Patrick Reed blocks out noise, runs away with Farmers Insurance Open title
Patrick Reed blocked out the noise – again – to win the Farmers Insurance Open on Sunday at Torrey Pines. Here’s everything you need to know:
Leaderboard: Patrick Reed (-14), Viktor Hovland (-9), Tony Finau (-9), Xander Schauffele (-9), Ryan Palmer (-9), Henrik Norlander (-9)
What it means: A day after a controversial drop from an embedded ball in the rough on the 10th hole, Reed was unflappable (OK, so no fans helped) as he pulled ahead early and led the entire way. Not even a minor rules situation for a moving ball on the 17th green – it turned out to be nothing after Reed carefully called for an official – could stop Reed, who now owns nine PGA Tour wins, the same number as Bobby Jones, Seve Ballesteros and Nick Faldo. Reed also has at least one win in seven or more seasons since 2013 (only Dustin Johnson, with nine, can claim that).
How it happened: Reed began his day tied for the lead at 10 under with Carlos Ortiz. While Ortiz quickly faded, Reed parred his first five holes before making a 46-foot eagle putt at the par-5 sixth hole. He then sandwiched his only bogey, at the eighth, with birdies at Nos. 7 and 9. Hovland, a group ahead, got within a shot early on the back nine, but he hooked his second at the par-4 14th into the hazard for the second straight day for his first of three bogeys in a four-hole span that also included a missed 2-footer for par at No. 17. Meanwhile, Reed made eight straight pars on the back before sinking a 10-footer birdie to close out his 4-under 68 and five-shot victory, his largest ever on Tour.
Rounds of the day: Luke List and Francesco Molinari each fired 6-under 66 to finish T-9. It’s Molinari’s second straight top-10 finish after he hadn’t recorded one since the 2019 Masters. But the lowest round was way down the leaderboard, as Sepp Straka carded a 65 to move into a share of 32nd.
Shot of the day: Reed’s eagle bomb on the sixth hole, where he also drained a 40-plus-footer on Saturday.
Drop of the day: This “drop” by Hovland at the 14th hole that didn’t ever seem like it was going to end.
Most disappointing: Ortiz. Tied for the lead to start the day, Ortiz’s bid at his second win of the season ended in a closing 78. He finished 10 back.
Quote of the day: “Mentally, I hung in there and stayed the course. With everything that transpired yesterday … I felt fine, I felt great throughout the day, and at the end of the day I wouldn’t have felt any other way. I was able to go out there, shoot a good number and get the job done.”