The PGA Tour season is off to a hot start, and things will continue this week in sunny California, as they move along the early season West Coast trek. They will be down in San Diego this week playing the two Torrey Pines courses in the Farmers Insurance Open. While there aren’t a ton of Carolinians in the field this week, with many players not ramping up their schedules just yet, there are still a few out there to represent. We will see Tom Hoge, Mac Meissner, Ryan Gerard, Andrew Novak, and Akshay Bhatia, as they look to build some early season momentum before things really ramp up heading into early spring.

The Golfers

Tom Hoge: It appears Tom Hoge is really prioritizing knocking the rust off early this year, as he has already made two starts this season, making the cut in both, along with one top 25 finish. Hoge is typically more known for his iron play but has shown he can be more proficient rolling the rock to start the year, as he currently ranks 39th in strokes gained putting. He is still doing pretty well in strokes gained: approach the green, as he currently sits in the 68th spot, but still has plenty of room to improve. Where he definitely needs some work is in strokes gained around the green, since he isn’t the longest hitter of the golf ball, as he’s 108th, losing 0.16 strokes per round. Overall, he is still gaining just over half a stroke on the tour average at 66th. This will be his eighth time competing in this event, where he has made the cut three times, and in those three performances earning a top five and two top 25 finishes.

Hoge seems to be a long shot on most of the odds provided by FanDuel for this tournament. For a top 20 finish, he is currently listed at +490, as well as +1400 for a top 10, and +10000 to win the tournament. With only a 41.88% chance to make the cut this week, there really isn’t a ton of value for any of the selections here unfortunately.

Mac Meissner: Out of Charleston, South Carolina, Mac Meissner will also be making his third start of the season, after making the cut in both of his first two starts. He is certainly a great ball striker, as he is 36th in strokes gained: approach to green but has a lot of work to do off the tee, as well as around the green and putting. He is still gaining 0.322 strokes per round overall over the tour average but will need his best this week to have any chance of competing. This will be just his third time ever competing in the Farmers Insurance Open, where he has only made the cut in one of the two appearances.

FanDuel seems to be pretty high on Meissner this week, however, as he is +280 to make the top 20, which is the same odds as players like Brooks Koepka and Aaron Rai. To finish in the top 10 this week, he is at +750, and to win the tournament he is +7500. Given the fact he has had two years to gather experience at this tournament, this will be a great opportunity for him to make a leap. I wouldn’t have too much confidence in him getting inside the top 10, but a top 20 bet may not be a bad play.

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Ryan Gerard: Ryan Gerard closed out last season really strong and secured his first-ever Tour win. This year, he has gotten off to a strong start, as he too has played in two tournaments, making two cuts, along with two top 25 finishes. He has shown he can compete with the best, as he is strong in every strokes gained category, though he has lacked a little bit in the strokes gained: approach to green category. Overall, though, he is eighth in strokes gained total, gaining over two and a half strokes per round against the tour average. This will be Gerard’s second time ever playing in this tournament, where he had success before by not only making the cut, but also securing a top 25 finish.

This week, Gerard is right up there with the top of the pack, as he is +145 to finish in the top 20. He also finds himself with solid odds to finish in the top 10 at +360, and +3000 to win the tournament. With his trajectory to start this season and having a solid appearance in his first Farmers Insurance Open, there is a strong argument for him to finish inside the top 10 this week.

Andrew Novak: Andrew Novak is coming off arguably his best season last year, making the FedEx Cup Playoffs, and is now kicking into gear this year. Novak has only made one start thus far, where he didn’t have his best performance, missing the cut. Statistically, things are a bit skewed for Novak, considering we’ve only seen him play three rounds. Looking at last season, he was phenomenal around the greens and on the putting surface, where he ranked inside the top 50 in both of those categories. As for strokes gained total last year, he was 74th, with the biggest issues being off the tee and ball striking. He has seen some success in this tournament, playing in it four times, making the cut in three, and recording a top three finish.

Novak sees himself in the middle of the pack in regard to odds, as he is +280 to finish in the top 20, +850 to finish inside the top 10, and +7500 to win. Given we haven’t seen anything out of him this season, it’s safe to say you should stay away from anything for Novak this week.

Akshay Bhatia: Easily the most popular golfer of this bunch, Akshay Bhatia is set to make his second start of the season. He didn’t have a great outing last week at the AMEX but is steadfast on having a good performance this week. Looking at last year, Bhatia was really strong in the ball-striking department, ranking 14th in strokes gained: approach to green, and was solid on the greens as he ranked 35th in strokes gained putting. Bhatia has seen some success here at the Farmers Insurance Open, making the cut twice in two starts, along with one top 25 finish.

Even with last week’s performance, Bhatia still has high expectations, as he is +220 to finish in the top 20. We also see him at +600 for a top 10 finish, and +5500 to win. Since Bhatia has had success in this tournament before, I think you can have a strong bet this week with Akshay finishing in the top 20.