Cameron Smith gets the opportunity to play his fourth PGA TOUR event at this week’s Farmer’s Insurance Open after receiving a sponsor’s invite to the California event.

The former Australian Amateur winner played two events on US soil in late 2014 courtesy of a top 5 finish at the co-sanctioned CIMB Classic in Malaysia last October.

While he missed the cut at both the Sanderson Farms and Mayokoba tournaments Smith did enough to catch the attention of tournament organisers and will be keen to impress in his first start for 2015.

After a stellar year on the Asian Tour, which included a run of six consecutive top 10’s to finish the season, many believe Smith is on the verge of a breakout 2015 and a good performance at Torrey Pines would be an ideal start.

The 21-year-old is one of nine Australians in the field this week joining Marc Leishman, Jason Day, Stuart Appleby, Aaron Baddeley, Jarrod Lyle, Cameron Percy, John Senden and Robert Allenby.

The PGA TOUR’s Rob Bolton has nominated Day third favourite in his weekly Power Rankings column citing the Queenslander’s runner-up finish last year, and T9 the year before, as keys.

Torrey Pines South course is the longest on the PGA Tour and one of the most difficult the players face all year, both factors which play into Day’s style of play.

In two starts this year Day has finished T3 at Kapalua and T17 at the Sony Open and with the injury concerns of last year behind him seems set for a big year.

No Australian has won this event in its 53 year history but, like Day, Marc Leishman has a liking for the tournament and venue.

He shared second place with Day last year and has two other top 10 finishes in his six appearances including another runner-up in 2010.

He will take plenty of confidence into his second event of 2015 after firing a second round 62 in his only other 2015 start, the Sony Open.

Of the other Australians Robert Allenby has the best record at Torrey Pines with top 10 finishes in both 2007 and 2010 while Stuart Appleby has missed the cut six times in 12 appearances with just one top 10, in 2008.

Jarrod Lyle has also earned a place in the field and while his best in four previous appearances has been T42 he has never missed the cut at Torrey Pines.

Lyle needs a further $230,030 in 2015 to regain the status he lost when diagnosed with a second bout of leukemia in 2012 so another made cut this week would be a big help.