Why Does The Farmers Insurance Open Start On Wednesday And End On Saturday?

The Farmers Insurance Open is an event synonymous with the great Tiger Woods - with the 15-time Major champion having won this particular event a record seven times. Woods also tasted success at Torrey Pines on an eighth occasion in the 2008 US Open.

The common theme that linked all of those tournaments is that they concluded on a Sunday, as most others do, often with Woods lifting the trophy in his famous red Nike polo.

However, a recent decision by the PGA Tour - combined with Woods choosing to compete on a far tighter schedule due to injury issues - means that what once was a semi-regular occurrence is unlikely to be seen again.

After the tournament began in 1952 as the San Diego Open - before later relocating to Torrey Pines and becoming the Andy Williams San Diego Open - each running followed the age-old pattern of starting on a Thursday and showcasing four rounds on consecutive days.

But in September 2021, a few months before the 2022 tournament, it was announced that the Farmers would become the first - and so far only - event to begin on a Wednesday and end on a Saturday.

Why Does The Farmers Insurance Open Start On Wednesday?

The reason for this is simply down to the number of people expected to choose the NFL's Conference Championship games over the PGA Tour.

Figures from a recent report in the Sports Business Journal stated telecasts relating to the NFL covered 126 of the top-200 most watched US telecasts in 2024. And that's not just sport telecasts, that's any genre. Sport took up 91% by any rate. However, golf's most-watched event - the final round of the 2024 Masters - didn't even land inside the top-200.

Starting in 2022, the NFL's Championship weekend has clashed with the Farmers Insurance Open. So instead of trying to compete with highly-anticipated games between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs plus the Philadelphia Eagles hosting the Washington Commanders on Sunday night, the PGA Tour opted to stand aside and allow the relevant TV networks to broadcast both.

When the change was first made official in September 2021, Marty Gorsich - CEO of the Century Club of San Diego, which runs the Farmers Insurance Open - said in a statement: “We are excited about the opportunity that these changes present and fully embrace the uniqueness that comes with being the only tournament on the PGA Tour schedule with a Saturday-evening finish."

During the final round of the 2022 Farmers, official data showed a little more than 2.6 million people tuned in to watch Luke List defeat Will Zalatoris in a playoff on Saturday night.

Rather worryingly from the event's point of view, the 2023 version attracted half-a-million fewer fans on TV as almost 2.2 million sat down to see Max Homa take the title.

The decline continued in significant fashion for Matthieu Pavon's victory in 2024, with just 1.59 million people tuning in for the Frenchman's run to the title - down 40% year-on-year.

PGA Tour viewing figures were largely down across the board in 2024, with even The Masters registering one of its lowest final-round telecasts in modern history. Scottie Scheffler's second win failed to crack the 10 million mark, resulting in the tournament's third-lowest final-round figure since 1993.

The only two lower than 2024 were the 2020 version which took place in November as a result of the global Covid-19 pandemic and the April 2021 running where limited patrons were allowed onto the property and champion, Hideki Matsuyama ran away with the title.

Ahead of the 2025 Farmers Insurance Open, TV bosses will hope that a closely-fought battle between a couple of household names may well reignite fans' interest in this iconic event and serve as an enjoyable entree to one of the NFL's biggest nights of the year.