Justin Rose won the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines on Sunday with a new tournament score of 23 under.
The British player delivered one of the best tournament performances of his illustrious career with a wire-to-wire victory in San Diego, clinching his 13th PGA Tour title in style.
The first time a player has achieved this feat in the tournament since 1955, Rose posted the highest winning score in the 74-year history of the Farmers Insurance Open over four days, surpassing the 22-under achieved by Tiger Woods in 1999 and George Burns in 1987.
“Today’s score was obviously not my highest score, but it was a good score. I felt like I played well,” Rose said. “I felt like I did everything right, I didn’t put myself in a bad spot.
“When you have a lead, you want the first change on the scorecard to be a birdie and not a bogey. I felt like that putt on No. 4 really stuck with me, and from that point on I felt like today was going to be my day.”
“But I never let my guard down. I had other things to play for — hitting the tournament record of 23 under par, and I was very conscious of that.
“It was a great week. Everything seemed to be heading in that direction. 36, 54, 72 all scoring records. I just wanted to finish as strong as I could.”
Rose, who held a six-stroke lead heading into Sunday, shot a 2-under 70 in the final round, capping off a week that started on a hot note with a round of 10-under 62 on Thursday and reclaiming the crown he won in 2019 with a 21-under score.
The 45-year-old, who moved into third place in the early FedEx Cup standings, was just seven strokes behind the eight-stroke margin that seven-time winner Woods defeated Ryuji Imada in 2008, nearly matching the largest margin of victory ever for a tournament winner.
Another Japanese player, Ryo Hisatsune, took second place this time. He finished the tournament at 16 under par, along with South Korea’s Kim Si-woo and America’s Pierceson Coody.
American Joel Dahmen, who started the day in second place at 15 under, tying Rose at 4 under on Saturday, dropped a shot in the final round to end the day tied for seventh.
Ireland’s Seamus Power made a birdie on the 17th hole to move to 1 under on Sunday and 11 under for the tournament.
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Brooks Koepka provided one of the tournament’s memorable moments with an incredible shot off the cart path in the third round at Torrey Pines.
Playing in his first PGA Tour event since returning from LIV Golf, Brooks Koepka shot a 70 on Sunday to finish tied for 56th and finish with a total of 4 under.
“I feel like I probably don’t know half the players,” Koepka admitted. “We’ve had some good turnover over the last four years, so that’s the only thing I got.
“I know half the players, but I don’t know the other half, so it’s going to be a fun year just getting to know everyone and I’m excited.”
Rose gives a wonderful performance that defies her age
Justin Rose is the winningest British player on the PGA Tour with 13 wins. The next closest is Sir Nick Faldo with nine wins.
Rose continues to age like fine wine after producing one of the best performances ever seen by a player in his mid-40s on the PGA Tour.
He has developed a reputation as one of the most prepared players in the game, increasing his driving range to more than 300 yards in recent years.
In addition to a continued drive to improve, he combines that with big-stage experience and know-how that allows him to remain calm in situations like the one he faced Sunday at Torrey Pines as he chased a tournament-record score.
No doubt the desire to win another big win, along with the 2013 U.S. Open, is making him hungry. The Masters at Augusta National will provide the next opportunity and will of course be broadcast live on Sky Sports from Thursday 9th April to Sunday 12th April.
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Justin Rose celebrated the second round of the Farmers Insurance Open in a stunning and unique way
“The game doesn’t get any easier, for sure,” Rose said. “Historically, I think we’ve seen players have little tails like that. I think back in the day, back in ’47, ’48, ’49, ’50, there was a little bit of a dressing room on the Champions Tour.”
“But Phil (Mickleson) won a major at (almost) 51 years old. Adam Scott, look, he’s hitting the ball incredibly well. I think there are players who can compete at this age, but we don’t have many. If you look at the world rankings, there aren’t that many players in their 40s.”
“I think it’s also a matter of life balance, but listen, I don’t want to think too much about it. I’m really enjoying my game right now, and I think that gives me the energy and commitment to want to work hard.”
What’s next?
The PGA Tour travels to Arizona for the WM Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course. Early coverage will begin on Sky Sports Golf from 2.15pm on Thursday, with full coverage from 8.30pm. Get Sky Sports now and stream without a contract.
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