Justin Rose wins Farmers by 2

By
Mo Yoshimoto,

By
Mo Yoshimoto

Published January 28, 2019 11:59 AM

Farmers Insurance Open

San Diego, California

Second- and third-round leader and World No. 1 Justin Rose battled to a 3-under 36-33=69 in Sunday’s final round at Torrey Pines GC (South) for a 72-hole tally of 21-under 267, good for a two-shot win over first-timer and playing competitor Adam Scott (68), five better than 3^rd-place finishers Hideki Matsuyama (67) and Talor Gooch (68), who was in the field on a top-10 exemption.

The 38-year-old, a pre-tourney 14/1 outright, bags his 10^th PGA TOUR title in 326 events (325 pro), first since the 2018 Fort Worth Invitational 11 starts ago, also as the 36- and 54-hole leader.

This was his 10^th Farmers, fifth top 25 and third top 10, third straight.

Season Form: 1-34-3

Farmers Form: 1-8-4-MC-MC-33-25-22

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Final Leaderboard (pre-tourney odds outright):

1- (-21, 267) Justin Rose (14/1)

2- (-19, 269) Adam Scott (90/1)

3- (-16, 272) Hideki Matsuyama (40/1)

3- (-16, 272) Talor Gooch (150/1)

5- (-14, 274) Jason Day (14/1); defender

5- (-14, 274) Rory McIlroy (14/1)

5- (-14, 274) Jon Rahm (10/1); fave

Note: Repeat top-10 finishers from last year: Rose (T8), Day (P1)

With a Strength of Field rating of 479 (up 94 from last year), Rose banks 60 world-ranking points and solidifies his hold on the top spot, now 1.2586 average points ahead of an idle Brooks Koepka, and jumps 34 spots to 6^th in the FedExCup standings.

At last week’s Desert Classic – his first start of calendar-year 2019 – he debuted his new sticks from Japanese manufacturer Honma (no ball change) and finished T34.

Post-tourney Presser:

“New equipment, really trying to bed that in. Obviously, you face a lot of doubts and questions… but I made the change with the hopes to get better as a golfer. So that made it special to sort of see that trajectory so soon.”

The reigning FedExCup champ also had a fill-in caddie for a second straight week.

“It’s been sort of an emotional week. Obviously dedicated this one to my caddie Fooch… so yeah, Mark Fulcher, he’s at home and just had heart surgery. So, him not being on the bag and having his good friend Lordy, Gareth Lord (Henrik Stenson’s former bag man), caddie for me… kind of dedicate this one to him.”

Don’t look for Rose at this coming week’s WM Phoenix Open, as he’s off to the Middle East for the inaugural Saudi International on the European Tour, scheduled to be joined by Koepka, World No. 3 Dustin Johnson, and Sunday’s runaway winner at the Dubai Desert Classic, World No. 5 Bryson DeChambeau.

Rose’s Position by Round:

R1: T2 (1 back)

R2: 1 (leader by 3)

R3: 1 (leader by 3)

FUN FACT: Rose is the first player to convert a 54-hole lead at the Farmers since Tiger Woods in 2013. He’s also the first player to convert the 36-hole lead since Woods in 2013.

How Rose Won the Tournament:

Ranked 1^st (or T1) in: Total Driving; Total Birdies; Birdie or Better %; Par-3 Scoring and the All-Around

Ranked 2^nd (or T2) in: Total Eagles, Total Bogeys, Birdie to Bogey Ratio and Greens in Regulation

Note: See “Leaders in Select Stats” at the bottom, along with Rose’s full stats.

Field Scoring Average:

This was the 67^th playing of the Farmers, 52^nd with the South Course as the host. The final two rounds are played on the South only:

South Course (SC) host: 7,698 yards; par 72 (36-36)

North Course (NC): 7,258 yards; par 72 (36-36)

SC: 71.73 (four rounds)

NC: 69.84 (two rounds)

Note: Strokes gained stats are only recorded on the South Course.

FUN FACT: Last year, Keegan Bradley finished 5^th after being the ONLY player to record four sub-par rounds (70-69-71-70). This year, 22 players did.

Cumulative Scoring Averages:

R1: 70.51

R2: 71.30

R3: 71.20

R4: 71.77

Total: 71.10

Rose: 63-66-69-69

Had there been strokes gained stats for all four rounds:

Rose: 17.78 SG: Total

Draw:

There wasn’t a traditional draw this week, so we’ll look at the course rotation for the top-5 finishers.

In total, 77 pros from a field of 155 pros and one amateur made the cut of 3-under 141:

Began SC: 35 of 78

Began NC: 42 of 78

Of the 12 players who finished in the top 10, it was an even split: 6 began South, 6 began North:

SC (6): Adam Scott (2^nd); Talor Gooch (T3); Rory McIlroy (T5); Gary Woodland (T9); Scott Brown (T9); Joel Dahmen (T9)

NC (6): Justin Rose (Won); Hideki Matsuyama (T3); Jason Day (T5); Jon Rahm (T5); Billy Horschel (8^th); Cameron Smith (T9)

Note: Rose ends a streak of eight straight winners that had begun on the SC. He joins 2010 champ Ben Crane on the NORTH-South rotation.

Leaderboard Notes:

Scott (70-66-65-68)

Season Form: 2-MC-18-10

Farmers Form: 2 (debut)

FEC Rank: 15^th (up 69)

OWGR: 30^th (up 12)

Career Starts: 306

Top 10s: 90 (29.4%)

Top 3s: 36

Runners-up: 12 (first since: T2, 2016 Northern Trust Open; Riviera CC)

Matsuyama (66-66-73-67):

Season Form: 3-51-30-18

Farmers Form: 3-12-33-MC-MC-16

FEC Rank: 41^st (up 73)

OWGR: 26^th (up 7)

Career Starts: 130

Top 10s: 35 (26.9%)

Top-3 Finishes: 14 (first since: Won, 2017 WGC-Bridgestone)

Gooch (69-68-67-68):

Season Form: 3-4-MC-MC-14

Farmers Form: 3-51

FEC Rank: 27^th (up 32); career high

OWGR: 153^rd (up 89); career high

Career Starts: 34

Top-10 Finishes: 2 (5.8%)

Top-3 Finishes: 1 (2.9%)

Note: Gooch’s outright odds were cut in half this week – 300/1 at last week’s Desert Classic – and delivered another surprising result. Sprinkled in a final leaderboard amongst some of the game’s elite players who are all multiple winners, the second-year man’s joint 3^rd is a career best and second straight top 10 after solo 4^th last week. Playing this season on conditional status (139^th in FEC points), he earns another top-10 exemption into this coming week’s WM Phoenix Open.

Day (67-71-69-67)

Season Form: 5-13-11-5

Farmers Form: 5-P1-MC-MC-P1

FEC Rank: 23^rd (up 12)

OWGR: 10^th (up 2)

Career Starts: 235

Top-10 Finishes: 69 (29.3%)

McIlroy (71-65-69-69)

Season Form: 5-4-54

Farmers Form: 5 (debut)

FEC Rank: 49^th (up 33)

OWGR: 8^th (unchanged)

Career Starts: 152

Top-10 Finishes: 69 (45.3%)

Rahm (62-72-68-72)

Season Form: 5-6-8-22

Farmers Form: 5-29-1

FEC Rank: 28^th (up 11)

OWGR: 6^th (up 1)

Career Starts: 59

Top-10 Finishes: 23 (38.9%)

Rose’s Career:

Starts: 326 (325 pro)

Cuts Made: 264 (80.9%)

WD: 1 (0.003%)

Top 25s: 175 (53.6%)

Top 10s: 93 (28.5%)

Top 3s: 36 (11.0%)

Wins: 10 (3.0%)

FUN FACT: Rose’s first TOUR title, the 2010 Memorial, came in his 162^nd start and 7^th season. So, that’s 10 wins in his last 164 events (6.0%)

2019: Farmers (54-hole leader)

Shot: 3-under 69

Winning Margin: 2 shots

Career Start: 326 (325 pro)

Starts Between Wins: 11

Event Type: Full Field

2018: Fort Worth Invitational (54-hole leader)

Shot: 6-under 64

Winning Margin: 3 shots

Career Start: 315

Starts Between Wins: 9

Event Type: Full Field

2018: WGC-HSBC (come from behind, 8-shot deficit)

Shot: 5-under 67

Winning Margin: 2 shots

Career Start: 306

Starts Between Wins: 49

Event Type: WGC; limited field, no cut

2015: Zurich Classic (54-hole co-leader)

Shot: 6-under 66

Winning Margin: 1 shot

Career Start: 257

Starts Between Wins: 14

Event Type: Full Field

2014: Quicken Loans (come from behind, 3-shot deficit)

Shot: 1-under 70

Winning Margin: PLAYOFF

Career Start: 243

Starts Between Wins: 21

Event Type: Full Field

2013: U.S. Open (come from behind, 2-shot deficit)

Shot: even-par 70

Winning Margin: 2 shots

Career Start: 222

Start Between Wins: 23

Event Type: Major

2012: WGC-Cadillac (Doral) (come from behind, 3-shot deficit)

Shot: 2-under 70

Winning Margin: 1 shot

Career Start: 199

Starts Between Wins: 7

Event Type: WGC; limited field, no cut

2011: BMW Championship (54-hole leader by 4)

Shot: even-par 71

Winning Margin: 2 shots

Career Start: 192

Starts Between Wins: 28

Event Type: FEC Playoffs

2010: AT&T National (54-hole leader by 4)

Shot: even-par 70

Winning Margin: 1 shot

Career Start: 164

Starts Between Wins: 2

Event Type: Full Field

2010: Memorial (come from behind, 4-shot deficit)

Shot: 6-under 66

Winning Margin: 3 shots

Career Start: 162 (7^th season on TOUR)

Event Type: Full Field

Wins by Season:

2019: 1

2018: 2

2017: 0

2016: 0

2015: 1

2014: 1

2013: 1

2012: 1

2011: 1

2010: 2 (7^th season)

Low Rounds:

R1:

(NC): 62: Jon Rahm

(SC): 66: Brandon Hagy, Chris Stroud, Charles Howell III

R2:

(NC): 65: Rory McIlroy

(SC): 66: Justin Rose, Hideki Matsuyama

R3:

(SC): 65: Adam Scott

R4:

(SC): 65: Cameron Smith

Bogey-free Rounds:

R1: (9)

(NC) 8: Justin Rose (63); Richy Werenski (66); Hideki Matsuyama (66); Matt Jones (67); Seth Reeves (67); Keegan Bradley (68); Grayson Murray (68); Ollie Schniederjans (71)

(SC) 1: Charles Howell III (66)

R2: (6)

(NC) 3: Wyndham Clark (67); Braden Thornberry (67); Daniel Berger (69_MC)

(SC) 3: Sepp Straka (67); Adam Svensson (67); Russell Knox (70)

R3: (1)

(SC): Sung Kang (66)

R4: (0)

Multiple bogey-free rounds (NONE):

Leader/co-leaders by Round:

R1: Jon Rahm (finished T5): 1-for-4 as 18-hole leader/co-leader

R2: Justin Rose (Won): 4-for-15 as 36-hole leader/co-leader (two for last three)

R3: Justin Rose (Won): 5-for-16 as 54-hole leader/co-leader (two for last three)

1-for-4

FUN FACT: Rose was the fourth player this season to hold a 3-shot lead thru 54 holes and the FIRST to convert:

Justin Rose: Farmers; shot 3-under 69; won by 2

Gary Woodland: Sentry TOC; shot 5-under 68; finished 2^nd (Xander Schauffele)

Tony Finau: WGC-HSBC; shot 1-under 71; finished P2 (Xander Schauffele)

Brandt Snedeker: Safeway; shot 2-over 74; finished P2 (Kevin Tway)

How Rose Won on Sunday:

After kicking off with 63-66 (NC-SC) and 69, he began with a three-shot lead over Scott and hit eight (of 14) fairways and 12 greens in regulation.

The Englishman went out in even-par (3 birdies, 3 bogeys), still leading by three, and came home in bogey-free 3-under, circling 10, 16 (from 20'1") and 18. He posted 1.583 putts per GIR and -0.241 SG: Putting with 28 total putts.

Rose was a bit wobbly at the beginning, but importantly, never gave up the lead. The closest anyone got was one shot after six holes, when playing competitor Rahm birdied the par-5 sixth and Rose 3-putted (from 38’2”) for par.

For the week, he tallied two eagles and 26 birdies versus five bogeys and two doubles.

TOUR Rookies &/or First-Timers:

Rookies: 20

Top-10 finishes: 0

Sepp Straka: The Austria native and Georgia alum took top rookie honors with a career-best T13 on 11-under 277 (69-67-71-70).

Season Form: 13-MC-MC-MC-MC-T46

Starts: 6

Made Cuts: 2

Times Low Rookie: 1

Top 25s: 1

Top 10s: 0

FEC Rank: 139^th (up 56)