SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Sahith Theegala capped another strong week on the PGA Tour with his second consecutive top-10 finish, while Justin Rose delivered a dominant, record-breaking performance to win the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines by seven shots.
Theegala closed with a brilliant 6-under 66 on Sunday, highlighted by a streak of four consecutive birdies midway through his round. He finished at 14-under 274, tying for seventh place, following a tie for eighth at last week’s American Express. His final round featured seven birdies against just one bogey, underscoring his growing consistency early in the season.
He got off to a steady start with birdies on the first and third holes before his only blemish of the day, a bogey at the fourth. Theegala then ignited his charge with four straight birdies from the seventh through the 10th, converting several putts from the 10- to 15-foot range. After six consecutive pars, he picked up another stroke at the 17th and finished with a composed par at the closing hole. He now turns his attention to next week’s Waste Management Phoenix Open, buoyed by back-to-back strong finishes.
Sudarshan Yellamaraju closed with an even-par 72 to finish tied for 56th, while Akshay Bhatia had a difficult week and missed the cut.
At the top of the leaderboard, Rose was in a class of his own. The 45-year-old Englishman completed a wire-to-wire victory with a final-round 2-under 70, finishing at 23-under 265 to eclipse Tiger Woods’ 72-hole tournament record set in 1999. Rose posted rounds of 62, 65, 69, and 70 during one of the calmest weather weeks at Torrey Pines, but his commanding margin underscored the quality of his play.
No competitor came within six shots on the final day, and Rose calmly rolled in a par putt on the 18th to seal the win. The victory marked the first wire-to-wire triumph at Torrey Pines in 71 years, dating back to 1955, and was the 13th PGA Tour title of his career. It was also his second win at the venue, following his victory there in 2019.
Si Woo Kim, Ryo Hisatsune, and Pierceson Coody shared runner-up honors, finishing well behind the runaway winner.
Brooks Koepka, making his return to the PGA Tour, carded a closing 70 and drew loud cheers on the ninth green as he tapped in for birdie, with fans chanting, “Welcome back, Brooks.”
Rose’s standout week also lifted him to No. 3 in the world rankings, making him the second-oldest player to reach that position, behind only Vijay Singh in 2008, highlighting a remarkable late-career surge. (Source: IANS)
