Course Guide: Because of the Los Angeles wildfire disaster in 2025, the Genesis Invitational will be played exclusively on the South Course at Torrey Pines. Naturally we see this course annually at the Farmers Insurance Open – indeed we saw Harris English win here just 3 weeks ago.
The world-famous 7,765 yard (at sea-level) South Course, which runs above the Pacific Ocean, is a classical design that plays as the longest course on the PGA Tour. Penal specialised Kikuyugrass/Ryegrass mix rough and green complex designs that repel approach shots make scoring particularly difficult. To add to the complexity, the South Course features pretty small, sloping, Poa Annua greens.
Torrey Pines South Course, San Diego, South California: Designer: Bell 1957, Rees Jones re-design 2001 and 2019; Course Type: Coastal, Classical, Technical Scoring, Long; Par: 72; Length: 7,765 yards; Holes with Water In-Play: 1; Number of Bunkers: 82; Acres of Fairway: 20; Fairways: Bermudagrass overseeded with Ryegrass; Rough: Kikuyugrass with Ryegrass 4″; Greens: 5,000 sq.ft average featuring Poa Annua; Tournament Stimp: 11.5ft.
Course Scoring Average + PGA Tour Difficulty Rank:
- 2025: 73.69 (+1.69), Rank 1 of 10 courses
- 2024: 72.40 (+0.40), Rank 9 of 51 courses
- 2023: 73.62 (+1.62), Rank 4 of 49 courses
- 2022: 72.35 (+0.35), Rank 15 of 50 courses
- 2021: 73.34 (+1.34), Rank 4 of 51 courses
- 2020: 72.53 (+0.53), Rank 7 of 41 courses
Course Designer Links: For research purposes, other Rees Jones designs include:
- Aronimink GC – 2010,2011 A&T National + 2018 BMW Championship
- Baltusrol – 2016 PGA Championship
- Bellerive CC – 2018 PGA Championship
- Bethpage Black – 2009 U.S Open, 2019 PGA Championship + 2012/2016 The Barclays
- Blue Course, Congressional CC – 2011 U.S. Open + 2012-2014 & 2016 National
- Blue Course, Royal Montreal GC – 2014 RBC Canadian Open
- Dubsdread, Cog Hill GCC – 2009,2010,2011 BMW Championship
- East Lake GC – Tour Championship
- GC of Houston – Houston Open
- Hazeltine – 2009 PGA Championship
- Highlands Course, Atlanta Athletic Club – 2011 PGA Championship
- Medinah Number 3 – 2019 BMW Championship
Fairway Widths (yards): Below are the fairway widths for Torrey Pines South Course and how they compare to recent courses that we’ve seen on Tour:
- Torrey Pines South: 250 yards from the tee: 26 yards wide; 275:27; 300:25; 325:24; 350:23.
- TPC Scottsdale: 250 yards from the tee: 33 yards wide; 275:30; 300:28; 325:27; 350:27.
- Pebble Beach: 250 yards from the tee: 33 yards wide; 275:33; 300:29; 325:30 350:26.
- Pete Dye Stadium: 250 yards from the tee: 29 yards wide; 275:27; 300:26; 325:26; 350:24.
- Waialae: 250 yards from the tee: 34 yards wide; 275:32; 300:34; 325:37; 350:34.
- Plantation Course: 250 yards from the tee: 59 yards wide; 275:61; 300:65; 325:60; 350:62.
- Seaside Course: 250 yards from the tee: 42 yards wide; 275:40; 300:34; 325:31; 350:23.
- El Cardonal: Average 60 yards up to 70 yards wide.
- TPC Summerlin: 250 yards from the tee: 35 yards wide; 275:37; 300:33; 325:30; 350:31.
- Black Desert: Average 30 yards up to 70-100 yards wide.
Course Overview: Rees Jones’ South Course will be the 2025 star (or villain) of this Genesis Invitational. In 2020 we saw a changed course as “Open Doctor” Rees Jones oversaw a $14 million renovation, with the 2021 U.S. Open in mind. Jones and assistant Greg Muirhead added some tees and shifted around bunkers to help the course defend itself even more. The most noticeable changes are at the par-5 9th, and the par-4 10th, 15th and 17th holes. A new cross-hole bunker 50 yards short of the 9th green will make players have to think more when going for the green in 2 shots.
The 10th was always a relatively easy drive and wedge start to the back-9, but with a new back tee box the visual of the hole has changed dramatically, with the left side of the fairway split with a bunker, while a right fairway bunker pinches the landing zone. The 15th has again been lengthened to now play at 480 yards. The 17th also features a new back tee box and a pinched fairway landing area. So the longest course on the PGA Tour schedule now plays even longer.
Torrey Pines South features seven 450+ yard par-4s, whilst all 4 of the par-5s are over 560 yards with 2 over 600 yards. The course features Poa Annua greens, the likes of which are only found PGA Tour-wise on the west coast and north east of the United States plus Canada. The course also features Kikuyugrass rough, the likes of which are only seen here, at Riviera, plus previously at the WGC held at Chapultepec in Mexico on the PGA Tour. Long and thick Kikuyugrass mixed with Ryegrass rough means that the South Course is extremely difficult in terms of proximity to the hole from the rough.
It’s also imperative to note that the South Course’s Poa Annua greens are notoriously difficult to putt on, so look for those who have done well here previously or at Pebble, Riviera, Bethpage Black plus the recent U.S. Opens hosted at Oakmont (2016), Shinnecock Hills (2018), Winged Foot (2020) and of course here (2021).
The Genesis Invitational Winners: 2024: Hideki Matsuyama (-17); 2023: Jon Rahm (-17); 2022: Joaquin Niemann (-19); 2021: Max Homa (-12); 2020: Adam Scott (-11); 2019: J.B. Holmes (-14); 2018: Bubba Watson (-12); 2017: Dustin Johnson (-17); 2016: Bubba Watson (-15); 2015: James Hahn (-6); 2014: Bubba Watson (-15); 2013: John Merrick (-11); 2012: Bill Haas (-7); 2011: Aaron Baddeley (-12); 2010: Steve Stricker (-16).
- 2024: Hideki Matsuyama 69-68-68-62 -17/267
- 2023: Jon Rahm 65-68-65-69 -17/267
- 2022: Joaquin Niemann 63-63-68-71 -19/265
- 2021: Max Homa 66-70-70-66 -12/272
- 2020: Adam Scott 72-64-67-70 -11/273
- 2019: J.B. Holmes 63-69-68-70 -14/270
- 2018: Bubba Watson 68-70-65-69 -12/272
- 2017: Dustin Johnson 63-69-68-70 -14/270
OWGR of Genesis Invitational Winners: 2024: Matsuyama 46; 2023: Rahm 3; 2022: Niemann 32; 2021: Homa 91; 2020: Scott 14; 2019: Holmes 100; 2018: Watson 117; 2017: Johnson 3.
Incoming Form of Genesis Invitational winners since 2010:
- Hideki Matsuyama: 22nd TPC Scottsdale/71st Pebble/13th Torrey/30th Waialae.
- Jon Rahm: 3rd TPC Scottsdale/7th Torrey 1st PGA West /1st Kapalua.
- Joaquin Niemann: 8th Saudi/6th Torrey/MC RSM Classic/MC Houston.
- Max Homa: 7th Pebble/42nd TPC Scottsdale/18th Torrey/21st PGA West.
- Adam Scott: 1st Aus PGA/MC Aus Open/11th WGC HSBC/33rd ZOZO.
- J.B. Holmes: MC Pebble/26th TPC Scottsdale/MC Torrey/48th Mayakoba.
- Bubba Watson: 35th Pebble/40th Torrey/MC PGA West/67th RSM Classic.
- Dustin Johnson: 3rd Pebble/MC Torrey/2nd Abu/6th Kapalua.
- Bubba Watson: MC Pebble Beach/14th TPC Scottsdale/10th Kapalua/1st World Challenge.
- James Hahn: 29th Pebble/41st Torrey/59th TPC Scottsdale/20th PGA West.
- Bubba Watson: 2nd TPC Scottsdale/23rd Torrey/30th Thailand/3rd World Challenge.
- John Merrick: 16th Pebble/57th TPC Scottsdale/MC Torrey/MC PGA West.
- Bill Haas: 19th TPC Scottsdale/4th Torrey/64th PGA West/20th Kapalua.
- Aaron Baddeley: 6th Pebble/37th TPC Scottsdale/MC Torrey/34th Waialae.
- Steve Stricker: 3rd Waialae/10th Kapalua/10th World Challenge/6th East Lake.
Tournament Stats: We’ve published some key player statistics for this week’s event that are well worth a look. Naturally they’ll help to shape a view on players who could go well this week: Current Form | Course Form | First Round Leader | Combined Stats.
My published predictor is available here. Top 10 of my published predictor are: 1) Rory McIlroy; 2) Sungjae Im, 3) Scottie Scheffler, 4) Taylor Pendrith, 5) Collin Morikawa, 6) Justin Thomas, 7) Thomas Detry, 8) Jason Day, 9) Harris English, 10) Hideki Matsuyama.
Our brand new predictor model is running alongside, where you can build your own rankings in live time, using the variables listed on the left hand side.
The Genesis Invitational Winners & Prices: 2024: Matsuyama 80/1; 2023: Rahm 15/2F; 2022: Niemann 75/1; 2021: Homa 60/1; 2020: Scott 33/1; 2019: Holmes 150/1; 2018: Watson 50/1; 2017: Johnson 9/1; 2016: Watson 25/1; 2015: Hahn 200/1; 2014: Watson 33/1; 2013: Merrick 250/1; 2012: Haas 50/1; 2011: Baddeley 100/1; 2010: Stricker 16/1. Past 5 Renewals Average: 51/1; Overall Average: 76/1.
Historical Weather:
- 2024: Thursday: Mostly sunny. High of 63. Wind SW 8-13 mph. Friday: Partly cloudy. High of 63. Wind SW 7-12 mph. Saturday: Partly cloudy. High of 62. Wind SW 8-13 mph. Sunday: Mostly cloudy. High of 61. Wind SSW 5-10 mph.
- 2023: Thursday: Mostly Sunny. High of 63. Wind SW 6-12 mph. Friday: Mostly Cloudy. High of 57. Wind NE 5-10 mph. Saturday: Sunny. High of 66. Wind SW 5-10 mph. Sunday: Sunny. High of 65. Wind SW 6-12 mph.
- 2022: Thursday: Sunny and breezy. High of 69. Wind NW 5-10 mph. Friday: Sunny. High of 71. Wind SW 5-10 mph. Saturday: Sunny. High of 67. Wind WSW 6-12 mph.
- 2021: Thursday: Sunny. High of 68. Wind NE 10-15 mph, with gusts to 20 mph. Friday: Sunny. High of 65. Wind SW 6-12 mph. Saturday: High of 63. Wind NNW 15-20 mph, with gusts to 35 mph. The third round was delayed due to darkness at 5:45 p.m. with 23 players yet to complete their round. Sunday: Sunny. High of 72. Wind SW 10-15 mph.
- 2020: Thursday: Sunny, with a high of 64. Light SE wind in the morning, switching to SW wind at 5-9 mph in the afternoon. Friday: Sunny with a high of 65. Wind SW 4-7 mph with gusts up to 10 mph. Saturday: Sunny with a high of 65. Wind SW 5-9 mph with gusts up to 12 mph. Sunday: Sunny with a high of 65. Wind SW 5-9 mph with gusts up to 12 mph.
- 2019: Thursday: Rain, with a high of 62. Wind SW at 15-25 mph, gusting to 30 mph. Weather caused a suspension of play at 7:30 a.m. Following the suspension of play, the weather rapidly deteriorated and officials announced that play would remain suspended until at least 1 p.m. and all first-round scores would be reset. After a seven-hour delay, the first round restarted at 1:40 p.m. and was suspended due to darkness at 5:34 p.m. Two inches of rain was recorded at Riviera between midnight Wednesday and the restart of round one. Friday: Clear in the morning with rain in the afternoon. High of 57. Wind WSW 10-18 mph. Saturday: Sunny, with a high of 62. Wind W at 10-20 mph. The second round resumed at 7:00 a.m. and was completed at 2:46 p.m. The third round began off both Nos. 1 and 10 tees at 3 p.m. and was suspended due to darkness at 5:45 p.m. Sunday: Partly cloudy with scattered showers. High of 59. Wind W 15-25 mph, with gusts to 30 mph. The third-round resumed at 6:45 a.m. and was completed at 11:10 a.m.
- 2018: Thursday: Sunny. High of 67. Wind SW 5-10 mph. Friday: Sunny. High of 70. Wind SW 10 mph. Saturday: Sunny. High of 70. Wind S 5-10 mph. Sunday: Partly cloudy. High of 62. Wind SW 10-15 mph.
- 2017: Thursday: Partly cloudy, with a high of 64. Wind SW 7-12 mph. Friday: Due to inclement weather, round two was suspended for the day at 12:18 p.m. A total of 2.97 inches of rain fell from Friday morning to Saturday morning. Saturday: Scattered showers through early afternoon gave way to cloudy skies in the late afternoon. High of 61. Wind SSW 6-12 mph. Sunday: The third round resumed at 6:50 a.m. and was completed at 12:03 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high of 60. Wind SW 6-12 mph.
- 2016: Thursday: Early showers gave way to partly cloudy conditions in the morning before sunshine and mid-60 temperatures in the afternoon. Wind WSW at 8-16 mph. Friday: Mostly sunny and reasonably cool weather with temperatures moving into the mid-60s. Wind WSW at 6-12 mph. Saturday: Mostly sunny and pleasant after a cool start with temperatures climbing to near 70 degrees in the afternoon. Wind WSW at 4-8 mph. Sunday: Mostly sunny and pleasant with temperatures reaching the high 60s. Wind WSW at 4-8 mph.
Weather Forecast: The latest weather forecast for La Jolla, California is here.
We saw a firm and releasing Torrey Pines South Course here a few weeks ago and to this point there has been no rain since. However a 80-90% chance of rain across tournament Wednesday into play on Thursday and Friday needs to be built into our thinking as a soft, circa 7,800 yard, South Course will play all of its length.
Temperatures will be colder than we saw at the Farmers at 14-15 Celsius, 57-59 Fahrenheit, across the opening 54 holes, warming to 19 Celsius / 66 Fahrenheit on a calm Sunday. Gusting 20 mph winds will also be a factor across Thursday and Friday with wind direction varying – Thursday southerly – Friday westerly.
Player Strokes Gained Rankings: These top 25 in the field rankings are based on an 8-tournament window that stretches back to the RSM Classic which includes both PGA Tour and DP World Tour events, where recorded, plus the Hero World Challenge. Player rankings are based on performance relative to the rest of the field:
- Top 25 SG Off The Tee: 1) Rory McIlroy; 2) Taylor Pendrith; 3) Robert MacIntyre; 4) Keegan Bradley; 5) Collin Morikawa; 6) Davis Thompson; 7) Matt Fitzpatrick; 8) Byeong Hun An / Rasmus Hojgaard / Scottie Scheffler; 11) Patrick Cantlay / Thomas Detry / Si Woo Kim; 14) Sungjae Im / Cameron Young; 16) Corey Conners / Shane Lowry / Sepp Straka; 19) Jason Day / Max Homa; 21) Justin Thomas; 22) Adam Scott / Kevin Yu; 24) Min Woo Lee; 25) Austin Eckroat.
- Top 25 SG Approach: 1) Tommy Fleetwood / Collin Morikawa; 3) Scottie Scheffler; 4) Sepp Straka; 5) Jason Day / Russell Henley / Nick Taylor; 8) Justin Thomas; 9) Rasmus Hojgaard; 10) Hideki Matsuyama / Will Zalatoris; 12) Adam Scott; 13) Cam Davis / Jordan Spieth; 15) Akshay Bhatia; 16) Keegan Bradley / Rory McIlroy / Maverick McNealy; 19) Nick Dunlap / Tom Hoge; 21) Shane Lowry; 22) Tom Kim; 23) Max Greyserman / Taylor Pendrith; 25) Robert MacIntyre.
- Top 25 SG Around The Green: 1) Patrick Cantlay / Justin Rose; 3) Justin Thomas; 4) Jason Day / Robert MacIntyre / Rory McIlroy / Hideki Matsuyama / Davis Thompson; 9) Stephan Jaeger / Collin Morikawa; 11) Christiaan Bezuidenhout / Cam Davis; 13) Andrew Novak; 14) Cameron Young; 15) Nick Dunlap / Adam Hadwin; 17) J.T. Poston; 18) Sungjae Im / Aaron Rai; 20) Byeong Hun An / Sam Burns / Russell Henley / Mackenzie Hughes; 25) Wyndham Clark.
- Top 25 SG Tee to Green: 1) Rory McIlroy; 2) Collin Morikawa; 3) Tommy Fleetwood; 4) Rasmus Hojgaard; 5) Robert MacIntyre; 6) Taylor Pendrith / Scottie Scheffler / Justin Thomas; 9) Jason Day; 10) Patrick Cantlay / Sepp Straka; 12) Russell Henley; 13) Hideki Matsuyama; 14) Keegan Bradley; 15) Will Zalatoris; 16) Adam Scott; 17) Nick Taylor; 18) Min Woo Lee / Shane Lowry; 20) J.T. Poston; 21) Matt Fitzpatrick; 22) Daniel Berger; 23) Jordan Spieth; 24) Thomas Detry; 25) Corey Conners / Maverick McNealy.
- Top 25 SG Putting: 1) Christiaan Bezuidenhout; 2) Akshay Bhatia / Russell Henley / Matthieu Pavon / Scottie Scheffler; 6) Rory McIlroy; 7) Stephan Jaeger; 8) Nick Dunlap; 9) Nico Echavarria / Sungjae Im / Collin Morikawa; 12) Thomas Detry / Sepp Straka; 14) Sam Burns / Patrick Cantlay / Aaron Rai / Nick Taylor / Justin Thomas; 19) Denny McCarthy; 20) Min Woo Lee; 21) Keegan Bradley / Sahith Theegala; 23) Adam Scott; 24) Maverick McNealy; 25) Wyndham Clark.
- Top 25 SG Total: 1) Rory McIlroy; 2) Collin Morikawa; 3) Scottie Scheffler; 4) Sepp Straka; 5) Min Woo Lee; 6) Patrick Cantlay / Russell Henley / Rasmus Hojgaard; 9) Justin Thomas; 10) Taylor Pendrith; 11) Keegan Bradley / Jason Day; 13) Tommy Fleetwood; 14) Robert MacIntyre; 15) Sam Burns / Nick Taylor; 17) Akshay Bhatia / Hideki Matsuyama / Adam Scott; 20) Maverick McNealy / Will Zalatoris; 22) Thomas Detry; 23) Cam Davis; 24) J.T. Poston; 25) Sungjae Im.
Analysing the Strokes Gained Stats of the Farmers Insurance Open winners at the host Torrey Pines South Course (54 holes) since 2016 gives us a little more insight into the requirements for this desert, short, Par 72
Strokes Gained Tournament Trends:
- 2025, Harris English (-8). SG Off the Tee: 49th, SG Approach: 4th, SG Around the Green: 26th, SG Tee to Green: 12th, SG Putting: 3rd.
- 2024, Matthieu Pavon (-13). SG Off the Tee: 25th, SG Approach: 21st, SG Around the Green: 47th, SG Tee to Green: 23rd, SG Putting: 4th.
- 2023, Max Homa (-13). SG Off the Tee: 31st, SG Approach: 1st, SG Around the Green: 24th, SG Tee to Green: 1st, SG Putting: 9th.
- 2022, Luke List (-15). SG Off the Tee: 21st, SG Approach: 4th, SG Around the Green: 32nd, SG Tee to Green: 5th, SG Putting: 8th.
- 2021, Patrick Reed (-14). SG Off the Tee: 31st, SG Approach: 39th, SG Around the Green: 1st, SG Tee to Green: 12th, SG Putting: 10th.
- 2020, Marc Leishman (-15). SG Off the Tee: 48th, SG Approach: 5th, SG Around the Green: 56th, SG Tee to Green: 16th, SG Putting: 1st.
- 2019, Justin Rose (-21). SG Off the Tee: 13th, SG Approach: 5th, SG Around the Green: 16th, SG Tee to Green: 2nd, SG Putting: 28th.
- 2018, Jason Day (-9). SG Off the Tee: 8th, SG Approach: 50th, SG Around the Green: 23rd, SG Tee to Green: 24th, SG Putting: 31st.
- 2017, Jon Rahm (-13). SG Off the Tee: 1st, SG Approach: 4th, SG Around the Green: 38th, SG Tee to Green: 1st, SG Putting: 37th.
- 2016, Brandt Snedeker (-6). SG Off the Tee: 55th, SG Approach: 17th, SG Around the Green: 19th, SG Tee to Green: 26th, SG Putting: 30th
Strokes Gained Tournament Skill Averages:
- SG Off the Tee: 28th, SG Approach: 15th, SG Around the Green: 28th, SG Tee to Green: 12th, SG Putting: 16th.
Tournament Trends & Key Factors: Analysing the final stats of the Farmers Insurance Open winners here since 2011 gives us a little more insight into the requirements for this test:
- 2025, Harris English (-8). 300 yards (43rd), 41.1% fairways (60th), 62.5% greens in regulation (28th), 81.5% scrambling (1st), 1.78 putts per GIR (28th).
- 2024, Matthieu Pavon (-13). 295 yards (38th), 62.5% fairways (16th), 70.8% greens in regulation (24th), 71.4% scrambling (8th), 1.71 putts per GIR (12th).
- 2023, Max Homa (-13). 294 yards (55th), 60.7% fairways (9th), 73.6% greens in regulation (3rd), 63.2% scrambling (14th), 1.70 putts per GIR (6th).
- 2022, Luke List (-15). 314 yards (12th), 51.8% fairways (44th), 73.6% greens in regulation (11th), 79.0 % scrambling (6th), 1.72 putts per GIR (28th).
- 2021, Patrick Reed (-14). 288 yards (52nd), 64.3% fairways (9th), 61.1% greens in regulation (63rd), 71.4 % scrambling (6th), 1.59 putts per GIR (1st).
- 2020, Marc Leishman (-15). 296 yards (34th), 48.2% fairways (58th), 72.2% greens in regulation (14th), 75.0 % scrambling (4th), 1.67 putts per GIR (4th).
- 2019, Justin Rose (-21). 310 yards (11th), 62.5% fairways (8th), 77.8% greens in regulation (2nd), 56.3 % scrambling (58th), 1.59 putts per GIR (3rd).
- 2018, Jason Day (-9). 319 yards (2nd), 53.6% fairways (26th), 68.1% greens in regulation (11th), 65.2 % scrambling (17th), 1.63 putts per GIR (4th).
- 2017, Jon Rahm (-13). 297 yards (16th), 60.7% fairways (19th), 73.6% greens in regulation (12th), 68.4 % scrambling (10th), 1.72 putts per GIR (10th).
- 2016, Brandt Snedeker (-6). 289 yards (45th), 41.1% fairways (57th), 66.7% greens in regulation (14th), 62.5 % scrambling (5th), 1.70 putts per GIR (16th).
- 2015, Jason Day (-9). 309 yards (1st), 46.4% fairways (49th), 70.8% greens in regulation (10th), 71.4 % scrambling (8th), 1.76 putts per GIR (33rd).
- 2014, Scott Stallings (-9). 292 yards (24th), 50.0% fairways (45th), 66.7% greens in regulation (23rd), 62.5 % scrambling (24th), 1.69 putts per GIR (10th).
- 2013, Tiger Woods (-15). 307 yards (2nd), 57.1% fairways (17th), 69.4% greens in regulation (34th), 59.1% scrambling (42nd), 1.66 putts per GIR (1st).
- 2012, Brandt Snedeker (-16). 285 yards (47th), 58.9% fairways (13th), 70.8% greens in regulation (33rd), 71.4% scrambling (6th), 1.69 putts per GIR (8th).
- 2011, Bubba Watson (-16). 317 yards (1st), 50.0% fairways (29th), 81.9% greens in regulation (1st), 46.2% scrambling (54th), 1.73 putts per GIR (26th).
Tournament Skill Averages:
- Driving Distance: 26th, Driving Accuracy: 31st, Greens in Regulation: 19th, Scrambling: 18th, Putting Average 13th.
So let’s take a view from players as to how the Torrey Pines South Course sets-up plus what skill sets they favour:
Harris English (2025): “Yeah, just managed my game really well. I wouldn’t say I hit the ball great starting out, but missed it in the right spots and then leaned on my short game and made some really good putts to save par starting out. Kind of got the round going, start hitting some really good iron shots and making some putts, getting some momentum. I felt like I hit the ball really well on the back nine. I don’t think I really hit many fairways, but to me I hit the ball really well. I mean, I’ve played this place for a long time now and I feel like I know where to miss it, where to be aggressive and where to be patient and kind of have a yellow light pin of not being aggressive, too. I feel like I picked my spots really well today and it’s nice when you’re seeing some putts go in.
It kind of goes back to when I was a kid like playing in the U.S. Juniors, the U.S. Amateurs, I loved those big-time golf courses with thick rough. You’ve got to play chess out there, it’s not some of these golf courses where to me is kind of a dart test and a putting contest. Tests like this, you’ve got to miss in the right spots, you’ve got to grind out there and pars are good and that’s kind of all you’re trying to do.
I don’t know what it is, I just love U.S. Open-type setups and Torrey Pines has always been one of my favourites. It’s definitely kicked me in the teeth before because if you’re not hitting it 1 well, if you’re not missing in the right spots, you’re not going to play well.”
Matthieu Pavon (2024): Friday: “Yeah, a pretty good round overall, very solid off the tee. Didn’t catch many rough the last two days, that was key. And then the putter was on fire, which is funny. I really missed short ones on the seventh hole, I think I missed two time three-footer for birdie, but dropped some big bombs and keep the momentum going.
When I walked that golf course on Monday, it was foggy and raining and I just only saw the greens and the rough and I was like that’s a proper test of golf. Everything was looking wet and so long. So I was like, oh, it’s going to be some very long clubs into greens, it’s going to be tough to catch those flags. In the end, you show up this morning, better weather, the sun is out and I started with very solid shots. As I said, the putter started to become a little bit hotter and I dropped some and it keeps me in really good momentum.”
Saturday: “Yeah, it is tough out there. Even yesterday I had a good round, but that was tough. The rough are thick, the wind switched a little bit, it brings some north wind today, it was a little bit cooler, too, windier. Overall, it was tough to catch the fairways, it was streaky out there. Also, the greens, we’ve been playing on them for three days now, they got a little bit bumpy and they are quite fast, so it makes making some putts a little bit tricky and tough.”
Max Homa (2023): “Yeah, drastically different days, both course and weather. The South is just so much harder. Tee to green it’s getting a lot more comparable to the North. The North has a couple holes that are a little bit easier than a couple of the holes on the South, but you add in the poa greens and a bunch of people playing on them so they get bumpy. And then obviously this wind today was hard, putting was hard, pulling a club was hard. Yeah, it was a drastically different couple of rounds.
Yeah, I would honestly say if the greens were as firm as they are here in the summer, it would feel very similar. Maybe a couple different pins, but that South is a bear even on the most perfect San Diego day. Yeah, I mean, it’s definitely more of that. It’s more kind of patience, picking your spots, hitting a lot of shots to 20 feet that are great and then hopefully holing a couple putts. But it’s hard to go around there unscathed, but it’s a great test. That South Course is an incredible golf course.
Man, good iron play. Four, if you hit the fairway where the pin was, it’s in a bit of a bowl. Three, you get kind of guessing, I hit a good 9-iron and it got about as close as I think it could have, made a nice putt. Then 6 was playing long today, but it’s still the easiest hole probably out here. And then 5, I hit a really good bunker shot and that was probably the luckiest putt of the day. It was a straight-up guess on where to aim it. Some fortune, some good shots, some good swings.”
Luke List (2022): “Yeah, I got off to a good start on the front nine with those four birdies. I was kind of talking to my coach before the round about how the dynamic of this tour and the game has changed with people being so aggressive and making a ton of birdies each week now. so I kind of knew to have any sort of chance I needed a good round and to go out and get off to a good start really helped, and to kind of keep plugging, I made that one bogey on 17, but other than that I played really solid all day, so I was happy with that finish on 18.
What was your club in on the playoff hole? “It was a wedge. He pulled a great number there, too. We were talking about it, I was 135 but it cooled off. Obviously out there when the sun goes down and living out in California I know that very well, so I drew back on some experience there. It was a good 12 yards of cool air and hurt off the left. We even played a 150-shot from 135 and it turned out perfectly.”
Patrick Reed (2021): South Course: “You know, the back, the back was tough I mean, just in general. I step up, I made that long putt on 10 for par and really get to 11, it’s a hybrid on a par-3, plug it, plug it in the bunker. And then on 12 I hit a soft 3-wood into 12 today from the fairway. So the golf course is playing tough.
“Seemed like on the front nine the balls were hanging in on the edges of fairways or turning into the fairway and on the back nine it seemed like the balls were starting where they wanted to, it just seemed to keep on falling in the wrong direction and end up just in the rough. When you’re playing out of the rough, especially on this back nine, it’s a grind. I got on the wrong side of that where I was in the rough seemed like the whole time, putting it in the wrong spots. And the greens got a little bumpy there towards the end, missed a shorty on the par 5, which was a bad putt, a three-putt and a short one on 17.”
“And then really it was the decision on 15. I’m setting up there and had an okay lie in the left rough where Kessler and I were actually considering hitting hybrid and try to squeeze it near the tree and try to get it up there. To sit there and go, you know what, no, I’m just going to hit 7-iron out there to about 50, 55 yards and allow my wedges to do the work. To be able to not only make a quality golf swing with the 7-iron and then to hit the wedge shot in there to basically a foot and a half, two feet was I felt like a big turning point that allowed me to feel comfortable with how the game is and really my thought process around this golf course.”
Marc Leishman (2020): “So it was funny because I drove it really well early in the week and then clearly I didn’t drive it well today. But my iron game was really good and then the putter. I holed some really good par saves there on the whole back nine really. Yeah, a bit of extra practice early in the week on the putting green get used to the Poa Annua. Kind of had a good feeling, but you never know what your week’s going to be like. So found something on the putting green early in the week and run with that. I said to Matty, when I had the putter in my hand, feels like it did in Malaysia a couple years ago when I won there, which it’s nice when it happens like that occasionally. I wish it could be like that every week.
I grew up on this grass, I grew up on kikuyu fairways, poa greens. It’s very, I mean, it’s hit and miss, you either putt great on it or you putt terribly, so I’m just glad it was a great. You saw some of the places I hit it, it wasn’t the most impressive stuff off the tee today, but if you miss it in the right spots and your putter’s hot, you can shoot anything. I proved that today. It’s nice to be able to do that and this feels pretty sweet.”
Justin Rose (2019): “Yeah, I think it’s one of my favorite places, one of my favorite stops on Tour obviously. The South course is – I’m looking forward to getting some momentum on that one. We get to play it three days in a row, so it’s nice to get the North out of the way, shoot a good score, just what you have to do. Now I can focus on the South course. Obviously a different type of green, you go from the bent to the poa annua, but just the views out there, I think the design of the South course is one of my favorites. So yeah, anytime you enjoy playing a course, it tends to suit your eye. The South Course, I think second shot-wise this is a really key golf course. It’s well bunkered, you’ve got those little sort of tongues where they can stick the pins. You have to be smart with your iron play. The greens (inaudible) strategizing the second shot, trying to leave the ball – there are certain times you can use the slope and other times you want to be putting up the hill.”
Jason Day (2018): “I don’t know, it’s really bunched up there. It’s weird. Yeah, I remember looking up and I was tied for the lead at 10-under I think, and like you said, there were six guys. It’s one of those courses where it’s really hard to extend the lead. You can’t really run away with a lead here because it is so tough. I mean, driving, it’s so demanding on the driver, you have to get yourself in position. If you’re not and with how the greens are starting to bounce, it’s very difficult to get yourself back into position leaving yourself in the right spot to get up and down. Adds a little bit with how the greens – obviously with poa annua, it adds a little bit more, I guess, a nervous feeling when you hit certain putts. I think with a course like this it’s always tough. We’ve had a lot of history here with leads being really bunched up like we have had, and I think if you can get anywhere between 10 and 13 tomorrow, you’ve got a good chance at winning the tournament.”
Brandt Snedeker: “I love, what I love most about poa annua is you have to be aggressive and you have got to hit a putt almost perfect. You got to give it a chance to go in, you got to get it rolling hard on the green. And I think that’s what my stroke does best, because I hit them aggressive, get the ball rolling really fast. When you do that, the ball holds its line. If you miss a putt a little bit, or hit a weak putt, it’s going to bump off. And I love it because it eliminates half the guys, like Kevin Kisner. Because they don’t like it and they don’t want to be on it. So, it makes my putting even better. Because they don’t want to be a part of it and if they get a bad bounce they think the greens are awful, I’m never coming back here, whatever, which helps me.”
Dustin Johnson: “The golf course I think sets up well. It sets up good to my eye. Just got to go out and execute. But around here, too, it’s all about where you leave your ball, controlling your ball, leaving yourself uphill putts so you can be aggressive with it. If you’re putting downhill all day, it’s hard to make putts, it just is. I don’t care how good a putter you are, it’s just tough. So controlling the golf ball, controlling your distance, and leaving yourself in the right spot is a big key.”
Phil Mickelson: “I think the length is a challenge and the firmness of the greens is a challenge. I think that patience is going to be a big challenge, because when you tuck the pins here, every green repels from the outside to the centre. So, every ball’s working to the centre of the green and it’s very difficult to get it close to a lot of the tough pins. So, you have to be patient. You have to accept 30, 40 footers, that you just can’t knock it too close, and you have to make some putts. I think that patience will be the key.”
Jimmy Walker: “Yeah, you said it, it’s tough. So any time you shoot under par out here is pretty good on the South Course. Even with light winds, it’s still really tough. They tuck the pins, greens have got a little firmness to them, so it’s tough to get it close. You want to throw the ball behind the hole and spin it, but it just won’t do it.”
J.B. Holmes: “The rough probably plays worse than it did at the U.S. Open when they had it here in 2008. The Kikuyu rough was nasty, but you could also get it where it would set up on a tee. It would either drop down to the bottom and you couldn’t hit anything or it was up on the tee. So it was kind of 50/50. Where, this week, if you hit it in there, you just have a bad lie. So you’re not going to be able to hit it very far. Most of the ones I hit in the rough have been bad lies. I’ll get a decent one every now and then, but I wouldn’t say I really got a good lie in the rough this week yet.”
First Round Leader Analysis: First round leader(s), their group and winning score since 2010. Full First Round Leader stats are here.
- 2024 – Cantlay – Group 10 -7/64 – 33/1.
- 2023 – Homa/Mitchell – AM/PM -7/64 – 35/1 & 80/1.
- 2022 – Niemann – PM -8/63 – 66/1.
- 2021 – Burns – PM -7/64 – 85/1.
- 2020 – Kuchar – AM -7/64 – 60/1.
- 2019 – Holmes – PM -8/63 – 100/1.
- 2018 – Cantlay/Finau – Both PM -5/66 – Both 55/1.
- 2017 – Saunders – AM -7/64 – 300/1.
- 2016 – Villegas PM -8/63.
- 2015 – Fathauer/Goosen/Hahn/Singh/Summerhays/Watney – 5AM/1PM -5/66.
- 2014 – D Johnson – AM -5/66.
- 2013 – Kuchar – AM -7/64.
- 2012 – Mickelson – PM -5/66.
- 2011 – 9 players -4/67.
- 2010 – D Johnson – AM -7/64.
For the record, here’s the breakdown of pure Poa Annua and Bentgrass/Poa Annua mix PGA Tour victors in the field since 2008:
- 6 – Rory McIlroy.
- 4 – Jason Day, Max Homa.
- 3 – Keegan Bradley, Collin Morikawa.
- 2 – Cameron Davis, Harris English, Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Rose, Adam Scott, Jordan Spieth, Nick Taylor, Gary Woodland.
- 1 – Akshay Bhatia, Patrick Cantlay, Wyndham Clark, Nick Dunlap, Tony Finau, Matt Fitzpatrick, Rickie Fowler, Tom Hoge, Billy Horschel, Viktor Hovland, Shane Lowry, Robert MacIntyre, Matthieu Pavon, Scottie Scheffler, Sahith Theegala, Justin Thomas.
Historically American players dominate the Torrey Pines champions list, but of late Jason Day (x2), Jon Rahm, Justin Rose, Marc Leishman and Matthieu Pavon have added their names to the list of international winners which includes Gary Player (1963) and Jose Maria Olazabal (2002).
There’s undoubtedly a form link between Torrey Pines and a couple of other classical golf courses. The course here features Kikuyugrass fairways and rough, agronomy which is only shared with Riviera, so it’s hardly a surprise to see that recent winners like English, Homa, Leishman and Rose had all previously finished 7th or better at ‘Hogan’s Alley’. Jon Rahm and even Luke List went on to contend at Riviera after winning here on the South Course. The other classical course to link to has to be Pebble Beach where we were just 2 weeks ago, which features Poa Annua greens and naturally a Pacific coast location.
So what’s the right recipe for success this week? Well both the long bomber and shorter types with a great short game can contend around Torrey. 2010, 2012, 2016 and 2021 saw Ben Crane, Brandt Snedeker and Patrick Reed triumph. But Bubba Watson, Tiger Woods, Scott Stallings, Jason Day (twice), Jon Rahm, Justin Rose and Luke List are all longer hitters. Marc Leishman, Matthieu Pavon and last month’s winner here Harris English fit somewhere in between but can get the ball out there when required. I have classified Patrick Reed as a short hitter, as over his recent years on the PGA Tour he became a sub-290 yard average driver. Indeed he won this 4 years ago with the shortest Average Driving Distance number – 288 yards – going back to Brandt Snedeker in 2012. And you have to say that Snedeker and Reed match-up nicely in terms of their short game magic and positive Poa Annua putting game shape. So it’s not all about bombers.
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