Farmers Insurance Open Report

Jason Day has bounced back from last year's debilitating thumb and back injuries to win the Farmers Insurance Open at San Diego's famed Torrey Pines South.

But not before a major scare and a tough, four-man play-off.

The 28-year-old Australian's week-long hopes of winning a first title since his pre-injury triumph in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship last year, seemed to take a disastrous tumble on the final hole at Torrey Pines on Sunday when his chip from the rough behind the 18th green, came out hot, scurried across the green and went down the other side into the water - or so he thought.

"OK, so now where do I drop?" were his agonising thoughts for one brief moment. But he was desperately lucky - and the crowd quickly let him know it.

His ball had stopped short of the water on the yellow hazard line and he was able to chip up, save par and, with his closing 70 and 9-under par 279 total, force himself into the play-off against three in-form Americans, J.B. Holmes (72), Harris English (72) and the defending champion, Scott Stallings (69), and then go on from there to win the play-off at the second extra hole

"When you win golf tournaments, you have to have a little bit of luck," Day said, grinning from ear-to-ear. "And that was my luck."

But of course, this, his third PGA Tour win, and his second at Torrey Pines - he won for the first time at the Junior World Championship in 2004 - was not all about luck; or the lack of it, as has too often been the case in the majors where he has twice finished as the nice guy who came second.

His game this week and notably on Sunday, had plenty of its old zip back, so much so, it had a good few of the game's leading pundits suggesting that he will once again feature strongly in next month’s Masters.

And not without reason.

Throughout the truly tense closing stretch and the play-off that followed he seemed to keep his cool much better than most.

He fired two critical birdies on the back nine and then twice saved par, first from a plugged lie in a bunker and then inches from the water at the 18th to post the vital 70 that enabled him to catch overnight leaders English and Holmes.

Next, while English and Stallings were being eliminated at the first extra hole where he drained a magnificent chip for birdie at the 18th to keep himself in the game with Holmes before going on to eliminate his big-hitting rival at the par-3 16th where Holmes sent his tee shot sailing over the back of the green and made a bogey while Day was able to put his ball 15 feet from the hole for a two-putt winning par. 

Day saw the win as being "very big" in terms of his lifelong target of becoming the World No 1 - something, which right now, is not out of the question although a presently, smooth-sailing Rory McIlroy is not going to be caught very easily.

As it is, Day's Torrey Pines victory has elevated him to No 4 in the World and No 1 in Australia, a shade ahead of Adam Scott.

"It's an amazing feeling," Day said. "I've been working so hard for this. I was visualizing myself holding the trophy, just like I did at the Match Play. I'm really proud of myself to hang in there and grind it out," he added

Footnote:

The Farmers Insurance Open honoured Billy Casper, who died aged 83 on Saturday night, by placing a picture of him on the first tee in Sunday's final round and surrounding it with flowers.

Casper grew up in San Diego and rose to become one of the best professional golfers of a golden age that featured rivals of the calibre of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Player

Palmer, who lost a big lead and the 1966 US Open to Casper at the Olympic Club, submitted one of the many tributes that have been pouring in, saying: "He was a better player than most people gave him credit for and is going to be sorely missed in the golf world,"

Top 15 Finishers at Torrey Pines

-9 Jason Day* (Aus) 73 65 71 70 = 279     

-9 J.B. Holmes (USA)) 69 70 68 72 = 279  

-9 Harris English (USA) 68 66 73 72 = 279

-9 Scott Stallings (USA) 70 72 68 69 = 279               

-8 Charles Howell III (USA) 72 70 70 68    = 280    

-8 Alex Prugh (USA) 70  70 69 71 = 280   

-7 Martin Laird (Sco) 68 68 76 69 = 281    

-7 Shane Lowry (Ire) 74 67 72 68 = 281    

-7 Nick Witney (USA) 71 65 72 73 = 281

-7 Jimmy Walker (USA) 72 66 70 73 = 281

-6 Zac Blair (USA) 72 70 71 69 = 282          

-6 Michael Thompson (USA) 65 73 74 70 = 282    

-6 Ronald "J.J." Henry III (USA) 68             71 73 70 = 282   

-6 Carlos Ortiz (Mex) 73 70 68 71 = 282   

-6 Jhonattan Vegas (Ven) 67 69 73 73= 282

* - Day won the four-man play-off at the 2nd extra hole.

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