European golfers dominated last year’s Farmers Insurance Open, taking the top two places, with another player from this side of the Atlantic finishing in a share of third.
I can see the European invaders enjoying another good week at Torrey Pines. But I’m not sure that I agree with the bookmakers, who all seem to feel that Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg is the man to be on.
The world No 6 is a class act, and he finished in a share of ninth on his Farmers debut a year ago. With Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa both withdrawing from the event, Aberg is the top ranked player in the field.
But he has only played three times since undergoing knee surgery in September.
And even though he finished in the top six in his last two starts, I’d like to see more evidence that he is back to his best before taking such a short price – around 9-1 – on him.
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Golf tips
The 2024 winner, Mattieu Pavon is back to defend his title. But the Frenchman is struggling to recapture the form that made him so successful in America last year, and that is reflected by odds of 110-1 and higher.
I prefer the chances of one of the players who shared third a year ago, Stephan Jaeger of Germany.
That was the first sign that Jaeger, a prolific winner on the Korn Ferry Tour, was ready to make his mark in the top tier. He went on to claim victory at the Houston Open, and was runner-up in the Black Desert Championship.
Jaeger made the podium again with a share of third at the Sony Open a couple of weeks ago, and at 60-1 he looks sure to give us a run for our money.
Denmark’s Niklas Norgaard is a player with the talent to make the same sort of impact on the PGA Tour as Pavon did last year. The 2024 British Masters winner will get off to a good start here if he carries on where left off in Dubai on Sunday.
Norgaard matched Rory McIlroy’s final found 66 at the Dubai Desert Classic, and finished alongside the world No 3 in a share of fourth. At 80-1 he is worth an each way interest.
Sticking to the European theme, England’s Aaron Rai looks a far more confident customer since he opened his PGA Tour account at the Wyndham in August.
His 50-1 quote looks fair, and another player who has rewarded each way support here in the past, Austin Eckroat, makes most appeal of the home contingent at around 66-1.
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The DP World Tour’s regulars will be in action again in the United Arab Emirates, as they move up the road from Dubai to Ras Al Khaimah.
The field is nowhere near as strong as it was for the Desert Classic, although a few LIV stars have stayed on ahead of the start of their first event in Saudi Arabia.
Patrick Reed is among them, and at 18-1 he looks the man to be on. He admitted he was not firing on all cylinders at the Desert Classic but still managed a share of tenth. He should be a lot sharper here.
Tom McKibbin looks certain to join Reed at LIV in a £4million deal. It would be no surprise to see him challenge for a farewell DP World Tour win. He was sixth in Dubai, and he is familiar with this course after finishing T16 a year ago.
Shaun Norris shared sixth with McKibbin at the Desert Classic, despite a couple of unlucky breaks. At 33-1 he is another eye-catcher, especially with some bookmakers paying seven places.
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