This week we have an unusual Wednesday start on the PGA Tour at the historic Torrey Pines due to the NFL Conference Finals on Sunday. The PGA West Coast Swing as it’s known starts at Torrey Pines which always sets one of the longest, toughest tests in the sport on a clifftop overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
This proximity to the ocean means it’s at the mercy of Mother Nature and when she kicks up it affects the winning score anywhere between four to eight shots. If the conditions are benign expect a winning score circa fifteen under par as we move onto California’s Poa annua greens after three weeks of Bermuda.
For the opening two rounds, the North and South Course are used followed by the South Course which hosted last year’s U.S. Open for the final thirty-six.
January 26th – January 29th at Torrey Pines North and South Course
Thirty-three-year-old home state boy, Lanto Griffin is a player I’ve had in mind as a potential winner of the Farmers Insurance Open for a few years now. Griffin is a sort suited by some of the tougher tests of golf on the PGA Tour, and his early years here indicated an affinity for Torrey Pines with 12th in 2018 when struggling for a tour card and 7th last year.
He proved his ability to deal with tough tests by the tournaments he’s won, like the Houston Open, his only PGA Tour title in the fall of 2019 at fourteen under par. Interestingly, the two Korn Ferry Tour Titles he won were similarly at sixteen and fifteen under at the Nashville Open 2019 and the Robert Trent Jones Championship 2017.
His one Latin American Tour title was with a winning score of only nine under par at the 2015 Roberto De Vincezo Punte del Este Open. So, we know that Griffin is not ideally suited by birdie fests and this is likely due to his putting being the weakest part of his game at times.
Last week, at the American Express, his 3rd place finish at twenty under par would suggest his short game has started 2022 in rude health, and therefore this week is a great opportunity to back Lanto Griffin to win the Farmers Insurance Open in his home state of California at +7000 at GTbets (visit our GTbets Review).
Golf Pick: Lanto Griffin to Win (+7000) at GTbets
Golf Pick: Lanto Griffin to Make Top 10 (+600) Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)
The angle of “homeboys” winning the Farmers Insurance Open this week gathers pace even more with our next selection, the underrated, Max Homa. Only one start for the thirty-one-year-old Californian, Max Homa in 2022 so far but it was a solid 15th in the Sentry Tournament of Champions to shake the rust off his game.
By finishing 9th and 18th here the last two seasons it suggests Max Homa is getting more comfortable at Torrey Pines than in his early years on the PGA Tour. This is perhaps no surprise given he’s known for being long and controlled from the tee box, a prerequisite at Torrey Pines.
Two wins in 2021 at the Genesis Invitational in California on Poa annua greens and the Fortinet Championship illustrate a golfer who can get the job done. Max Homa is a proper closer of tournaments, and always underrated by the betting firms so take the +7000 at GTbets with your golf picks.
Golf Pick: Max Homa to Win (+7000) at GTbets
Golf Pick: Max Homa to Make Top 10 (+600) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.