Expert PGA One & Done Golf Picks: Tony Finau Farmers Insurance Open

The PGA Tour stays in California this week, as the Farmers Insurance Open is next on the schedule. This is a staple of the early PGA Tour season, and with it come a lot of the world’s best players. The tournament is a little different with a Wednesday start, so make sure to get those One and Done selections in on time. One easily could use a top-end name this week, and like any tournament, finding a winner will pay major dividends in pools.

PGA One and Done Golf Picks: Farmers Insurance Open

What is a One and Done pool?

A One and Done pool has some similarities with NFL survivor pools except that players cannot be eliminated early for making a poor pick. Each week players have to select one golfer, and their prize money earned that week become points for the player. The same player cannot be used twice, just like an NFL survivor contest, so strategy and knowing when to save a top-tier player can make the difference. At the end of the season, the team with the most cumulative earning is in line for a big payoff. Pools will pay several spots, depending on it is size, similar to a GPP structure from PGA DFS.

American Express One and Done Recap

Patrick Cantlay

This is the trouble with using a top-end player in a weak field; Patrick Cantlay finished ninth, but it was not an ideal performance. The $222,000 was more than most of the selections from the week, but it cost one of the marquee players on tour. A Cantlay selection may have moved players up the board, but the opportunity cost may make future selections a little more difficult.

Sungjae Im

This was this article’s pick last week, as it made sense to go to Sungjae Im after he let a lot of people down at the Sony Open. The result was fine with an 11th-place finish, which was good for a $184,000 payout. That result will not move the needle, but the week was filled with lesser-known players atop the board, so nobody really made a leap. Im played fantastically, gaining 8.7 strokes tee to green, but he was unable to convert enough putts to truly get in contention. Still, it was a fine week in a marathon season.

Hudson Swafford

It is always worth shouting out the winner, as Hudson Swafford won and took home $1.3 million in the process. Swafford was 200-1 in the markets, and anyone who took him in One and Done should be starting a business as a fortune teller. It was an impressive showing from Swafford, who clearly likes this course, but it is hard to imagine basically anyone having him in One and Done pools last week.

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Farmers Insurance Open PGA One and Done Picks This Week

Tony Finau

Last week Tony Finau was quiet, with an uneventful 40th-place finish at the American Express. It was still good to see him get some reps, and now he heads to the Farmers, where he has had success in the past. Finau finished second last year and has four top-10 finishes over the last five appearances. The courses suit his ability to lean on the driver, and Finau is among the best if he can get the putter to cooperate. From the strokes gained data last week the ball striking is in good shape, and there is no reason to think he will not continue to put up quality showings at a place where he clearly excels.

Will Zalatoris

There were some questions about where Will Zalatoris’ game would be at the start of 2022 after a rough stretch to end his impressive 2021 campaign. Those questions were answered last week, as he rallied after a bad Thursday to finish sixth at the American Express. The 5.7 strokes gained tee to green were a big indication that he is ready to build upon last year, and that means a lot of chances at victories on tour. Zalatoris played in this event last year and finished seventh, and more importantly, he has the game to handle Torrey Pines South. He strikes that perfect blend of a guy who can clearly compete but is not a huge detriment to burn early in the season in One and Done.

Jon Rahm

If the play is to burn the best player in the world, this is not a bad spot to do it, as Jon Rahm dominates at this course. He is a former winner of the event and also won the U.S. Open at this venue last year, so clearly his game translates. He is coming off a second and a 14th to get his 2022 campaign started, and once again he is the man to beat. The only question is the opportunity cost, as many want to save him for a major, where he should be among the favorites. Using him here requires a big finish, but be aware that an off week could ruin the One and Done season.

Farmers Insurance Open One and Done Pick: Tony Finau

Finau always sets up well at Farmers and has responded with all the top-10 finishes at this event. His ball striking and scoring both check out, and his game should be in shape when he tees it up on Wednesday. Finau consistently finds the top of the leaderboard, which means he would get a six-figure payday in this spot. Early in the One and Done season, the strategy is always to just stay in the hunt and close to the leaders, and Finau early is not a major loss down the road. Choosing Finau is an easy decision this week.

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Author

Ben Rasa

*Ben Rasa (aka Jazzraz)* has been involved with sports and numbers for quite some time dabbling in the poker world , sports wagering and of course finding a home in the DFS world. While he enjoys playing NFL, NCAAF and NBA he has found his best advantage on the links with PGA and the Euro Tour. Jazzraz focuses on GPPs and uses a analytical approach to try and find pricing inefficiencies as well as trying to go against the grain to find those under owned lesser know players that can make the difference in giant field tournaments. You can contact Ben by emailing [email protected].