Race for Signature Event Spots Heats Up at Torrey Pines
The battle for coveted spots in upcoming signature events comes down to this week’s Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. It’s the final chance for players to earn their way into the Aon Swing 5, which rewards the top point-earners with entries into two prestigious tournaments.
The prize? Automatic berths in both the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Genesis Invitational. These spots are especially valuable for players who don’t typically qualify for signature events, which feature elevated purses and stronger fields.
After Sunday’s finish at The American Express, where signature-exempt Sepp Straka took the title, here’s how the Swing 5 standings look:
Name
Events
Top 10
Money
Justin Lower
93
8
$3,666,555
Current Swing 5 Leaders:
• J.J. Spaun – 189 points
• Justin Lower – 178 points
• Alex Smalley – 119 points
• Charley Hoffman – 109.7 points
• Harry Hall – 100.292 points
Lower and Hoffman made significant moves at The American Express. Lower’s T-3 finish and Hoffman’s T-5 pushed them into qualifying position. It’s a particularly meaningful opportunity for both players – they each played in just one signature event last year, with Lower finishing T-36 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Hoffman taking 50th at Genesis.
The chase pack isn’t far behind:
• Mark Hubbard – 92.666 points
• Patrick Fishburn – 88.75 points
• Adam Schenk – 88.75 points
• Jackson Suber – 88.75 points
What makes this week’s Farmers Insurance Open especially intriguing is that all nine players in contention are in the field. The Wednesday-to-Saturday event at Torrey Pines will determine who gets those valuable signature event spots.
The way the points are bunched up, particularly among the players tied for seventh, suggests we’re in for an intense finish. A strong showing from any of the pursuers could shake up the final standings dramatically.
