Stephan Jäger shoots an impressive 65 to sit in the top 5 at the Farmers Insurance Open on the PGA Tour. Brooks Koepka faces challenges in his return.
Stephan Jäger had a brilliant start on Thursday at the Farmers Insurance Open on the PGA Tour. With a round of 65, he tied for 5th place and is close to the lead. Other German players had a tougher time. Thomas Rosenmüller shot 2 under par to tie for 55th, ahead of Jeremy Paul who is at even par tied 87th, and Matti Schmid who played 1 over par and is tied 101st heading into the second round. Alongside Matti Schmid is LIV Golf returnee Brooks Koepka, who had some struggles in his first tournament back on the American Tour. Justin Rose leads after the first day at 10 under par.
PGA Tour: Stephan Jäger Nearly Perfect
Stephan Jäger had his best start in a long time at the Farmers Insurance Open on the PGA Tour. On the North Course of Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, he played an almost flawless round, with only the start not going his way. On the first hole, his second shot landed in a bunker near the green and he missed the up and down, beginning with a bogey. However, Jäger was not discouraged. On the third hole, he regained momentum by teeing off strongly on the 150-meter par 3 and scoring a birdie. His real surge came during a brilliant stretch in the middle of his round. On holes 7 through 9, he birdied all three and finished the front nine at 3 under par. A highlight was his birdie on hole 8 where, despite landing his tee shot in a bunker near the green, he executed a superb sand shot that rolled straight into the hole. Jäger maintained this momentum on the back nine, starting with two birdies and adding two more on holes 16 and 17, finishing his round at 7 under par and tied for 5th heading into the week.
Thomas Rosenmüller had a steadier round, also starting with a single bogey, but a birdie on the 9th hole got him back to even par after the front nine. He followed this with birdies on holes 11 and 17 to finish with a 70 and tied 55th place.
Jeremy Paul began his round on the back nine but struggled on the front nine with three consecutive bogeys on holes 2, 4, and 6 after a promising start of three birdies and a bogey. Eventually, he finished at even par tied 87th.