The Farmers Insurance Open begins Wednesday at Torrey Pines. On Saturday evening, a championship will be won, a trophy and a surfboard will be presented to the winner, and the golfers will head home or to Pebble Beach for next week’s event.

In a normal year, that would be it for PGA Tour golf in San Diego until next January.

But not this year. It appears almost certain that in just over two weeks, many of the players will be back for an even bigger tournament — one with a purse more than double the $9.3 million of the Farmers and a much stronger field. The $20 million Genesis Invitational, scheduled for Feb. 13-16, is expected to be moved from Riviera Country Club in fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades to Torrey Pines.

It isn’t often — or ever — that PGA Tour players compete on the same course twice in the same year, let alone in 26 days. But those who are here this week and also eligible for the Genesis are hoping the reports become reality.

In this case, familiarity does not breed anything close to contempt. In fact, they see it as an advantage.

“No pushback from me,” Ludwig Aberg, at No. 6 the second highest-ranked player in the Farmers, said Tuesday at Torrey Pines. “Bring it here please.”

Said Aaron Rai: “I think the prospects of playing it twice in three weeks is great. I really enjoy the course. It can definitely beat you up; it’s one of the hardest courses we play all year. But I think it’s a great venue. If it is (moved) it’ll be a great event for sure. … I think also the history Tiger has at Torrey Pines (makes) it a great fit.”

Tiger Woods, the host of the Genesis, famously won eight pro tournaments at Torrey Pines between 1999 and 2013. Jason Day has just one-quarter that number of victories but relishes the idea of another tournament here.

“I love it because I’ve had good memories here,” said Day, who won the Farmers in 2015 and 2018.

After one of Day’s answers, a PGA Tour official made sure to tell reporters an official decision has not been made yet regarding the Genesis.

“But I would like it here,” Day said with a grin.

Day, 37, is old enough to remember the glory days of the Farmers, which actually weren’t that long ago. Woods had a lot to do with that; he usually made his season debut at Torrey Pines, which is less than 90 miles south from where he grew up in Cypress.

“Back when Tiger was playing and winning … it was the event to come to,” Day said, noting the crowds were “huge.”

Charley Hoffman has been around even longer than Day — this week will be the 27th Farmers start for the San Diego native.

“I think the community of San Diego took for granted that Tiger Woods virtually showed up every single year at this event, the best player in the world, and competed to win almost every time he played here,” Hoffman said. “Now a lot of these tournaments, if you had Tiger Woods two or three times through the history of the event, they would be happy. We had Tiger Woods each and every year and we may have taken it for granted.”

Hoffman and Day remain loyal to the tournament, but the Farmers began to lose some cachet a few years ago when injuries prevented Woods from playing here. Everything changed in 2023, when the PGA Tour severely modified its schedule and, as Day put it, created “two tours within the tour.”

Signature Events, as they’re called, are eight tournaments with smaller fields, larger purses and more FedEx Cup points on offer. The fields are mostly limited to the top finishers from the previous season, though there are a few ways for someone to play their way into the events.

As an example of how the Signature Events have changed tournaments like the Farmers, there are just five players here this week ranked higher in the world than Rai, who is No. 23 — Hideki Matsuyama (4), Aberg, Keegan Bradley (13), Sahith Theegala (15) and Sungjae Im (20). At the Genesis, if he holds his spot, there could be as many as 20.

“This is the first year I’ll be playing in them and when me and my team had a look at the schedule a few weeks ago, I was surprised at actually how much the Signature Events start to affect the regular events that you play and the flow of the events that you play,” Rai said. “I found myself missing events that I would normally love to play, but it just wouldn’t fit quite right in the schedule.”

Maverick McNealy, who is eligible for the Genesis and the Signature Event at Pebble Beach, said players are more selective with their schedule and some opt to skip Torrey South because it is “a bit of a polarizing course in that it suits a very specific type of player” — good drivers who hit the ball far.

Judging by social media, the course also seems to be polarizing with some fans as well, though McNealy and Rai both questioned why.

“If I was a fan there’s nowhere I’d rather come watch golf,” McNealy said. “Beautiful weather, beautiful views, great players and who doesn’t want to see a tour pro try and smash it 310 yards? It’s a pretty cool spectacle.”

Said Rai: “It’s tough, but I think it’s also extremely fair. There are not many holes out there that don’t reward good shots. It’s always playable if you’re in position but it also punishes bad shots. … From just a pure golfing perspective I think it’s a fantastic course, one of the best we play on all year.”

Posner is a freelance writer.

Originally Published: January 21, 2025 at 4:23 PM PST