From day one, Justin Rose led the Farmers Insurance Open on the PGA Tour, breaking a Tiger Woods record at 45 years old.
At 45, Justin Rose left his competitors 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. He controlled the tournament from the start and set new scoring records after each round.
PGA Tour: Justin Rose Wins with Tournament Record
In the final round, a 70 was all he needed to secure a comfortable victory. With three birdies on the front nine, the Englishman pulled further ahead; on the back nine, there was just a single bogey at the 12th hole, but Rose had enough buffer to remain 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 concentrated on in the last three holes,\” Rose said afterward.
\”The fact that I was able to 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 start to finish and continuously improve,\” Rose said during his winner’s press conference. \”Maybe that’s something I haven’t achieved before, so I’m very happy with it.\”
Although his golf game was nearly flawless, he attributes his success mainly to mental strength. \”I was very disciplined this week. Of course, I played well, but I managed my game smartly, stayed patient at the right moments, and was able to compensate for small mistakes by sinking key putts at crucial times. 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 of the field battled for second place. Pierceson Coody soared 12 places with a 65, the best round of the day, to share second place with Si Woo Kim and Roy Hisatsune. Just behind them, Stephan Jäger finished tied for fifth with a total of 15 under par. His 68 in the final round cemented a strong result. After previous rounds defined by either birdie streaks or bogey troubles, Jäger’s final day showed a bit of both. Three inaccurate shots led to bogeys, but with seven birdies overall, he maintained his top-10 position. Following a missed 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 tied for 56th in his first week back on the PGA Tour. Koepka noted the biggest change was not recognizing half the players on tour. \”There’ve been some changes in the last four years. I know half the guys, but the other half I don’t. It’s going to be an exciting year meeting everyone, and I’m looking forward to it,\” Koepka said after the event.