The Starter: Round 1, Farmers Insurance Open

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Jan. 28, 2010

The Farmers Insurance Open is set to begin on the twin courses at Torrey Pines. Here's a look at Thursday's round:

Groups We're Watching

Tee time	Players
Noon, Hole No. 10, North		Phil Mickelson, Ryan Palmer, Marc Turnesa Mickelson opens his season on one of the easiest courses on TOUR as he chases a fourth victory in his hometown event.
1:10 p.m. ET, Hole No. 10, South		Hunter Mahan, John Rollins, Troy Matteson Rollins finished second here last year and has opened the 2010 season on a strong note with two finishes in the top 15.
1 p.m. ET, Hole No. 10, North		Bill Haas, Nick Watney, Ryuji Imada Haas and Watney are often mistaken for one another, and Haas joined Watney as a PGA TOUR winner last week.

MORE ROUND 1: Tee times | Inside the field | Inside the courses
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EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR NETWORK on-site correspondent Bob Stevens previews Thursday's first round:

The famed South Course at Torrey Pines will have a little different look this week. Last week's storms that plagued the Bob Hope Classic hit San Diego even harder.

Besides the four inches of rain that both sites received, Torrey Pines was also hit by gale-force winds that toppled more than 40 trees, including a rare Torrey Pine behind the fourth green and a huge old eucalyptus tree on the inside of the dogleg at the par-4 seventh. That might give players room to play to the green that didn't exist before. The bunkers all had to be reworked, and the rough will be more lush. The greens will be softer, meaning putts might bounce a little bit more, making accuracy off the tees and in the fairways even more of a factor.

Thursday's forecast

Sunny
Temp: 65 high/45 low
Sunny with winds around 7 mph.

The best news this week is that the bad weather is supposedly gone. After some overnight rain on Tuesday/Wednesday, pro-am day was nearly perfect and the forecast is great through the weekend, allowing the courses to firm up, and therefore shorten up a bit for the weekend.

The roll call of winners at Torrey Pines includes a lot of bashers (Woods, Mickelson, defending champion Nick Watney and John Daly have won 11 of the last 12 tournaments played here, including the '08 U.S. Open), and the softer conditions should favor them again this year. But don't count out the scramblers. Luke Donald has four top-10s here in six starts. Lucas Glover was third last year before winning the U.S. Open, and Kevin Sutherland and last year's runner-up John Rollins have had multiple top-10s here.

INSTRUCTOR'S CORNER: Alex Fisher, head instructor at the TOUR Academyat TPC Las Vegas, analyzes the playing conditions at Torrey Pines.

This week's Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines North and South course represents the beginning of the 2010 season for Phil Mickelson. It's no surprise the Phil picked this event, since he's playing in practically his own backyard. He is very familiar with both the North and South Courses.

In 2009, the South Course at Torrey Pines yielded a scoring average of 2 over, making one of the most difficult courses on the PGA TOUR. At just over 7,600 yards, look for the longer hitters on TOUR to challenge this week. The last three winners of this event (Nick Watney, Tiger Woods and John Daly) have all ranked among the longer hitters on TOUR.

The Film Room

	Preview: Farmers Insurance Open The PGA TOUR heads to Torrey Pines where Nick Watney looks to defend his title at the 2010 Farmers Insurance Open. Watch it
	Phil meets the media On the eve of his season debut, Phil Mickelson offers an update on the battles his wife and mother are waging against breast cancer and addresses the new grooves rules. Watch it
	Rocco's return Rocco Mediate talks about his runner-up finish in the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines and addresses his thoughts for the 2010 season. Watch it