From day one, Justin Rose led the Farmers Insurance Open on the PGA Tour, breaking a Tiger Woods record at age 45.
At 45, Justin Rose dominated the field at the Farmers Insurance Open on the PGA Tour. Winning by seven strokes with a tournament record of 23 under par, Rose maintained control of the tournament from the start at Torrey Pines, setting new scoring records after each round.
PGA Tour: Justin Rose wins with tournament record
In the final round, a 70 was all he needed for a comfortable victory. With three birdies on the front nine, the Englishman extended his lead further. On the back nine, he had only one bogey on the 12th but had enough cushion to stay untroubled. Instead, he focused on breaking the tournament record of 22 under par, last set by Tiger Woods in 1999. \”That was the only thing I focused on during the last three holes,\” Rose said afterwards.
\”The fact that I could extend my lead every day is something I’m naturally proud of as a player, because it feels like you can handle the pressure from beginning to end, keep improving, and moving forward,\” Rose said in his winner’s press conference. \”Maybe that’s something I hadn’t done before, so I’m very satisfied with that.\”
While his golf game was nearly flawless, he credited the victory mainly to his mental strength. \”I was very disciplined this week. Of course, I played well, but I managed my game well, was thoughtful, patient at the right moments, and was able to compensate for small mistakes by sinking the right putt at the right time. There was a lot of real mental maturity from a strategic golf perspective.\”
Stephan Jäger in the Top 5
With Rose unreachable at the top, the rest raced for second place. Pierceson Coody shot a 65, the best round of the day, moving up 12 places to share the position with Si Woo Kim and Roy Hisatsune. Just behind them, Stephan Jäger finished T5 with a total of 15 under par. He secured a good result with a 68 in the final round. While in earlier days Jäger exhibited either full birdie power or bogey mistakes, the final day showed a mix. Three inaccurate shots resulted in bogeys, but with seven birdies total, he maintained his spot in the top 10. After missing the cut at the American Express, this is a positive sign for the new year and his best result since the Sony Open in January 2025.
Brooks Koepka closed the tournament with a 70, finishing T56, completing his first week back on the PGA Tour. Koepka remarked that half the players were new to him after recent changes: \”In the last four years, there have been some changes. I know half the guys; the other half I don’t. It’s going to be an exciting year where I get to know everyone, and I’m looking forward to it.\”