Defending champion Jason Day, a two-time winner of the Farmers Insurance Open, headlines a stellar list of early player commitments to the tournament, to be played Jan. 21-27 at Torrey Pines Golf Course, the Century Club of San Diego announced today.
Justin Rose, the PGA Tour’s reigning FedExCup champion who is currently ranked No. 2 in the Official World Golf Rankings, has also committed, as have 2017 Farmers Insurance Open winner and World No. 6 Jon Rahm, No. 9 Rickie Fowler, No. 10 Tony Finau, No. 11 and San Diego native Xander Schauffele, No. 18 Patrick Cantlay, No. 19 Marc Leishman and No. 26 Hideki Matsuyama. Day is 13th in the world rankings. The field is not final until the commitment deadline on Friday, Jan. 18.
Joining Fowler and Schauffele among San Diego products committed to the Farmers Insurance Open are Torrey Pines High School graduate Pat Perez and San Diego State University alum J.J. Spaun. Past tournament champions who have committed include Day (2018, 2015), Brandt Snedeker (2016, 2012) and Nick Watney (2009).
There will be plenty of young up-and-coming players to watch as well. Long-hitting Cameron Champ is a 23-year-old PGA Tour rookie who earned his first professional victory in his second start this season, at the Sanderson Farms Championship, and has three other top-25 finishes in five tournaments on the 2018-19 schedule. Chilean sensation Joaquin Niemann is just 19 years old and was the No. 1-ranked amateur in the world for nearly a year before turning professional in April. He played nine events last season, registering four top-10 finishes and earning his PGA Tour card for 2018-19.
Finau catapulted himself toward the top of the world rankings with a career year at age 29 that saw him register 11 top-10 finishes and 19 top-25s en route to more than $5.6 million in earnings. Schauffele, a 2015 San Diego State graduate, won twice during his rookie season of 2016-17, and followed that up last season by notching seven top-10s, including a T2 at the Open Championship and a T6 at the U.S. Open. And it would be easy to forget that Rahm is just 24. He won for the first time on Tour at Torrey Pines in 2017, followed that up with a victory at last year’s Desert Classic and won the Hero World Challenge earlier this month.
Tickets for the 2019 Farmers Insurance Open are now on sale and may be purchased at farmersinsuranceopen.com. Fans who buy tickets before Jan. 14 and choose a specific day to attend (rather than selecting a good-any-one-day ticket) will save money compared to last year’s prices. Adult grounds passes are $45, while senior passes (60 and over) are $30 and youth passes (ages 13-17) are $15. Kids 12 and under are admitted free with a ticketed adult, with a maximum of four kids per adult. Active duty, reservist and retired military men and women and their dependents can request up to four complimentary day-specific grounds tickets, and veterans can purchase up to four tournament tickets at a discounted rate of $35 each. Upgraded VIP tickets are also on sale for The Fringe, Surf Club and Trophy Club, starting at $85.
In addition, the Farmers Insurance Open was honored with an award for “Best Integrated Marketing,” a title it shared with the RBC Heritage. The award recognizes the event which best develops and implements a year-round integrated marketing plan that promotes the tournament in the local market. The Farmers Insurance Open used historical data and conducted market research to identify key aspects that make the event a unique stop on the PGA Tour’s West Coast swing. By focusing on great golf moments, breathtaking course views and local food and drink, the marketing team implemented an integrated campaign to target individuals outside the core golf fan demographic.
“On behalf of the PGA Tour, I am pleased to congratulate the Farmers Insurance Open on this recognition,” said PGA Tour chief tournaments and competitions officer Andy Pazder. “The tournament committee should be extremely proud of its hard work and innovation in making the tournament the best among its peers on Tour.”