Why Torrey Pines May Have A Bright Future Despite Farmers Insurance Bowing Out And Big PGA Tour Schedule Changes

It's a big week on the PGA Tour with Brooks Koepka making his return to give the Farmers Insurance Open some much-needed intrigue.

The historic San Diego Open has struggled in recent years placed close on the schedule to the Tour's biggest early season west coast Signature Events, like the $20m AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and $20m Genesis Invitational.

It has led the event to suffer in terms of field strength and fan interest, with it being the obvious choice for a week off amid a busy stretch for the PGA Tour's best.

This week's Farmers Insurance Open features the return of Brooks Koepka, Marco Penge's first PGA Tour start and a number of big names in the field like Xander Schauffele, Ludvig Aberg, Patrick Cantlay, Cameron Young and Hideki Matsuyama.

But amid this, there is the real potential that this could be the final one as we know it, as Farmers Insurance is bowing out as sponsor of the event after 17 years.

There are also fears for the tournament's future as talks appear to ramp up over a post-Super Bowl start to the 2027 season, which could see the Hawaii swing gone.

The Future Competitions Committee, headed up by Tiger Woods, is planning some big changes to the schedule, with new CEO Brian Rolapp promising 'aggressive' moves to strengthen the product for fans, broadcasters and players.

That sounds bad for the San Diego Open, which has been hosted at Torrey since 1968, but if reports are true it could actually be a great thing for the event.

The historic La Jolla, San Diego venue makes for some stunning TV shots and has witnessed plenty of iconic PGA Tour moments through the years, like Tiger Woods' seven victories, three Phil Mickelson wins and Jon Rahm's maiden PGA Tour berth.

It also hosted the memorable 2008 US Open, where Tiger Woods beat Rocco Mediate in a Monday playoff, and the 2021 US Open where Jon Rahm captured his first Major.

A Sports Business Journal report states a proposal for Torrey to remain on the schedule and move into the FedEx Cup Playoffs, with Sentry as sponsor. Sentry signed on with the tour for the Kapalua Tournament of Champions in 2018 and has a deal with the PGA Tour for tournament sponsorship through 2035.

The Sentry taking place at Torrey Pines in a FedEx Cup Playoffs event appears to be a real possibility, with the Sports Business Journal's Josh Carpenter citing sources who say the move is “likely."

Nothing has been decided yet, with SBJ stating 'formal direction on plans' are expected around the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in March.

Marty Gorsich, the Farmers Insurance Open tournament director, told Golf Monthly he is 'bullish' about the event's future and says he is awaiting on the FCC's plans.

"Overall we’re focused on celebrating Farmers 17 years with us, and while we’re bullish on our future, we’re letting the Future Competitions Committee work through their process for the overall plans moving forward," Gorsich, both the Farmers Insurance Open tournament director and CEO of The Century Club of San Diego, told Golf Monthly

"We’re waiting on the Future Competitions Committee to come back with their plans. Once we know how the schedule shapes up and where we fit into it, then the next step is lining up a title sponsor.

"Until the first part happens we aren’t getting ahead of ourselves with step two. We look forward to learning more in the coming months so we can get things moving."

So while it seems this week is the final Farmers Insurance Open in its current guise, it could well be a bright future for the event and Torrey Pines.