The $9.6 million Farmers Insurance Open began Thursday at Torrey Pines Golf Course, with San Diego State and Scripps Ranch High School alum Xander Schauffele the pre-tournament favorite.
Schauffele is making his season debut. He won his most recent start on the PGA Tour, the 2025 Baycurrent Classic, his lone victory of the year. The tournament in Yokohama, Japan, concluded Oct. 12, which Schauffele said "felt like a lifetime ago."
Schauffele said he took "advantage my offseason just to be a dad."
His wife Maya gave birth to their first child, a son, Victor, Aug. 29.
Schauffele missed last year's Farmers Insurance Open after withdrawing before the start of the previous week's The American Express in La Quinta for what was only described as "medical" reasons.
Schauffele had played in the Farmers Insurance Open each year since 2016, his rookie year on the PGA Tour, until last year. His best finish is tying for second in 2021.
Schauffele is the 14-1 pre-tournament favorite, according to FanDuel, an official betting operator of the PGA Tour. He is sixth in the Official World Golf Ranking, the highest in the field of 147.
Ludvig Aberg, a 26-year-old Swede who played at Texas Tech, is the second choice, a 17-1.
Aberg won the 2025 Genesis Invitational when it was played at Torrey Pines South Course, when the event was relocated from The Riviera Country Club because of the Palisades Fire.
Brooks Koepka will be making his first start in a non-major on the PGA Tour since the 2022 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. He then joined what is now the LIV Golf League.
"I'm definitely a little bit more nervous this week just coming back, but it feels good," the five-time major champion said at a news conference Tuesday. "I'm super grateful to be back."
The field will be reduced to the low 65 players and ties following the conclusion of the second round. The first two rounds are played on both the South and North courses, with the final two rounds on the South Course.
The winner will receive $1.728 million.
There are three players in the field in addition to Schauffele, who went to high school or college in San Diego County β Justin Hastings (San Diego State), Charley Hoffman (Poway High School), and J.J. Spaun (San Diego State University).
The 49-year-old Hoffman will be making his 28th appearance at The Farmers Insurance Open. He has three top 10 finishes β tying for seventh in 2009 and 2014 and tying for ninth in 2020.
The tournament will be televised on ESPN from 9 a.m. to noon Thursday and Friday, Golf Channel from noon-4 p.m. Thursday and Friday,10 a.m. to noon Saturday and Sunday and on CBS from noon-3:30 p.m. Saturday and noon to 3 p.m. Sunday.
Additional coverage will be streamed on ESPN+ from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday and 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
