Rick's Picks: Our Best Bets for the 2026 Farmer's Insurance Open

Expect a shock to the system when the guys arrive at Torrey Pines from PGA West last week. After four days of premier scoring conditions, those birdies will be harder to come by in La Jolla. This event rewards the long and powerful players who can execute on long-iron shots – all while avoiding the big number.

As usual, the field will play one round on each the North Course and the South Course before a 36-hole cut and the remaining players return to the South Course for the weekend.

Winner: Cameron Young (+1800)

Cameron Young finished his 2025 with his hair on fire. Over his final 11 events, he earned (7) Top 10 finishes including his first career PGA TOUR win at the Wyndham Championship. He’s back to being one of the elite drivers of the golf ball and one of the few on TOUR who can consistently move it from right to left. That will be a valuable skill-set around Torrey Pines this week.

Top 10: Chris Gotterup (+280)

Fresh off his victory at the Sony Open, there’s no reason to think that Chris Gotterup won’t contend again. He possesses high-end club speed (123 MPH) which will allow him to hit long drives and extract himself from the thick rough that covers the property.

Top 20: Kevin Yu (+240)

At over 7,700 yards, Torrey Pines is one of the longer venues on the circuit. Because of that, it also has one of the longest average approach distances on TOUR – at 182 yards. Kevin Yu is one of the best long iron players in the world and ranks fourth in strokes gained approach on shots from outside 180 yards. He finished T17 at the Genesis Invitational last year and T6 at the 2024 Farmers Insurance Open, so he has plenty of good vibes around La Jolla.

Top 20: Marco Penge (+230)

If you think I’m missing out on Penge’s first start as a PGA TOUR member, you are crazy! He was dealing with an illness that pushed back the start of his season but that’s not going to scare me away. He’s one of the most powerful, exciting players to come over from the DP World Tour. He won three different times on the World Tour in 2025 and he finished runner-up to Chris Gotterup at the Scottish Open. He’s ready to make a splash on this circuit.

Prop: Jake Knapp 31st or Better (+100)

Knapp returned to action in Honolulu two weeks ago and quietly put together a solid T11 finish. He picked up two rounds off-the-tee which is the seventh straight event that he’s beaten the field by multiple strokes with his driver. That’s his weapon and it’ll come in handy all four days this week.

Prop: Jason Day 30th or Better (-120)

There are few players who thrive in California like Jason Day. His results between the American Express, Farmers Insurance Open, and Pebble Beach Pro-Am are really only rivaled by Tiger Woods and Jon Rahm. He was splendid last week en route to his T2 in Palm Springs and his well-rounded game will be rewarded in La Jolla.