From day one, Justin Rose led the Farmers Insurance Open on the PGA Tour, breaking a Tiger Woods record at 45.At 45 years old, Justin Rose left his competition with no chance at the Farmers Insurance Open on the PGA Tour. With a seven-stroke lead and a tournament record of 23 under par, Rose triumphed at Torrey Pines. From the start, he firmly held the tournament lead and set new scoring records after each round.
PGA Tour: Justin Rose wins with tournament record
In the final, a 70-round was enough to secure his comfortable victory. With three birdies on the front nine, the Englishman pulled further ahead. On the back nine, there was just one bogey on the 12th hole, but Rose had enough buffer not to worry. 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 concentrated on during the last three holes,\” Rose said afterward.
\”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 his winner’s press conference. \”Maybe that’s something I hadn’t achieved before, so I’m very satisfied with that.\”
Although his golf game was nearly flawless, he attributed his success mainly to his mental performance. \”I was just very disciplined this week. Of course, I played well, but I managed my game well, thought carefully, was 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 true mental maturity from a strategic golf perspective.\”
Stephan Jäger finishes in top 5
With Rose unreachable at the top, the rest battled for second place. Pierceson Coody shot a 65, the best round of the day, climbing 12 spots to claim this rank, tying with Si Woo Kim and Roy Hisatsune. Directly behind them, Stephan Jäger finished tied 5th with a total of 15 under par. He secured his good result with a 68-round. While previous days saw Jäger swing between full birdie power and bogey struggles, the final day brought a mix of both. Three inaccurate shots led to bogeys, but with seven birdies overall, he maintained his place 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-round, finishing tied 56th, completing his first week back on the PGA Tour. The biggest change, Koepka said after the tournament, is that he doesn’t know half the players. \”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 getting to know everyone, and I’m looking forward to it.\”