PGA Tour storylines heading into Torrey Pines - ESPN

The PGA Tour's West Coast swing hits the halfway point at this week's Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, California.

The tournament tees off Wednesday and wraps up Saturday to avoid competing with the NFL's conference championship games on Sunday.

France's Matthieu Pavon is the defending champion, and he'll battle a field that includes world No. 4 Hideki Matsuyama and No. 8 Ludvig Åberg.

This week's tournament will be followed by three of the tour's biggest events: Pebble Beach Pro-Am, WM Phoenix Open and the Genesis Invitational.

Here's are some of this week's storylines at the Farmers Insurance Open.

Because of the devastating fire in Pacific Palisades, California, the PGA Tour is relocating next month's Genesis Invitational, which was scheduled to be played at Riviera Country Club outside Los Angeles from Feb. 13 to Feb. 16.

The PGA Tour was considering several new locations but seems to be leaning toward returning to Torrey Pines, sources told ESPN this week.

The Genesis Invitational, which is hosted by Tiger Woods, would be played on the more challenging South Course. This week's Farmers Insurance Open is being played on the North and South Courses.

Woods won eight times on the South Course, including the 2008 U.S. Open.

«Obviously with the fondness that [Woods] has for Torrey Pines, it seems like an easy fit,» San Diego native Charley Hoffman said. «But right now each and every guy in this field's working to get into Genesis like myself if they're not in it. And obviously as a hometown kid, I'm wishing it comes here.»

Riviera Country Club and Torrey Pines are about 123 miles apart. Infrastructure would already be in place to support the Genesis Invitational, a signature event with a $20 million