Jon Rahm still has the chance to win Farmers Insurance Open despite being nine shots behind. Although it is true that the PGA TOUR superstar has given the field a big advantage after his 1over, 73 on Wednesday’s first round, the fact remains that this tournament is still open for the Spaniards to win. Rahm was able to play the Torrey Pines South round, which is more difficult. After recent rains in Southern California, the beast was almost U.S. Open-like. It had a thicker skin. The North Course, where Rahm is heading Thursday, saw the majority of scoring. After 36 holes have been completed, the top 65 players and those tied make it to the South for the final round. The scoring average on the South was 72.218. The total number of players was 17-over. The back nine were 70-over! The scoring average for the North course was 69.731. It featured Brent Grant, Aaron Rai, and Sam Ryder who all shot 8-under 64s. As a group, those on North were 177 under. Only Sam Stevens (and Andrew Novak) shot 6-under or higher on the South. On Wednesday, 91 players shot below par and only 35 were on the South. Rahm was not too far from the South’s average score and will be playing on Thursday’s North course. This week’s latest forecast predicts that there will be higher winds on Thursday, making the South even more difficult for those who are attempting it for the first-time. Rahm lost -1.455 shots on his approach shots during his round. This is something that you won’t see often from the man who won the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. We won’t be able to see the full stats until after two rounds because Strokes Gained Stats are only available on the South Course. “The main point of the round today was the (good) putt shots I hit on 6, 7, 12, and 13 I was three over par after poor approach shots. Rahm lamented his approach mistakes. He was seventh among those who played the South Course in Strokes Gained Off-the-Tee. This is a positive sign, as those who play the South Course in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee will continue to climb the ranks. Rahm would not make the same mistakes again. There is precedent, with Brandt Snedeker and Jason Day winning the event from the exact same starting position. Day opened 2015 with a South 73 and was nine shots behind. Snedeker started 2018 with a South 73 and was eight shots back. He then rallied to win both tournaments. Snedeker opened 2016 with a South 73 and was seven behind the pace before he turned it around. A 69 on South is traditionally better than a North of 66… but you must back it up! Day supported his openers in 2015 with a 65 on North and 64 in 2018. Snedeker needed only a 70 in a wild and windy tournament of 2016. Rahm is aware that he must move forward on Thursday. Rahm, who opened as a +450 favourite, has only five players ahead of him at BetMGM Sportsbook. There are three rounds left to play. Rahm now has +2000, making it three consecutive TOUR wins. You might have wondered why Ryder (+4000), and Grant (+10000) are still at attractive odds. It’s not because they haven’t won on TOUR. They have yet to tackle the South. Taylor Montgomery and Justin Thomas are now the favorites at +800 after they both navigated the South Course with success in four and five under, respectively. Sungjae Im is now +1000 following his 4-under-68 performance on the South Course. Will Zalatoris (+1800) and Collin Morikawa (1200) are the only North Course players that rank above Rahm on our betting board. Morikawa hopes to bounce back from his collapse at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, which helped Rahm win his first of two consecutive wins. Rahm was eight back, with only 17 holes left to play. Morikawa’s 5-under-par 67 on North was a great start to retribution. Zalatoris lost to Luke List in a playoff at Torrey Pines last year after he had a putt on the 72nd hole to win it. To be four behind the pace, he shot a 4-under-par 68 on North. After a 67 on North, List is now +5000. Bottom line: If you give up on Rahm too early, it could prove fatal.
By: Ben Everill
Title: Don’t give up on Jon Rahm yet at Torrey Pines
Sourced From: www.pgatour.com/betting-dfs/2023/01/25/don-t-give-up-on-jon-rahm-yet-at-torrey-pines-farmers-insurance-open.html
Published Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2023 17:11:00 -0500
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