From day one, Justin Rose led the Farmers Insurance Open on the PGA Tour, breaking a Tiger Woods record at age 45.
At 45 years old, Justin Rose dominated his competition at the Farmers Insurance Open on the PGA Tour. Winning by seven strokes with a tournament record of 23 under par, Rose held firm control of the lead throughout the event 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 it took for a comfortable victory. With three birdies on the front nine, the Englishman extended his lead, and although he had a bogey on the 12th hole on the back nine, Rose had enough cushion to remain untroubled. Instead, he focused on breaking the tournament record of 22 under par, previously set by Tiger Woods in 1999. \”That was the only thing I concentrated on in the last three holes,\” Rose later said.
\”The fact that I could extend my lead every day is something I’m naturally proud of as a player because you feel like you can handle the pressure from start to finish and keep improving and moving forward,\” Rose said during the winner’s press conference. \”Maybe that’s something I haven’t managed before, so I’m very satisfied with that.\”
While his golf game was nearly flawless, he attributes his success mainly to mental strength. \”I was just very disciplined this week. Of course, I played well, but I felt I managed my game well, thought carefully, was patient at the right moments, and was able to recover from small mistakes by sinking the right putts when needed. There was a lot of genuine mental maturity from a strategic golf perspective.\”
Stephan Jäger in the Top 5
With Rose unreachable at the top, the rest battled for second place. Pierceson Coody made a significant jump of 12 places with a 65, the best round of the day, sharing second place with Si Woo Kim and Roy Hisatsune. Just behind them is Stephan Jäger tied for fifth at 15 under par. Closing with a 68, he secured a strong finish. While Jäger’s previous days featured either full birdie power or bogey troubles, his final round mixed both, with three bogeys but seven birdies overall, maintaining his top-10 position. After missing the cut at the American Express, this signals a positive start to the new year and his best result since the Sony Open in January 2025.
Brooks Koepka finished the tournament tied for 56th after a 70, completing his first week back on the PGA Tour. Koepka said the biggest change is not recognizing half the players. \”There have been some changes in the last four years. I know half the guys, the other half I don’t. It’s going to be an exciting year getting to know everyone, and I’m looking forward to it,\” he remarked.