Less than an hour passed before the first group hit their first tee shot at the Farmers Insurance Open. Will Zalatoris decides to retreat A look at this week's events at Torrey Pines.
The reason for the resignation was not disclosed.
Zalatoriz is the latest star to miss this year's Farmers Insurance Open. Collin Morikawa, Mackenzie Hughes and Nicolai Hojgaard withdrew on Sunday, and Akshay Bhatia withdrew on Monday. It also doesn't help that Scotty Scheffler and Xander Schauffele are out with injuries. Since the PGA Tour released its initial field last Friday, nine players have withdrawn, giving many alternates a lifeline.
Ryan Moore, 42, who played on the 2016 Ryder Cup team, was initially a last-minute replacement for Zalatoris. However, Moore withdrew about an hour after Zalatoris did. Robert Garrigus, a 47-year-old journeyman, replaced Moore.
2019 US Open Champion Gary Woodland also declined. At the last moment, after the first group tees off. As of this writing, there is no one to replace Woodland.
Perhaps the shift from Wednesday to Saturday is why so many players declined. Coachella Valley's historic birdie streak ended less than 72 hours ago. Or maybe it's because Torrey Pines will likely host the Genesis Invitational in two weeks due to wildfires surrounding Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades.
Torrey Pines South is a difficult course, the most challenging on tour this season. It's a grueling test, so it makes sense that many top athletes will skip this week and rest up for the season's third signature event, the Genesis Invitational.
Two-time Farmers Insurance Open champion Jason Day expanded on this concept ahead of Tuesday's tournament.
“Maybe the players don't want a quick turnaround from the game.” [The American Express] In Palm Springs. and you [AT&T] pebble [Beach Pro-Am] next week and the next [WM Phoenix Open] And Genesis. Three big tournaments in a row, do you want to play in four big tournaments?'' Day said.
“You have to understand this is a mentally tough golf course… Pebble is obviously a signature event and most people don't miss it. After that, we have another signature event scheduled in LA, so after a very mentally demanding week, we want to attend three more events. Most people use 2-3 for 3 consecutive weeks. I think a week is the limit.
“Maybe they can spread it out a little bit. Or change the way the tournament is run on the West Coast. Maybe that could help a little bit. Well, it starts on Wednesday and ends on Saturday, of course, and then the NFL I think it will be very difficult to play against them.”
Since Tiger Woods played at Torrey Pines every year, this event automatically ranked among the top tournaments on the tour. He won eight championships there, and with Tiger there, he made it a priority for other stars to play as well.
“This was an event to come because of how big the tournament was and what Tiger brought to the event as well as the crowd,” Day added.
There is no Tiger effect this week, and the only golfers in the top 20 of the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) in the 2025 Farmers Insurance Open field are Hideki Matsuyama, Ludwig Oberg, Keegan Bradley, and Sung Jae Lim. There were only 4 people left. That's a problem for the Tour, which continues to change its schedule to appeal to fans and compete with LIV Golf.
What was once an early season staple is now an afterthought on the PGA Tour's West Coast Swing. Zalatoriz's withdrawal, along with other stars', underscores that point.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
