Lower than an hour earlier than the primary teams hit their opening tee photographs on the Farmers Insurance coverage Open, Will Zalatoris determined to tug out of this week’s occasion at Torrey Pines.
A cause for his withdrawal was not given.
Zalatoris is the newest star to skip out on this 12 months’s Farmers Insurance coverage Open. Collin Morikawa, Mackenzie Hughes, and Nicolai Højgaard withdrew on Sunday, whereas Akshay Bhatia did so on Monday. Not having Scottie Scheffler or Xander Schauffele attributable to accidents doesn’t assist both. 9 gamers have pulled out because the PGA Tour launched the preliminary area final Friday, giving loads of alternates a lifeline.
Forty-two-year-old Ryan Moore, who performed on the 2016 Ryder Cup staff, changed Zalatoris on the final minute.
Maybe the Wednesday-to-Saturday shift is the rationale why so many gamers withdrew. The American Specific, which is traditionally a birdie barrage within the Coachella Valley, wrapped up lower than 72 hours in the past. Or, perhaps it’s as a result of Torrey Pines will probably host the Genesis Invitational in two weeks due to the wildfires surrounding Riviera Nation Membership in Pacific Palisades.
Torrey Pines South is a tough course — by far probably the most difficult the tour has performed this season. It’s a grueling check, so it is sensible that many prime gamers would skip this week to relaxation for the Genesis Invitational, the third Signature Occasion of the season.
Two-time Farmers Insurance coverage Open winner Jason Day expanded upon this notion forward of the match on Tuesday.
“Possibly the gamers don’t need a fast turnaround from [The American Express] in Palm Springs. And you’ve got the [AT&T] Pebble [Beach Pro-Am] subsequent week after which the [WM Phoenix Open] after which the Genesis. They’re three massive tournaments in a row, and do you need to play 4 massive tournaments?” Day stated.
“You’ve received to know that these are powerful golf programs mentally… Pebble’s clearly a Signature Occasion, and most guys aren’t going to overlook that. Waste Administration is a complete beast as a result of it’s a mentally grueling week as effectively. Then you definitely’ve received one other Signature Occasion after that in L.A. So do you need to put your self via a really, very mentally grueling week this week after which play one other three occasions? I believe most guys’ thresholds are round three, two to a few weeks in a row.
“Possibly they might unfold it out somewhat bit. Or change the best way that the tournaments are run out on the West Coast; perhaps which may assist somewhat bit. Yeah, I believe the Wednesday begin, clearly ending on Saturday, after which competing in opposition to the NFL could be very tough too.”
Tiger Woods used to play at Torrey Pines yearly, which routinely elevated this occasion into the higher echelon of tournaments on tour. He received there eight instances, and since Tiger was there, different stars made it a precedence to play, too.
“It was the occasion to return to due to, you realize, not solely how massive the match was and what Tiger dropped at the occasion as effectively, the crowds have been enormous,” Day added.
With no Tiger impact this week, the 2025 Farmers Insurance coverage Open area options solely 4 golfers within the prime 20 of the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR): Hideki Matsuyama, Ludvig Åberg, Keegan Bradley, and Sungjae Im. That’s an issue for the tour because it continues to change its schedule to enchantment to followers and compete in opposition to LIV Golf.
What was as soon as an early season staple has now turn out to be an after-thought throughout the PGA Tour’s West Coast Swing. Zalatoris’ withdrawal — together with different stars — emphasizes that.
Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By means of. Observe him on X @jack_milko.