The PGA TOUR is hosting the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, California this week. This event features two courses, with each golfer of this 156-man field playing one round on each of the South Course (par 72, 7,765 yards, POA greens) and the North Course (par 72, 7,258 yards, bentgrass greens) of Torrey Pines. Then, there will be a normal top-65 and ties cut, and the players who advance will return to the South Course for the final two rounds. Matthieu Pavon (-13) won this event last year and Torrey Pines has been the home of the Farmers Insurance Open since 1968.
The PGA DFS Breakdown offers data-driven analysis for each week’s slate, using the FantasyLabs Tools and metrics to highlight notable golfers.
I’ll be highlighting the best cash game/single-entry plays on the DraftKings main slate, but these players are often great options in any contest.
My analysis will frequently reference Strokes Gained, a set of proprietary metrics generated by the PGA TOUR using millions of data points to calculate how many shots, on average, it takes a player to get the ball in the hole from every distance and situation.
Strokes Gained is now available in the FantasyLabs PGA Models.
There are a variety of Strokes Gained-related metrics, but the six main categories you need to know include:
- Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee (SG: Off-the-Tee)
- Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: Approach)
- Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green (SG: Around-the-Green)
- Strokes Gained: Putting (SG: Putting)
- Strokes Gained: Ball-Striking (SG: Ball-Striking), which is SG: Off-the-Tee + SG: Approach
- Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green (SG: Tee-to-Green), which is SG: Ball-Striking + SG: Around-the-Green
Don’t forget to check out two key metrics in our models — Perfect% and SimLeverage. You can find an explainer on those metrics here.
The cliff notes version is that you can use SimLeverage to quickly find leverage plays in tournaments, while Perfect% is great for finding the best price-considered plays for cash games.
And don’t forget to utilize our various PGA DFS tools like our Lineup Optimizer, Lineup Builder, PGA Correlation Dashboard, and our Trends tool.
The following players listed are based on DraftKings scoring and pricing.
PGA DFS Cash Game Thoughts
Note: FantasyLabs has partnered with Betsperts Golf and the Rabbit Hole! Sign up for the biggest database of golf stats available on the internet and get 25% off a yearly sub with our link!
Unless otherwise noted, all Strokes Gained metrics referenced in this article come via the Rabbit Hole.
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DraftKings $10,000+ Range
Ludvig Aberg ($10,800)
Aberg finished T9th in his Farmers Insurance Open debut last season and should contend for a win this week. The Swede last competed with a T5 at the Sentry while gaining strokes in every major category for the second straight start. Plus, he closed this event with a 9-under 64 in the final round. Aberg has now carded four top-five finishes in his last 10 starts, and his well-balanced game is perfect for the difficult Torrey Pines. Aberg is the top overall option this week and a great building block for cash games.
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DraftKings $9,000 Range
Keegan Bradley ($9,900)
After winning the BMW Championship in August, Bradley has started 2025 in tremendous form, finishing T15th at the Sentry and T6th at the Sony Open. The veteran gained strokes across the board in both of these starts, which is a very encouraging sign, given Bradley’s putting has been his Achilles heel throughout his career. If Bradley can maintain this all-around form at Torrey Pines, he should be in the mix for a win this weekend. In his last seven starts at the Farmers Insurance Open, Bradley has produced three top-five finishes, including a runner-up two years ago.
Shane Lowry ($9,000)
Lowry has made 5-of-6 cuts at the Farmers Insurance Open with three top-25 finishes, and the Irishman is on the heels of a T3 at the DP World Championship in November, which marked his sixth straight top-13 finish. Lowry has shot under par in 15 consecutive rounds, and he is a great combination of safety and upside to utilize this week.
DraftKings $8,000 Range
Maverick McNealy ($8,900)
McNealy has finished T17th or better in five of his last six starts, and his putter has been his best club in the bag, ranking 12th in SG: Putting when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds. McNealy also ranks sixth in 450-500-yard par-4 efficiency during this timeframe, setting him perfectly for the South Course of Torrey Pines, where six of the 10 par 4s land in this range. For five consecutive years, the winner of the Farmers Insurance Open has finished the event top-12 in both SG: Putting and 450-500-yard par-4 efficiency. McNealy has made 5-of-6 cuts at the Farmers Insurance Open, with no finishes worse than T37th, and is a great pay-up option.
Aaron Rai ($8,300)
Most notably, with a T6 in 2022, Rai has never missed a cut in three tries at the Farmers Insurance Open, and the ultra-consistent golfer has only failed to make the cut once in his last 18 starts worldwide. During this stretch, Rai has produced 12 top-25 finishes, including his first PGA TOUR victory at the Wyndham Championship in August, which he won by a convincing two shots. When we analyze this field’s last 50 rounds, Rai ranks second in bogey avoidance, sixth in SG: Approach, and 12th in 450-500-yard par-4 efficiency. The English professional checks all the boxes for Torrey Pines and shouldn’t finish outside the top 25 this week.
DraftKings $7,000 Range
Mark Hubbard ($7,800)
Hubbard posted a T20 at last year’s Farmers Insurance Open, and he should provide a similar finish this weekend. At the American Express this past week, Hubbard finished T12th while leading the field in greens found and finishing the tournament third in SG: Approach. Following this outing, Hubbard has now made six cuts in a row, and he has finished inside the top 25 four times during this streak.
Doug Ghim ($7,700)
Ghim has been very consistent. In his last 12 starts, Ghim has made 11 cuts and produced five top-30 finishes, including a T21 at the American Express last week. The 28-year-old ranks sixth in SG: Approach when we compare this field’s last 50 rounds, and he has made 4-of-6 cuts at the Farmers Insurance Open, with his best finish being a T13 last season. Sitting 124 spots higher in the world golf rankings this time around, Ghim brings even better upside and is one of the best values on the board.
Justin Rose ($7,600)
Rose has never been priced lower on DraftKings for a Farmers Insurance Open and the veteran needs to be rostered at this cheap salary. Rose has advanced to the weekend in six of his last eight starts – with three top-25 finishes during this span – and he has displayed huge upside at the Farmers Insurance Open in the past. Rose won the 2019 edition of this event by two strokes, which is just one of his four top-eight finishes in his last seven starts at the Farmers Insurance Open. Overall, Rose has made 10-of-14 cuts at this tournament.
Alex Smalley ($7,300)
Smalley is a steal at this low price tag. The 28-year-old has only missed one cut in his last eight starts, with his most recent finishes being a T16 at the Sony Open and an 11th place at the American Express last week. Smalley impressively gained strokes in every major category at both these events, and he shot under par in all eight of these rounds. Smalley shot a field-best 7-under 65 during the final round of the American Express last Sunday, and looking to build off this at Torrey Pines, he has top-10 upside this weekend. At the Farmers Insurance Open, Smalley has made 2-of-3 cuts.
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DraftKings $6,000 and Below Range
Joseph Bramlett ($6,900)
Bramlett has made five straight cuts at the Farmers Insurance Open, with three of these finishes being top-25 results. Now, he returns to Torrey Pines this week as the maker of six straight cuts, and he ranks fourth in SG: Tee-to-Green when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds. Bramlett simply shouldn’t have been priced this cheap and is an elite value play at only $6,900.
Lanto Griffin ($6,900)
Griffin is another standout $6,000 target that can be trusted for cash games this week. The 36-year-old finished T31st at the American Express last week while gaining strokes on approach. Griffin has made nine of his past 10 cuts, and at the Farmers Insurance Open, he has made 5-of-6 cuts with three top-30 finishes, including a T7 in 2021.