Stephan Jäger is in the top 5 after an excellent 65 at the Farmers Insurance Open on the PGA Tour. Brooks Koepka faces challenges in his return.
Stephan Jäger had an outstanding start on Thursday at the Farmers Insurance Open on the PGA Tour. With a round of 65, he finished tied 5th, staying close to the top of the leaderboard. Other German players faced more difficulties. Thomas Rosenmüller finished with a 2-under par round, tied 55th, ahead of Jeremy Paul, who is even par at tied 87th, and Matti Schmid, who shot 1-over par and is tied 101st heading into the second day. Sharing the position with Schmid is LIV Golf returnee Brooks Koepka, who had a challenging first tournament back on the American Tour. Leading after the first day is Justin Rose with 10 under par.
PGA Tour: Stephan Jäger Nearly Flawless
Stephan Jäger achieved his best start in a long time at the Farmers Insurance Open on the PGA Tour. On the North Course of the Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, he played a nearly flawless round, with only the start faltering. On the first hole, his second shot landed in a bunker near the green, and he missed the up and down, starting the day with a bogey. However, Jäger was not shaken. On hole 3, he hit a strong tee shot on the 150-meter par 3 close to the hole to make birdie. A remarkable stretch on holes 7 to 9 brought him three birdies, putting him at 3 under par after his front nine. Particularly notable was his birdie on hole 8: after his tee shot landed in a bunker near the green putting him behind, he executed an excellent sand shot, watching the ball roll directly into the hole. The 36-year-old carried the momentum into the back nine with two birdies to start, and added two more birdies on holes 16 and 17, finishing the round at 7 under par and tied for 5th for the week.
Thomas Rosenmüller had a steadier round, also starting with his only bogey of the day, but a birdie on hole 9 brought him to even par after the front nine. Further birdies on holes 11 and 17 helped him shoot a 70 and place tied 55th.
Jeremy Paul began his round on the back nine, but the front nine proved challenging. After three birdies and a bogey, he seemed poised for a good round, but three unrecovered bogeys on holes 2, 4, and 6 pushed him back. A birdie on hole 7 left him at even par and tied