Seven-time champion, Tiger Woods, will make his 2018 debut at Torrey Pines, joining a strong field that includes Jon Rahm, Justin Rose, Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler and many more.
The Farmers Insurance Open will be played Jan. 25-28 at historic Torrey Pines Golf Course, host site of the 2008 and 2021 U.S. Opens. With defending champion Jon Rahm, the Farmers Insurance Open consistently attracts a world-class field, including other past winners such as Phil Mickelson (three-time winner), Jason Day, Bubba Watson and seven-time champion Woods. This is the 66th year that a PGA TOUR event has been held in San Diego, beginning with the San Diego Open in 1952. The 2018 tournament also marks the event’s 67th year and the ninth year of Farmers Insurance sponsorship of the tournament. Woods won the Farmers Insurance Open in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2013, and earned his most recent major championship victory in a 19-hole playoff at the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in 2008.
In addition to his seven victories at the Farmers Insurance Open, the 79-time PGA Tour winner has finished in the top 10 six other times in 15 appearances. He is the tournament’s all-time leading money winner, with $6.85 million to date.
“Tiger shares a rich history with Torrey Pines Golf Course, and with The Farmers Insurance Open, in particular. We are excited to have him join our field once again, alongside some of the game’s greats,” said The Century Club of San Diego CEO, Peter Ripa. “His legacy already cemented, we look forward to, together with our fans, watching as Tiger writes the latest chapter of his storied career.” Woods returned to competitive golf at December’s Hero World Challenge after missing 10 months due to a fourth back surgery and finished tied for ninth in the limited-field event. “I was good with my irons, I drove it pretty good all week, and made some good putts,” Woods said after the tournament. “Overall I’m very pleased. I showed some good signs, I hit some really good shots out there and (think there’s) a bright future.
Woods joins a stellar list of early commitments that includes defending tournament champion and World No. 4 Jon Rahm, No. 5 Hideki Matsuyama, No. 6 Rose, No. 7 Fowler and three-time Farmers Insurance Open Champion Mickelson. The field is not final until the commitment deadline on Friday, Jan. 19 at 5 p.m. EST.
Among the early commitments are a group of players with San Diego ties, including Poway High School alum and four-time PGA winner Charley Hoffman as well as San Diego State University alumni J.J. Spaun and Xander Schauffele, who won the 2017 FedExCup playoffs-ending TOUR Championship and was awarded the PGA Tour’s 2017 Rookie of the Year honor earlier this year.
In addition to attracting some of the biggest names in the sport, the Farmers Insurance Open will also feature an array of specialty food and drink offerings showcasing the San Diego flavor and venues to entertain the 100,000-plus spectators who attend the four-day tournament.
New areas open to the public include an expanded Grey Goose 19th Hole, which will feature an all-new elevated viewing deck that provides panoramic views of the course, a Pétanque course and specialty drinks including the 2018 signature cocktail called, the “Torrey Breeze.” Other public areas of interest include the William Hill Estate Wine Lounge, which offers views alongside par-3 8th green; and the Michelob Ultra Zone, where fans can enjoy happy-hour specials starting at 3 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and a DJ as part of the Post Party presented by Harrah’s Resort SoCal.
Tickets for the Farmers Insurance Open are now on sale and can be purchased at FarmersInsuranceOpen.com. Adult grounds tickets cost $50, with upgraded VIP tickets starting at $85. Discounted tickets are available for seniors, veterans, and youth (aged 13 to 17). Tickets are complimentary for active-duty military, reservists, retired military and dependents, and for children 12 and under.