Harris English holds off Sam Stevens by a shot in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines

 

[January 27, 2025]  By GREG BEACHAM

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Harris English clearly relishes a challenge.

When he faced months of rehabilitation after hip surgery, he says he welcomed it. When he encounters ferocious wind or devilish course setups at his beloved Torrey Pines, he embraces the idea of thriving when par equals success.

And when English had to protect a one-shot lead in daunting conditions on that coastal course Saturday, he methodically put in the work necessary to grind out a win.

“Doesn’t have to look pretty,” he said. “But I just had to get the job done.”

English held off hard-charging Sam Stevens to win the Farmers Insurance Open by one shot, securing his fifth career PGA Tour victory with a 1-over 73 in challenging weather.

English finished his first tour win since 2021 at 8-under 280. Stevens began the day six shots off the lead, but surged into contention with a 68 for the best final round in this edition of a tournament with a tradition of furious final-day rallies.

Stevens was playing six groups ahead, but his impressive number didn't rattle the 35-year-old English in a round played amid clouds, chilly temperatures and a strong wind blowing across the South Course in a different direction than it did in previous rounds.

English checked the scoreboard to know exactly what he needed to do. Using the same putter he first picked up as a senior at the University of Georgia in 2011, English steadied his nerves and calmly finished with 12 consecutive pars, never allowing Stevens atop the leaderboard.

“I knew it was going to be a tough day today, but I love that,” English said. “I love this golf course when it plays really tough. I knew with the wind, you’re probably not going to get somebody … coming up and throwing a 65, 66 out here today. So as a leader coming into the final round, you kind of like that. It’s going to be a grind, and you’re going to miss fairways, miss greens, but you’ve got to miss them in the right spot.”

English was businesslike to the end: He put his tee shot on the 18th into the rough, but got back into the fairway before putting his 115-yard approach shot squarely on the green. He two-putted for the victory, rolling his 25-footer to 7 inches for a tap-in.

“It’s hard to win,” English said. “I might have looked calm out there on the course, but inside your emotions are going crazy. I just know how hard it is to win. It’s just so much fun. You’ve got to soak it in when you do it.”

Andrew Novak was third at 6 under, missing out on his first tour victory with a disappointing 74 after briefly taking the lead.

Sungjae Im and Kris Ventura tied for fourth at 5 under.

English hadn’t won since surviving an eight-hole playoff with Kramer Hickok at the Travelers Championships in 2021, although he still had nine top-10 finishes in the previous two seasons after missing five months in early 2022 while recovering from that hip surgery.

English already had a strong history at Torrey Pines, where he lost a four-way playoff to Jason Day in 2015 and then finished third at the U.S. Open in 2021.

Harris English holds up the trophy after winning the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament at Torrey Pines Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

“Finally we got in the winner’s circle here,” he said. “I’ve been close a long time. I was close at the U.S. Open, and Jon (Rahm) birdied the last couple of holes. I feel like I’ve been right there here. I love the setup, and kind of everything aligned this week. I played an unbelievable round yesterday ... (but) it’s tough. Your emotions are all over the place, but I knew that being out here for 14 years, I’ve got to use that to my advantage. The guys that were around me had not won before, so I knew I had a little bit of an upper hand.”

English surged into the lead Friday with three straight birdies to close his third-round 66, capitalizing on the mildest day of weather to make his move at the gorgeous coastal course.

The wind that forced an 86-minute delay in the second round Thursday returned in intermittent force early Saturday. Lanto Griffin wore a wooly white beanie with a pompom on top, while many fans broke out winter jackets that usually gather dust in San Diegans' closets.

Novak and English, who live on the same island in coastal Georgia, played together in the final group. Novak opened with two bogeys, but then surged into the lead with three straight birdies. He rolled in an astonishing 54-foot putt on the fifth, reading the drop from the green's top tier perfectly. Novak put both hands to his head in disbelief.

“That putt on 5, I could hit that a hundred times and not even sniff the hole again,” Novak said. “Just crazy."

But Novak made three bogeys and a birdie around the turn, while English shook off two early bogeys and began his string of pars, repeatedly getting up and down with minimal fuss. Novak couldn’t apply his own pressure to English, making no birdies on the back nine.

Stevens, who finished his round about 90 minutes before Novak and English, matched his best previous result in his runner-up finish to Corey Connors at the Valero Texas Open in April 2023.

He charged up the board at Torrey Pines despite the wind, making four birdies on the front nine. Stevens even saved par on the 18th after putting his second shot in the water while trying to reach the green in two.

“These greens are tricky, especially (when) you get a little wind,” Stevens said. “Today I just made the putts. I guess they had just been waiting 'til Sunday to go in for me.”

World No. 4 Hideki Matsuyama finished at 1 over. He'll be back in San Diego in three weeks to defend his title at the Genesis Invitational, which has been moved from Riviera to Torrey Pines.

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