Kevin Yu waited until the very end of the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open on Wednesday to get the best of presumed first-round leader, Patrick Cantlay, who had shot 65. Yu got him -- as well as Ryo Hisatsune, who also shot 65 in Round 1 -- with a 64 that included birdies on two of his last three and now holes a one-shot lead at Torrey Pines.
Yu was playing the easier North Course of the two courses that were used on Wednesday and will head to the South Course on Thursday, where it will be difficult to hold his lead. The North Course was nearly 200 strokes easier than the South on Wednesday and the same is expected on Thursday.
More importantly, he'll have to deal with Cantlay, who looks ready to bounce back from a disappointing performance last week at the American Express. Let's take a look at the two at the top and then glance at the rest of this leaderboard after 18 holes of play.
The leaders
1. Kevin Yu (-8)
T2. Ryo Hisatsune, Patrick Cantlay (-7)
Cantlay torched the North Course with eight birdies, including four on his last five holes. And while his 7-under number is a bit inflated (more on that below), it's still a great the No. 6 player in the Official World Golf Rankings.
Cantlay pointed to hitting 11 of 14 fairways (which led to hitting 15 of 18 greens in regulation) as the reason for his success early at Torrey Pines.
"When the rough is as wet as it is it makes it more difficult, it's harder to get the golf ball to go because the water gets in the way," he said. "But the rough is classically long here. I don't think I've played this golf course ever really when the rough's short. There's definitely a penalty for missing the fairway and, like I said, today I played a lot from the fairway so hope to keep that up."
Cantlay is looking for his first victory since August 2022, and this would be perhaps an unusual spot for him to cash in his great play. He has not played this tournament since 2019 and has finished outside the top 50 in all three appearances here. Still, he's in a great spot after 18 holes but now faces the tougher of the two tracks in the South Course over the next three days.
And he's got some company.
Other contenders
T4. Hideki Matsuyama, Shane Lowry, Thomas Detry, Aaron Rai, Alejandry Tosti (-6)
T9. Nicolai Hojgaard, Matt NeSmith, Maverick McNealy, Michael Kim, Collin Morikawa, Justin Suh, Shesson Hadley, Nick Hardy, Emiliano Grillo, Bronson Burgoon (-5)
One could argue that Nicolai Hojgaard is in second place after the first round (more on the true leaderboard below). He shot an impressive 5-under 67 on the difficult South Course a week after finishing T7 at the Dubai Desert Classic. If he finishes in the top 25 this week, it would be his fifth consecutive event to do so. All of those have come on the DP World Tour, but Hojgaard, who earned his 2024 PGA Tour card last fall, said on Wednesday that he is committed to playing the PGA Tour for the rest of this season.
He also said that he was influenced by his Ryder Cup appearance in Rome.
"There's a lot of things you learn from that week," Hojgaard said. "You see the best players in the world, how they work in a week like that, how they prepare. Even though it's a team event and you want to be together all the time, you have to do your individual preparation and do your stuff because in the end it depends on an individual performance from each player.
"It was pretty cool to see them up close. There's definitely some things I probably was missing a little bit in my approach to the game. I just learned a lot that week and kind of was a turning point last season. ... Just go internal. I felt like that's something I'm going to carry on this season. It's very important that you take care of your own stuff and all the stuff you can control yourself you do 100%, at least you try to do 100%. I feel like that's the approach now not because I wasn't doing it before, but I'm just a bit more aware of it now."
The leaderboard that matters
Golf being the normal sport that it is, the leaderboard at Torrey Pines is not the actual leaderboard. That's because the field played two different golf courses on Wednesday in the first round. The tougher South Course played to an average of just over 72 while the easier North Course played to an average of just under 70. For the real leaderboard, we turn away from scores and to strokes gained. Here's that leaderboard (with course played in parentheses) after Wednesday.
- Kevin Yu: 5.7
- Nicolai Hojgaard: 5.0
- Nick Hardy: 5.0
- Patrick Cantlay: 4.7
- Ryo Hisatsune: 4.7
- Austin Eckroat: 4.0
- Stephen Jaeger: 4.0
- Scott Stalling: 4.0
- Jacob Bridgeman: 4.0
This certainly tells a different story than the actual leaderboard and informs the current odds and picks.
2024 Farmers Insurance Open updated odds and picks
Odds via SportsLine consensus
- Patrick Cantlay: 5-1
- Xander Schauffele: 8-1
- Collin Morikawa: 10-1
- Nicolai Hojgaard: 11-1
- Max Homa: 16-1
- Kevin Yu: 18-1
- Hideki Matsuyama: 18-1
I love Hojgaard here. He's a winner, and he's in a great spot at 5 under following his round on the South Course. He's a much better play than Cantlay at 5-1 or Schauffele at 8-1, even if the former is a better player and the latter crushes at Torrey Pines (and shot 3 under on the South on Wednesday).
Rick Gehman and Kyle Porter recap Round 1 of the Farmers Insurance Open. Follow & listen to The First Cut onApple PodcastsandSpotify.
As a golf enthusiast deeply immersed in the world of professional golf, let me provide you with a comprehensive breakdown of the key concepts and events mentioned in the article about the Farmers Insurance Open.
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Kevin Yu's Performance:
- Kevin Yu emerged as a standout player in the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open, finishing with a remarkable 64 on the North Course. This performance secured him the lead with an impressive score of -8.
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Course Dynamics:
- The tournament is being played on two different courses, the North Course and the South Course, with players transitioning between them on consecutive days.
- The North Course was significantly easier than the South Course, evidenced by a nearly 200-stroke difference in difficulty on Wednesday.
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Patrick Cantlay's Comeback:
- Patrick Cantlay, presumed to be the first-round leader, bounced back from a disappointing performance at the American Express. He shot a 65 on the North Course and is currently tied for second place with Ryo Hisatsune at -7.
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Cantlay's Strategy and Analysis:
- Cantlay attributed his success to hitting 11 of 14 fairways, leading to hitting 15 of 18 greens in regulation. He emphasized the challenge posed by the wet rough, making accurate drives crucial.
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Upcoming Challenges:
- Players, including Kevin Yu and Patrick Cantlay, are set to face the tougher South Course in the subsequent rounds, presenting a challenge to maintain their positions on the leaderboard.
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Other Contenders:
- The leaderboard includes notable players like Hideki Matsuyama, Shane Lowry, Thomas Detry, Aaron Rai, Alejandry Tosti, Nicolai Hojgaard, and others.
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Nicolai Hojgaard's Strong Performance:
- Nicolai Hojgaard, currently tied for ninth, showcased his skills by shooting an impressive 5-under 67 on the challenging South Course. His recent success on the DP World Tour adds to the anticipation surrounding his performance in the PGA Tour.
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The "Real" Leaderboard - Strokes Gained:
- The article emphasizes that the traditional leaderboard doesn't tell the full story, pointing to the strokes gained metric. This metric provides a more nuanced understanding of a player's performance, considering the difficulty of the course played.
- The strokes gained leaderboard after Wednesday features Kevin Yu, Nicolai Hojgaard, Nick Hardy, Patrick Cantlay, Ryo Hisatsune, and others.
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Updated Odds and Picks:
- The article presents updated odds and picks for the 2024 Farmers Insurance Open. Notable players like Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Nicolai Hojgaard, and Kevin Yu are mentioned with their respective odds.
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Expert Recommendations:
- The author expresses a preference for Nicolai Hojgaard based on his current performance and positioning, suggesting him as a better play compared to other favorites like Cantlay and Schauffele.
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Podcast Recap:
- The article concludes with a mention of a podcast, possibly offering additional insights and analysis on Round 1 of the Farmers Insurance Open, featuring Rick Gehman and Kyle Porter.
