The PGA TOUR heads to La Jolla, California this week for the Farmers Insurance Open. The North and South Courses at iconic Torrey Pines will host, and measure as 7,258 and 7,765-yard par 72s, respectively. Both courses feature Poa greens. Golfers will play both the North and South Course once over the first two rounds, before returning to the South Course for the final two.
Despite California natives and Farmers Insurance Open regulars Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay not teeing it up this week, the field is still pretty strong, with the likes of Ludvig Aberg, Hideki Matsuyama, Sungjae Im and Tony Finau all in attendance
Below, I have outlined three of my favorite DraftKings plays for the week.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $500K Pitch + Putt [$100K to 1st]
Ludvig Aberg ($10,900)
Aberg is going to win his fair share of PGA TOUR events in his career, and this event should absolutely be one of them. At just 23 years old, he might be the premier driver of the golf ball on the planet already, although Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler might have something to say about that.
Regardless, the Swede is the exact archetype of golfer we want to target at Torrey, as he hits the ball both incredibly far and straight. In his debut here last year, Aberg finished T9, while gaining 6.8 strokes ball-striking and 1.13 on the greens. He lost a bit around-the-greens, but we know the rough at Torrey can be a nightmare for anyone and it’s about getting a bit lucky with your lie.
Despite having knee surgery at the tail end of the summer, Aberg has shown no ill-effects since returning, posting finishes of T17, sixth and T5 in his three starts. The T5 came back at the Sentry his last time out, where he finished with a final round 64.
While there are some enticing options at the top of the board this week in the likes of Matsuyama, Finau and Im, I much prefer Aberg, in what feels like a golf course that suits his game to an absolute T.
Stephan Jaeger ($7,800)
Jaeger came quite close to winning this event last year, finishing T3 and two strokes back of Matthew Pavon. It marked by far the best finish of his career at Torrey, and should be a harbinger of things to come. His skillset certainly plays here, as he’s one of the longer hitters on the PGA TOUR.
After a somewhat subpar 2024 campaign, Jaeger has really stepped his game up of late, posting a pair of top-three finishes at the Black Desert Championship and Sony Open across his past four starts. He’s looked to have regained his form with his irons, as the German gained 4.6 strokes on approach his last time out at Waialae.
Maybe most encouraging, however, has been his flat stick, where Jaeger has gained 3.5 or more strokes putting in three of his past five starts. He looks to be peaking at the right time, and at just $7,800, he makes for a really nice plug-and-play option this week.
Joseph Bramlett ($6,900)
Bramlett has been a cut-making machine at Torrey Pines over the past half decade, find the weekend in all of his five starts since 2020. In that stretch, he’s posted three top-25 finishes, including a T13 in 2023. Bramlett is the type of golfer where if you need a top-40 he can deliver for you, but if you need a top-10 he’ll give you a top-40.
Bramlett is normally a horrible putter, but there is something about the Poa Annua greens at Torrey that catches his eye, as he’s gained an average of .67 strokes per round on the greens here for his career. We have not seen Bramlett since the fall, but he was quite good during that time, making the cut in six-of-seven events, including a pair of top-30s at the Black Desert Championship and Butterfield Bermuda Championship. He actually ranks No. 2 in this entire field in SG: Tee-to-Green over his past 24 rounds, trailing only Kurt Kitayama.
We are not looking for anything too crazy in this spot, as just a simple made cut will do for Bramlett at this bargain price of $6,900.