Steve Palmer's Farmers Insurance Open first-round preview, best bets, free tips

When to watch

Sky Sports Golf, 5pm Thursday

Best bets

Justin Rose to win threeball
4pts 7-5 Betfair

Gary Woodland to win threeball
2pts Evens Betfair

Cameron Davis top Australasian
1pt each-way 16-1 bet365

First-round preview

The Farmers Insurance Open market leaders have been drawn to play the Torrey Pines North Course in round one, so the big names have a good chance of making an impact on the leaderboard straight away.

Farmers favourite Rory McIlroy is scheduled to tee off at 5.30pm UK and Ireland time on the North, which is by far the easier of the two layouts being used over the first two days, and he will be partnered by Sony Open winner Cameron Smith and two-time Farmers champion Brandt Snedeker.

Ten minutes later, in the group behind, second-favourite Jon Rahm joins eight-time Torrey Pines champ Tiger Woods and rising star Collin Morikawa. McIlroy, Rahm and Woods will know the importance of getting among the birdies early, with the tougher South Course on their agenda for round two.

Defending champion Justin Rose starts on the South and the Englishman looks a terrific threeball bet to beat Jason Day and Jordan Spieth. Rose can be backed at odds-against, despite the fact his playing partners are woefully short of confidence.

Day was understandably downbeat in his pre-tournament media conference, having spent the last eight weeks rehabbing a back injury and unable to do any serious practice. He said he has been restricted to only 30 minutes of putting a day and his Farmers appearance seems to be based on the hope of good golf rather than a realistic expectation.

Day, who had to skip the Presidents Cup and was last seen missing the cut by six shots in the Mayakoba Classic on November 15, will probably struggle to keep ugly numbers off his scorecard at the South. The track stages the US Open next year and is one of the most difficult on the PGA Tour schedule.

Spieth, a former world number one who has plummeted to 45th in the rankings, finished 16th of 18 runners in the Hero World Challenge last time out. Nothing Spieth has done in the last seven months suggests he will be able to handle a course as challenging as the South.

Rose, who eased the Christmas rust from his system with a runner-up finish in the Singapore Open last week, seems by far the most likely of the trio to pass the South examination.

US Open champion Gary Woodland is a leaderboard regular at Torrey Pines and should prove too solid for Bubba Watson and KJ Choi, while Cameron Davis is worth an interest at a juicy price in the top Australasian market.

Davis, third in the Australian PGA before Christmas, then ninth in the Sony Open, and 29th in the American Express, is playing well enough to upset the top Aussie market leaders.

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