News & Tours
Farmers Open fans won't get chance to cheer for hometown majors hero

Lintao Zhang
It figured to a be a happy and triumphant return to Torrey Pines for Xander Schauffele. The native San Diegan and World No. 2 won two majors, the PGA Championship and Open Championship, last year, and now his hometown fans were expected to cheer him in the flesh at next week’s Farmers Insurance Open.
Sadly, the party won’t happen.
The Farmers Insurance Open field was finalized on Friday, and Schauffele was not on the list, surprising even the tournament organizers who had expected him to enter. It’s not an official withdrawal because Schauffele never signed up, but his absence will follow his WD from this week’s American Express in La Quinta, Calif.
Unlike the recent holiday injuries reported by Scottie Scheffler (hand) and Viktor Hovland (broken toe), Schauffele has been mum on his specific status. Medical reasons were cited for the WD this week.
Schauffele’s absence has stirred speculation that something has been amiss since he appeared in the inaugural match of the indoor simulator league TGL on Jan. 7. The previous week, Schauffele competed in the PGA Tour’s season opener, The Sentry, and was not sharp, finishing T-30 in an event he has excelled in before. Schauffele's TGL team, NYGC, is scheduled to play next Tuesday against Atlanta Drive GC, but he was not set to be in the lineup, presumably to be able to play in the Farmers.
Schauffele, the San Diego State alum who grew up playing the Torrey Pines South and North courses that host the Farmers, had competed in the event for nine straight years. He missed four of the first five cuts, but had rallied for four top-13 finishes in the last four starts, including a T-2 in 2021 when Patrick Reed won. Schauffele tied for ninth last year.
With Schauffele out, the Farmers has three players from the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking—Collin Morikawa (4), Hideki Matsuyama (5) and Ludvig Åberg (6). Three more from the top 20 are Keegan Bradley (11), Sahith Theegala (13), Sungjae Im (19).
The Farmers will be played Wednesday through Saturday, and the defending champion is Frenchman Matthieu Pavon.