The PGA Tour continues its West Coast swing this week with the Farmers Insurance Open at iconic Torrey Pines in San Diego, where the tournament has been held every year since 1968. While both the North and South courses will be used for the first two rounds, the final two rounds will be played on the South Course. Here’s everything you need to know about the two courses at Torrey Pines.
The origin: The course was built and designed by William F. Bell in 1957 on the site of Camp Callan, which was a U.S. Army center during World War II. The municipal course, which is owned by the city of San Diego, has undergone two redesigns. The South Course was renovated by Rees Jones in 2001, while the North Course was redone by Tom Weiskopf in 2016. The course’s name comes from a rare tree called a Torrey Pine that grows along the coastline in San Diego.
The design of the course: While the North Course runs 7,258 yards from its back tees, the South Course totals 7,698 yards. As a result, the South Course is the longest-played course for a regular PGA Tour event. Both courses have five tees each, as well four par-5s and four par-3s. While the fairways are Kikuya grass, the greens are Poa Annua.
The longest and shortest holes of the South Course: The South Course has a pair of par-5s at the 9th and 13th tees that both run 614 yards for the longest holes on the track. Meanwhile, the shortest hole is the par-3 8th, which runs 176 yards.
The longest and shortest holes of the North Course: The North Course’s longest hole is the par-5 9th, which totals 556 yards, while the shortest hole is the 202-yard par-3 15th tee.
Events hosted by the course: Along with hosting the Farmers Insurance Open, Torrey Pines also plays host to the San Diego Amateur Golf Championships and the Junior World Golf Championships. Most notably, the 2008 U.S. Open was held at Torrey Pines when Tiger Woods won his 14th and most recent major. The U.S. Open is scheduled to return to Torrey Pines in 2021.
The future of the course: In order to prepare for the U.S. Open in two years, Torrey Pines will undergo several course renovations in 2019. The changes include a new irrigation system, a redesign of all bunkers and relocation of select bunkers, a resurfacing and leveling of several tees, an addition of select forward tees, a regrading of all green approaches and a repositioning of some fairways.
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