Sports

Farmers Insurance 2023 Open leaderboards, scores: Justin Thomas takes care of the South Course as Jon Rahm stands out



Conditions are ideal on the cliffs of La Jolla on Wednesday at the 2023 Farmers’ Insurance Open. Without having to deal with the wind, players can hit pegs on both the hard and the South Court. The North Courtyard is easily accessible. While Sam Ryder, Aaron Rai and Brent Grant took the lead in the first round thanks to an 8 under 64 on the North Course, it was bigger names Justin Thomas who took control of the tournament.

Shooting 4 under 68, the two-time PGA Champion signed into the second-lowest round of the day on the South Court. Amid a lull since the summer months, Thomas entered his second game of the year without breaking into the top 10 in an all-out event since the Canadian Open.

With his iron numbers dwindling just a bit, the pristine approach-play we’ve seen from Thomas was evident in Round 1. Second place for tee shots and fourth. in terms of strokes won approach among the men on the South Court, Thomas will try to close the gap between him and the leaders in what is expected to be a turbulent match.

Leaders

T1. Sam Ryder, Aaron Rai, Brent Grant (-8)

This is a pretty eclectic group consisting of a longtime PGA Tour player, a rookie and a DP World Tour winner. Rai competed at this tournament a year ago and played well in poor conditions – as shown by his 2020 Scottish Open win – so he will be at home tomorrow and can hold power for the longest time.

“I think the temperature and the way the wind affects the ball is close to what I grew up with in the UK. The ball here doesn’t travel as far as elsewhere in the US. The wind feels a bit heavier as well. ,” Rai said of his comfort at Torrey Pines. “So I guess I just see the shots a little bit more clearly when it’s sometimes hot in the U.S. and when there’s 5, 10 mph winds, the ball can go straight over, while here I feel like you could use the wind as a little buffer, maybe a little more for my eyes, so that might help me hit the green.”

other candidates

4. Brendan Steele (-7)

T5. Sahith Theegala, Hayden Buckley, Sam Stevens, Andre Novak, Garrick Higgo, Gary Woodland (-6)

T11. Luke List, Collin Morikawa, SH Kim, Ben Griffin, Vincent Norrman, Taylor Montgomery, Lanto Griffin, Harry Higgs (-5)

He just kept doing it. Continuing an stellar freshman campaign that included nine straight cuts and eight top 15 finishes, Montgomery arrived at Torrey Pines having just won the title in Palm Springs. Hitting the tee into the water on the 71st and dashing hopes of winning The American Express, disappointment felt almost inevitable for the best putter on the PGA Tour. Instead, Montgomery was back on the first page of the leaderboard with more goals in mind than finishing in the top 15.

What happened to Jon Rahm?

The world number 3 had an early first-round advantage by making two birdies in his first five holes. In the 6th half par-5, Rahm will end up with 3 points at the start of a 20-minute period that derails his day. Taking his approach shot into the next hole in the box, a double followed, wiping out all of his earlier gains.

With two bogeys and a birdie to end his day, Rahm ended up winning 1 over 73 and trailing the leader by 9 strokes. Marking his first round of domination in 150 days, Rahm will attempt to recover on the North Course on Thursday and play again.

The story of two courses

The South Course is exactly 2.5 strokes harder than the North Course on Wednesday and will be even harder on Thursday. With winds expected to reach 30 mph and gusts potentially up to 40 mph, players will have to hold on to their lives. Whether this will increase the average score on the North Course will be a question heading into Round 2, as it could very well widen the gap between the two sides.

Average score compared to par from Round 1

  • North Lock: -2.27
  • Southern Course: +0.23

Farmers Insurance 2023 Open odds and picks updated

Odds Courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook

  • Taylor Montgomery: 4/21
  • Justin Thomas: 17/2
  • Sungjae Im: 10-1
  • Collin Morikawa: 10-1
  • Will Zalatoris: 35/2
  • Homa max: 35/2
  • Jon Rahm: 20-1
  • Sahith Theegala: 20-1
  • Aaron Rai: 22-1
  • Jason’s Day: January 22
  • Si Woo Kim: 23-1
  • Ben Griffin: 25-1

I just want to take a moment to appreciate Rahm at 20-1 with better odds than the man he’s nine strokes behind. Yes, there are ways to go in this tournament, but I no longer believe Rahm will win his third consecutive title. Instead, I went to Homa at 35/2. His round was a bit overwhelming, but I enjoyed his play in extreme conditions. The few people ahead of him on the odds, Im and Morikawa, tend to grapple with the wind, so there’s some chance of moving up from the under-4 he’s at despite the names. big.

news7g

News7g: Update the world's latest breaking news online of the day, breaking news, politics, society today, international mainstream news .Updated news 24/7: Entertainment, Sports...at the World everyday world. Hot news, images, video clips that are updated quickly and reliably

Related Articles

Back to top button