Sunday in La Quinta, two strokes behind winner Nick Dunlap.
Schauffele will be making his ninth appearance at the Farmers Insurance Open. The 30-year-old missed the cut in four of his first five appearances, tied for second in 2021, and finished 34th in 2022 and 13th in 2023.
Schauffele enters the week with the PGA Tour's longest active made-cut streak at 36. His last missed cut came at the 2022 Masters.
Schauffele withdrew from The Sentry, a no-cut event, midway through the second round in 2023 because of a back injury
Collin Morikawa is the second choice at 10-1, according to Golfbet, the PGA Tour's betting hub. In his latest start, Morikawa finished in a five- way tie for fifth in The Sentry, four strokes behind winner Chris Kirk, Jan. 4- 7 at Kapalua, Hawaii.
There are four other players in the field who went to high school or college in San Diego County -- Michael Kim (Torrey Pines High School); Charley Hoffman (Poway High School); Cameron Sisk (Valhalla High School); and J.J. Spaun (San Diego State).
"This tournament is obviously really special for me," Kim said at a news conference Tuesday. "I'm always excited to come back to this event, and it's almost a dream come true. Dream is to actually win the thing, so we'll see."
Defending champion Max Homa will try to continue his success in California. He has four wins and four other top 10 finishes in his last 11 starts in the state.
Dunlap was to be part of the field after becoming the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event since 1991, but withdrew Monday "after a life- changing last 24 hours ... to return home to Alabama to be with family, friends and teammates," he said in a statement released by the PGA Tour.
Dunlap's victory made him eligible to accept PGA Tour membership at any time during the 2024 season. When asked at a news conference Sunday about turning professional, the 20-year-old University of Alabama sophomore said, "That's something that it doesn't just affect me, it affects a lot of people, coach back there and my teammates, and it's a conversation I need to have with a lot of people before I make that decision."
Dunlap had a received a sponsor's exemption to play in Farmers Insurance Open, just as he had for The American Express, which proved to be unnecessary following his victory.
For the third consecutive year, the tournament will begin on a Wednesday, one day earlier than usual, and conclude Saturday, to avoid a conflict with Sunday's telecasts of the NFL conference championship games, American television's most-watched programming outside of Super Bowl Sunday.
The winner will receive $1.62 million.
Grounds tickets are $90 Wednesday and Thursday, $100 Friday and $120 Saturday.
All active duty military members, along with retired members, reservists, veterans and dependents are eligible for discounts 20% on the price of grounds tickets Wednesday and Thursday after logging on to GovX.com to verify military service and receiving a unique promo code.
Grounds tickets Wednesday and Thursday for fans 60 and older are $75. Identification may be requested at the gates.
Children 15 and under receive complimentary admission each day of the tournament when accompanied by a ticketed adult. Each ticketed adult may bring one child.
The tournament will be televised on Golf Channel from noon-4 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, noon-2 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday and on CBS from 2-5 p.m. Friday and 1-5 p.m. Saturday.
Additional coverage will be streamed on ESPN+ from 8:45 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
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