[sc:PGA15-250 ]In case you’re still hungry for golf action before the first Grand Slam of the season begins, the Farmers Insurance Open is here to fill the void. Some of the best golfers will be on the field as the likes of Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and many more compete for the Farmers Insurance Open.
Day has remained hot after a solid stretch to end the 2015 season, along with a major title in the PGA Championship. Can Day get his first title of the season? Or will someone else in the field of talented golfers rise up to shock the golfing world?
Jason Day finally emerged as one of the world’s best towards the latter half of last season. He won the RBC Canadian Open, PGA Championship, The Barclays and the BMW Championship all within a six-tournament period. He’s even started 2016 on a strong note, placing 10th at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions with a 15-under 277.
Day (+650) will have a very good chance of making it back-to-back top 10 finishes; even a win is very much possible for this year’s Farmers Insurance Open. He won this tournament in a four-man playoff with a nine-under 279.
[sc:Golf240banner ]Day is good and all, but he’ll need to watch out for Dustin Johnson, who’s entering this tournament on the heels of three solid events. Johnson finished in the top five at the WGC-HSBC Champions, 15th at the Hero World Challenge and 10th at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions as he kept busy during the early goings of the 2016 PGA Tour.
Johnson started the season late in 2015, playing his first tournament at the Farmers Insurance Open. He paid for it dearly by missing the cut. He rebounded nicely with three top four finishes in his next four tournaments though. Expect big things from Johnson (+1,500) this year.
High-Value Sleepers – Rickie Fowler and Phil Mickelson
Rickie Fowler (+1,000) is red hot, entering this tournament by winning the European Tour’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship on the other side of the world. If there’s one word to describe Fowler, it’s clutch. He won at Abu Dhabi with a chip-in birdie on the final hole for a one-shot victory. He has also been as good on the PGA Tour with back-to-back top five finishes at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions (fifth) and Hero World Challenge (third).
Phil Mickelson (+1,800) has won the Farmers Insurance Open three times in his storied career. But his last win at this even was back in 2001. His best finish since then was a runner-up in 2010. Lefty hasn’t won a tournament since the 2013 British Open. He’ll need a big win at this event to show that he’s not yet done.
Sleeper – Bill Haas
A few missed opportunities had Bill Haas missing out on a third win at the recently concluded CareerBuilders Challenge this past weekend. He was one stroke back off the lead after his fifth hole, but eventually finished ninth with a 19-under 269. Despite missing out on a win, he still has two top 10 finishes in his last three tournaments.
Haas (+2,500) will need to be at the top of his game if he wants to win his first title of the year. He finished just 19th with a four-under 284 last year he eventually fizzled down the stretch. He hit a 75 in the final round to close out the 2015 Farmers Insurance Open.
Writer’s Prediction
Dustin Johnson (+1,500) wins the Farmers Insurance Open.
