Less than an hour before the first groups hit their opening tee shots at the Farmers Insurance Open, Will Zalatoris decided to pull out of this week’s event at Torrey Pines.
A reason for his withdrawal was not given.
Zalatoris is the latest star to skip out on this year’s Farmers Insurance Open. Collin Morikawa, Mackenzie Hughes, and Nicolai Højgaard withdrew on Sunday, while Akshay Bhatia did so on Monday. Not having Scottie Scheffler or Xander Schauffele due to injuries does not help either. Nine players have pulled out since the PGA Tour released the initial field last Friday, giving plenty of alternates a lifeline.
Forty-two-year-old Ryan Moore, who played on the 2016 Ryder Cup team, initially replaced Zalatoris at the last minute. But then Moore withdrew about an hour after Zalatoris did. Forty-seven-year-old journeyman Robert Garrigus replaced Moore.
2019 U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland also withdrew at the last second — after the first groups teed off. Nobody has replaced Woodland as of this writing.
Perhaps the Wednesday-to-Saturday shift is the reason why so many players withdrew. The American Express, which is historically a birdie barrage in the Coachella Valley, wrapped up less than 72 hours ago. Or, maybe it’s because Torrey Pines will likely host the Genesis Invitational in two weeks because of the wildfires surrounding Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades.
Torrey Pines South is a difficult course — by far the most challenging the tour has played this season. It’s a grueling test, so it makes sense that many top players would skip this week to rest for the Genesis Invitational, the third Signature Event of the season.
Two-time Farmers Insurance Open winner Jason Day expanded upon this notion ahead of the tournament on Tuesday.
“Maybe the players don’t want a quick turnaround from [The American Express] in Palm Springs. And you have the [AT&T] Pebble [Beach Pro-Am] next week and then the [WM Phoenix Open] and then the Genesis. They’re three big tournaments in a row, and do you want to play four big tournaments?” Day said.
“You’ve got to understand that these are tough golf courses mentally… Pebble’s obviously a Signature Event, and most guys aren’t going to miss that. Waste Management is a total beast because it’s a mentally grueling week as well. Then you’ve got another Signature Event after that in L.A. So do you want to put yourself through a very, very mentally grueling week this week and then play another three events? I think most guys’ thresholds are around three, two to three weeks in a row.
“Maybe they could spread it out a little bit. Or change the way that the tournaments are run out on the West Coast; maybe that might help a little bit. Yeah, I think the Wednesday start, obviously finishing on Saturday, and then competing against the NFL is very difficult too.”
Tiger Woods used to play at Torrey Pines every year, which automatically elevated this event into the upper echelon of tournaments on tour. He won there eight times, and because Tiger was there, other stars made it a priority to play, too.
“It was the event to come to because of, you know, not only how big the tournament was and what Tiger brought to the event as well, the crowds were huge,” Day added.
With no Tiger effect this week, the 2025 Farmers Insurance Open field features only four golfers in the top 20 of the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR): Hideki Matsuyama, Ludvig Åberg, Keegan Bradley, and Sungjae Im. That’s a problem for the tour as it continues to alter its schedule to appeal to fans and compete against LIV Golf.
What was once an early season staple has now become an after-thought during the PGA Tour’s West Coast Swing. Zalatoris’ withdrawal — along with other stars — emphasizes that.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
