La Jolla is gearing up for the Farmers Insurance Open, PGA Tour’s annual West Coast swing making its annual stop at Torrey Pines Golf Course on Jan. 24-27.

The Century Club of San Diego, a charitable organization established in 1961, organizes the annual Farmers Insurance Open. The Century Club uses golf as the platform to showcase San Diego to an international audience, generate revenue for the city, and make a difference in the community by creating programs that primarily benefit at-risk and underserved youth charities. Its Champions for Youth program benefits organizations such as Just In Time For Foster Youth, New Haven Youth and Family Services, Promises2Kids, Reality Changers, San Diego Youth Services, STEP (Support the Enlisted Project), and Words Alive.

Marty Gorsich, Century Club’s CEO, discussed the event’s significance, noting it has become much more than just a pro golf tournament.

Promoting the Farmers Insurance Open has evolved, noted Gorsich. “An event of this scale with an international broadcast now needs to be organized on a year-round basis,” he said pointing out its regional economic impact has also grown. “Tourism is the second-largest industry in San Diego, and this international event drives the economy for our city,” said Gorsich adding the event, with 20 hours of live commercials and international TV coverage “really puts San Diego out to the world. This event supports charities as well as promoting our city.

“For many years the Farmers Open was very golf-centric,” said Gorsich. “But since then it’s become so much more, a social lifestyle event for San Diego where golf is the backdrop.”

Added Gorsich: “Before I was born, this tournament started at the San Diego Country Club. It has since relocated to a true championship golf course at Torrey Pines, where the best players come to compete on one of the PGA Tour’s hardest courses and test themselves.”

What makes Torrey Pines tough to play? “A variety of factors, the length of the course, its topography, the way it lays out above the ocean,” Gorsich said. “If you don’t hit the ball straight and end up in the rough – it can make for a very challenging round.”

The tournament’s Championship Days (Rounds 3-4) on Friday, Jan. 26, and Saturday, Jan. 27 will feature late-afternoon finishes, with golf being played nearly until sunset and aired on prime-time television on the East Coast.

Grounds tickets and passes to shared hospitality venues, such as the Canyon Club overlooking the 17th and eighth greens, and the upgraded Ultra Pass presented by Michelob Ultra at the ninth tee, can be purchased at FarmersInsuranceOpen.com. Tickets sell quickly for the world-class tournament at 11480 N. Torrey Pines Road.

Individual grounds tickets (day-specific) start at $80 per day for Rounds 1-2, $90 for Friday’s third round, and $100 for Saturday’s final round.

Prices on all ticket types will increase on Jan. 21. Children 15 and under receive free grounds admission with a paid adult (one free children’s admission per adult), and special discounts are available on Wednesday and Thursday tickets for seniors and military.

This is the 72nd year that a PGA Tour event has been held in San Diego, beginning with the San Diego Open in 1952. The 2024 tournament also marks the 57th time the event is being held at Torrey Pines Golf Course and the 15th year of Farmers Insurance sponsorship of the tournament.

For more information, visit FarmersInsuranceOpen.com.