This year's Farmers Insurance Open couldn't have gone any better. The weather was absolutely perfect, there was no wind, and there were A LOT of people that came out to the tournament. The field was loaded, and in the end, the best player in the world, Justin Rose, proved that he is indeed the best player in the world.
First though, I would like to take time to talk to all those bicyclists out there. You know who you are. The ones that wear gear like they are sponsored, and are grouped into 75 at a time taking up the whole road. Well, I was driving into the golf course on Saturday and about 30 of those bicyclists were riding down the road holding up the traffic! Hey BICYCLISTS, why do you need to take a little trip down the main road while a major event is going on?! It’s almost like they were being pouty because their Saturday route was in jeopardy, and did it anyway.
Sorry, I needed to get that out. I live in North County San Diego and there are these biker gangs everywhere.
Back to golf!
Justin Rose has always been a golfer that keeps himself near the top of leaderboards. Did I ever think he was #1 golfer good? No, I never thought he would ever get there. But here he was coming into the week #1, and here he is leaving the week #1, and just under a full point ahead of Brooks Koepka. I have not really considered him one of the dominant golfers in the world, until today. What he did at Torrey Pines was something we probably won’t see for a long time. Everything came together, and Justin Rose decided to dominate a strong field on a VERY tough golf course. Here’s Braden Suprenant's write up on the tournament.
Not only was did Justin Rose convert with the 54 hole lead, he set the course record at 21 under, which isn’t a surprise when you are hitting shots like this to seal the win.
What a way to finish! --@JustinRose99 has won the @FarmersInsOpen. #LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/eONH5iybFD
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 27, 2019The real MVP of this record was the weather. It was perfect. This weekend’s weather provided millions of dollars of free marketing for San Diego. You know, (*cough* *cough*) all those free marketing dollars Chargers games brought in. (*cough**cough*). The broadcast took every moment they could to show how great it is in San Diego.
The views don't get much better than this. Final round coverage of @FarmersInsOpen is underway on CBS. pic.twitter.com/QQyU1lgOuA
— GOLFonCBS (@GOLFonCBS) January 27, 2019And then a little bit of this…
Let's take a look at the leaderboard here at the @FarmersInsOpen. pic.twitter.com/nxTKTjJo7M
— GOLFonCBS (@GOLFonCBS) January 27, 2019I have always thought that the 12th hole on the South Course is one of the hardest Par 4’s in golf. It goes out towards the coast and that means the wind is right in your face. The hole is really long. I think 514 yards into the wind, slightly uphill, is a little unfair. Even for the pros.
Stats back me up on this too. There were only 17 birdies made at the 12th hole in 2018 Farmers Insurance Open. The average score was 4.41. The 2019 average score for the 12th hole was close but slightly better at 4.387. The 12th also collected the most bogey’s on the course with 35% of the time the field dropping a shot.
Even though there was a record winning score, and the field crushing the course like never before, the 12th hole would STILL end up as one of the most difficult holes on the PGA Tour this year. In fact, only seven percent of players birdied it this week.
As I was walking the course this week and watching these guys play, a moment of pride came over me. This 12th hole is ours. And the pros are scared of it.
Enough of the sentimental stuff.
Coming into the week, the real reason I went to the tournament was to see Rory McIlroy. I have seen all the other golfers in action, but Rory had never come to this tournament. After this week, I don’t think he will miss this one again. I am fairly certain that Rory McIlroy will collect multiple wins on this course, and will be my favorite at this moment going into the US Open in 2021.
His swing was as good in person as it is on TV. I know I sound weird when I am admiring another guy’s swing, but this thing is majestic. I sat and watched golfer, after golfer, tee off and the impact all sounded the same. Rory's impact sounded like a gun shot. This swing also produced the longest average drive for the tournament at 317.5 yards. Torrey South is a bombers paradise, and when Rory is accurate off the tee, he is unstoppable.
Can you believe I haven’t mentioned Tiger yet? Well, our boy Tiger, very quietly, finished in the Top 20 and 10-under to start his season. That’s not bad at all, and started to feel it Sunday when he shot 67. As long as he doesn’t overdo it, I think Tiger will win some tournaments this year. I also think he will be there on Sunday in a few majors. I won’t say he’s back, because he is reinventing how he has to play. If he can putt like he did Sunday, he will have no problem being near the top.
Back-to-back birdies for @TigerWoods.#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/O6JKgfEKLZ
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 27, 2019Adam Scott is also a guy to keep your eye on. I saw him up close on Saturday, and his swing is even better than it is on TV. It’s long, and exactly the same every time. Adam Scott has learned how to putt with the short putter, and I think he will be in contention come major time this year. Especially when he is chasing Justin Rose down on a tough stretch.
Birdie-Birdie-Birdie for Adam Scott.He's not going down without a fight.#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/Q3cpReql2s
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 27, 2019Successful level of the 2019 Farmers Insurance Open is at 1,000,000%. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the 2019 PGA Tour Season.
