Farmers Insurance Open Preview & Groups to Watch
The PGA Tour heads to Torrey Pines for the 2012 Farmers Insurance Open. Three time winner of this event, Phil Mickelson, will have all eyes on him as he looks for career victory number 40 on the PGA Tour. A win here will mean defeating 2011 winner Bubba Watson who is king of the tournaments with insurance sponsors.
(Bubba Watson won here in 2011. Photo: Zimbio)
It's not the strongest field we have seen for this PGA Tour event but Dustin Johnson will play after withdrawing from last weeks Humana Challenge with back issues. Johnson is the only player in the field in top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings.
There are four previous champions of this event in the field: Bubba Watson (2011), Ben Crane (2010), Nick Watney (2009), and Phil Mickelson (1993, 2000, 2001). As mentioned above, Watson is the king of insurance sponsored tournament. His three career victories have all been sponsored by insurance companies including Farmers, Travelers and Zurich.
Ben Crane followed up his 2010 victory here with a win in 2011 at the McGladrey Classic and will look to make it three wins in three years this week. In 2012 he finished in the top 10 at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and last weeks Humana Challenge.
Nick Watney is chasing career victory number five on the PGA Tour. Watney had two wins last year but missed the cut at the British Open and US Open while struggling at The Masters. This will be his first full field event of 2012.
Phil Mickelson has won here three times and other than the Masters, I can't think of a better place for him to earn career victory number 40. He's said he is not playing in the upcoming WGC event which leads me to believe he's going to focus on this event a little more.
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