Farmers Insurance Open Power Rankings: Top ten at Torrey Pines

The headlines at this week’s Farmers Insurance Open revolve around Tiger Woods, but will he crack our Power Rankings?

Based on past performance alone, this week’s Farmers Insurance Open appears to be an ideal place for Tiger Woods to make his first start in a full-field event in nearly a year.

The Big Cat’s won the tournament seven times and has won at Torrey Pines eight times counting his 2008 US Open win on one good leg.

A reasonable hope would be to see Tiger make the weekend and seeing more reassurance that his back can hold up, particularly when temperatures are in the 50s and the wind feels like it’s in the 50s, too.

Woods was in the running for my top 10 this week, but he was left on the cutting room floor. That’s not even a knock on him and the progress he showed at the Hero World Challenge so much as it’s a testament to how well so many guys are playing right now.

Jon Rahm is up to world No. 2. He won last week and is back to defend his Torrey title.

Other recent winners and big names are on hand this week, too. The Farmers Insurance Open has a season opener feel to it as it’s the first big time PGA Tour event on the continental US; the Masters in April has begun to creep into players’ visions as they plot their next moves.

The North Course is clearly the easier and shorter of the two courses this week compared to the South, but it’s only in year two post-renovation, so there still may be a few new challenges for players.

To win the event requires getting around the 7,698-yard par-72 bear of a South course three times. It’s not an architectural masterpiece, but the course demands strong ball striking against frequent winds. Fairways and greens come at a premium with juicy rough guarding most pins, bonus points if you can maintain distance.

It should be a fun week, and the views of the southern California coast never disappoint. Here are 10 picks to roll with for the Farmers Insurance Open: