Justin Rose breaks Tiger Woods 27-year-old record during dominant Farmers Insurance Open win
SAN DIEGO — No one else had a chance to beat Justin Rose at Torrey Pines on Sunday, and so his final challenge was to take on Tiger Woods.Rose won that battle, too.In what Rose felt was his most complete tee-to-green performance, he sailed to a 2-under 70 for a seven-shot victory in the Farmers Insurance Open, breaking the 72-hole tournament record last set by Woods in 1999.“Sorry, T-dub, if you’re watching,” Rose said in his CBS interview on the 18th green.No apologies necessary.Rose knew the score.
It’s one of the goals he set to keep him pushing forward, even when no one got closer than the six-shot lead he had going into the final round.He tapped in for par to finish at 23-under 265, one better than Woods and George Burns in 1987.“I was keenly aware of it, actually,” Rose said with a smile.
“It was the only thing I was focused on the last three holes.”He also became the first wire-to-wire winner at Torrey Pines in 71 years.Rose probably wasn’t aware of Tommy Bolt doing that in 1955.It all added to an astonishing performance by a 45-year-old from England who is playing some of the best golf in his career and still looking for more.
He moved to No.3 in the world — only Vijay Singh was older when ranked that high in September 2008.Rose opened with a 62 on the North course at Torrey Pines and really never let up all week, playing even better on the South course that has hosted two U.S.
Opens.He extended his lead after each round — by one shot, four shots, six shots and then a seven-shot margin, the largest of his career.Rose hit his second shot to 10 feet on the par-5 sixth hole for a two-putt birdie, hit his tee shot to just inside 10 feet on the par-3 eighth and holed a 35-foot birdie putt on the par-5 ninth for a 33 on the front nine.
That turned the back nine — all day, really — into a peaceful walk on the public course along the Pacific Ocean.The tournament had one of its best weeks of weather, even by San Diego standards.The o...