8 of our experts’ favorite picks

Welcome to our weekly PGA Tour gambling tips column, featuring picks from GOLF.com expert forecaster Brady Kannon. Kannon is an experienced golf bettor and commentator and a frequent contributor to SportsGrid, a syndicated news network dedicated to sports and sports betting. You can follow on Twitter @LasVegasGolferyou can read below his picks for the Farmers Insurance Open, which takes place on Wednesday in La Jolla, Calif. A mobile app with FREE – Play daily fantasy golf tournaments where you can win cash and prizes in every round and tournament.

The preseason is over and it’s time for the PGA Tour Big Boys Golf Tournament, which begins this Wednesday in beautiful La Jolla, California.

I’ve been handicapping and betting in golf for many years now, and I use the first few weeks of the season to get a feel for things: who’s playing well and who’s not playing well, as a way to easily adapt to how things change, Just like one might with preseason games in other sports.

I always think of Torrey Pines as the first week of the “regular season,” or when we start playing consistently. For years, Tiger Woods has always made his first “real” start of the season this week, and the field at the current Farmers Insurance Open is outstanding. It’s been a good year but has definitely lost some of its luster, with Xander Schauffele withdrawing due to injury and Collin Morikawa deciding to sit out this week’s coast outside of San Diego.

However, the field remains unchanged and it is one of the toughest tests the players face all year. Torrey Pines’ South Course, home to the 2008 U.S. Open (Tiger Woods) and the 2021 U.S. Open (Jon Rahm), stretches to nearly 7,800 yards. It’s a beast. Three of the four rounds will be played on the South Course, with each player playing a game on the North Course on Wednesday or Thursday. The North Course is less than 7,300 yards long and is about two strokes easier to play than the South Course.

Not only is the South Course long, but it also features narrow fairways and heavy rough, making total tee shots (a combination of tee length and accuracy) one of the most important statistics of the week.

Of the 10 par 4s on the South Course, only one is less than 400 yards. The other nine holes averaged over 460 yards, so I looked at how this week’s players performed on holes in the 450-500 yard range. I also used Hole Proximity above 200 yards. Plenty of approach shots will come from this distance, including 3 of the 4 par 3s measuring over 200 yards.

Finally, I took a look at the scores contested and scored: Poa bluegrass greens. Poa annua is a common surface on our courses in California, especially along the coast. It’s a spongy grass that is really difficult for some players to deal with. Scramble has been a big factor at Torrey Pines because when hitting the ball from such a distance, a lot of greens are missed – and getting up and down without returning the ball will go a long way to success this week. help.

Quail Valley in Charlotte, North Carolina has been one of my go-to related courses of the week because of the shared importance of “total driving.” Remember, Quail Hollow will host the PGA Championship this May, so take notes on a similar test this week. I also went to Jackson Country Club where they have the Sanderson Farms Championship. Vidanta Vallarta is on the list, as are Corales Golf Club, Valhalla and Caves Valley, where they have been Hosting the 2021 BMW Championship.

The list is long. I played a total of eight straight games this week, but only two of them were below 50-1. I also finished in the top 20 in every race.

Keegan Bradley (22-1)

I played this game earlier on Monday and have since seen better numbers, such as closer to 25-1, so as always, shop around. Bradley’s performance seems inspiring to me lately, and my feeling is that it stems from his being named Ryder Cup captain. He has been a solid hitter and ranked 15th in total drives on Tour in 2024. Ranked 19th in the hole. I mentioned inspiring races – Bradley won the BMW Championship in August and finished fifth at the Hero World Challenge in December. Two weeks ago, he finished sixth at the Sony Open. Bradley has four top-25 finishes and three top-5 finishes at Torrey Pines. He has two top-five finishes at the Sanderson Farms Championship.

Tony Finau (26-1)

If it’s not Jon Rahm or Tiger Woods, then “Mr.” Torrey Pines has to be Tony Finau. No, he’s never won here, but in 10 visits Finau has three top-25s and six top-10s. He’s pretty much a machine here, so I had to put him on the list. Finau made three trips to Vidanta Vallarta for the Mexico Open, posting a record of 2-1-13. He finished 18th at the PGA Championship at Valhalla and 15th at the 2021 BMW Championship at Caves Valley. Over the past 36 rounds, he ranks second in SG: Close and 19^th Get good motivation.

Aaron Ray (52-1)

Rye finished 15th at The Sentry in Maui and earned his first PGA Tour victory at the Wyndham Championship in August. His tee shot accuracy is extremely high, ranking 47th on tour last season in total tee shot percentage. He never missed a cut at Torrey Pines and finished sixth in 2022. .

Beau Hossler (55-1)

Hossler opened his season last week at La Quinta with a 12th-place finish in the American Express. Before that, he had a strong season at FedEx Fall, with two top-25 finishes, an 11th-place finish, and a playoff loss at Sanderson Farms, where he also finished 10th in 2017 . . Over the past 36 rounds, he ranks 22nd in this field and 23rd in SG: Putting (Poa Annua).

JJ Spann(60-1)

Spann was familiar with the golf course since he grew up in Los Angeles and attended San Diego State University. He has competed in two tournaments this season, finishing third at the Sony Open and 29th at the American Express last week. He had a top-10 finish here and a top-25 and two top-30 finishes at Quail Valley. Spahn ranks first in SG in this area: 42nd in approach points gained over the past 36 rounds, 42nd in good drives gained, 29th in hole proximity of 200+ yards, and fourth in 450-500 yards. The par hole ranks 17th.

Gary Woodland(85-1)

Throughout his career, Woodland’s strength has always been hitting. He also won the U.S. Open on the bluegrass greens at Pebble Beach Shores. He finished 16th at the Sony Open two weeks ago and 16th at the Sanderson Farms Championship in October. Speaking of 16, this will be Woodland’s 16th appearance in the Farmers Insurance Open this season. His best results are 9-10-12-18-20. He also had two top-20 finishes and two top-5 finishes at Quail Valley.

Harris English(110-1)

When you look at his best results in some of our relevant courses, he’s pretty much a flush for English. He finished second at Torrey Pines, third at Quail Hollow, fifth at Corales and sixth at Sanderson Farms. He finished 18th at Valhalla last year and 26th at Caves Valley in 2021. Ranked 12th in this category. In the final four games of the FedEx Fall Season, English went 6-9-14. Over the past 36 rounds, he ranks 37th in SG: Poa Annua and third in the scramble.

Henrik Noland (160-1)

I’ve seen numbers on Norlander ranging from 140-1 to as high as 200-1. Yes, his chances are certainly slim, but as a guy who certainly has the potential to succeed this week, he makes some sense. Like Rai, he’s extremely accurate off the tee and ranked 55th in total drives on Tour last season. He’s a great golfer and ranks fourth among the 450-500 yard par 4s in his past 36 rounds. He finished second in the Farmers Championship, 16th in Quail Hollow, 13th in Vidanta Vallarta, and finished fourth twice and second once in the Sanderson Farms Championship.

Who Chirp Golf Players Will Pick This Week

To make your own Chirp picks and win amazing prizes, download the app here.