Patrick Reed is making things interesting for Tiger and the Presidents Cup

SAN DIEGO – Justin Rose needed a fresh start. After missing four short putts in his first six holes – and watching his three-shot lead dwindle to a single stroke – Rose drew a line. It was a metaphorical line in the sand, but he drew it in his scorecard. It was time to start over. “I said, ‘All right, we build the round from this moment on,’â€� he said. He did. Rose birdied three of the next four holes, then grinded through Torrey Pines’ difficult back nine to secure a two-shot win in the Farmers Insurance Open. Torrey Pines is Tiger’s territory, but Rose supplanted him in the tournament’s record book. Rose’s 21-under 267 (63-66-69-69) was the lowest score at the Farmers Insurance Open since the South Course was toughened up in the early 2000s. He was two shots lower than Woods’ winning total in 2008. The reigning FedExCup champion is now sixth in the standings after winning his third start of the season. This was Rose’s 10th PGA TOUR win, the most by an Englishman since World War II. Three of Rose’s wins have come since the start of last season. It’s been an incredibly consistent run that culminated with a win in last season’s FedExCup. He’s finished in the top 10 in 13 of his last 21 TOUR starts, including eight top-3 finishes. He’s missed just one cut. And it was another victory at a tough test. Torrey Pines was softened by last week’s rain, but the rough was lush. Rose’s has won at storied venues like Merion, Colonial, Muirfield Village, Aronimink and Congressional. MUST READS: Round 4, Farmers Insurance Open Tiger planning schedule, hopes to peak for PLAYERS Championship Adam Scott’s recent putter switch propels him to best finish since 2016 Gooch continues strong form, gets second straight top-10 finish “I always pride myself on the golf courses I’ve been able to win on and this one is another very great golf course with a lot of history,â€� Rose said. “I love winning on great tests of golf and this one will give some special feelings because of that.â€� Rose also joined Woods as the only player to convert a 54-hole lead at this event over the last decade. Nine of the last 10 leaders entering Sunday had lost the tournament. He was in danger of joining them after his tough start Sunday. The way Rose won – by battling back after his lead was in jeopardy – showed a side of the Englishman that is often overshadowed by his genteel nature. “He has a nasty streak in him, for sure,â€� said Rory McIlroy. “Justin is, he’s a grinder. He’s learned the hard way, with the way he started his career (by missing his first 21 cuts). “I don’t think there’s many mentally stronger people in the world of golf than Justin Rose just because of what he’s been through and coming out the other end of it.â€� Rose started Sunday’s round with consecutive misses from 8 feet, then missed a 7-footer for par at the fifth hole and three-putted the par-5 sixth hole. Jon Rahm was just one stroke behind him. “I never lost the lead so I had to stay patient,â€� Rose said. “Definitely there were times in my career where I’ve had decent sized leads and you start to throw it away a little bit and you panic.  I just knew I couldn’t do that today. I stayed calm, I stayed with it.â€� Walking off the sixth green, Rose told himself to play like the man that he is: the unanimous No. 1 player in the world. Not only is he the reigning FedExCup champion, but he sits atop the world ranking. “I just said, “You’re No. 1 in the world for a reason, just start playing like it, please,’â€� Rose said. It started with a 138-yard approach to 5 feet on the seventh hole. He gave an understated fist pump when that putt fell. Then he got up-and-down from a bunker on the par-5 ninth. He hit a 150-yard approach to 8 feet on the 10th hole to take a four-shot lead with eight holes remaining. Then he had to grind. He parred two of the South Course’s hardest holes, Nos. 11 and 12, after hitting long-irons within 30 feet. His caddie, Gareth Lord, called Rose’s 4-iron on 11 his best shot of the day. Lord is filling in for Rose’s longtime caddie, Mark Fulcher, as he recovers from heart surgery. “His iron shots, the way he takes yardage off. That was a holding 4-iron. If he hits it normal, he’s going to go through the back. If he hits 5-iron, we’re 35, 40 feet short,â€� Lord said. “He said, ‘I’ve got that shot.’ And to pull it off the way he did, he’s pretty good under pressure.â€� Then he had to lean on his short game to maintain his advantage. Rose finished second in greens hit this week, but he had to save par after missing three in a row. He deftly executed a touchy chip on the par-5 13th, made a sand save on 14 and holed a 9-footer for par on the next hole. He made a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-3 16th, then finished with a birdie after wedging close. This was Rose’s first PGA TOUR win in January, and erased questions about his recent switch to Honma equipment. This was just his second start with the new clubs. “Everything has worked out better than I would have hoped,â€� he said.

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Round 3 of the Sanderson Farms Championship take place Saturday at the Country Club of Jackson in Mississippi. Will Zalatoris, Nick Watney and Sahith Theegala share the lead with PGA TOUR Rookies Cameron Young and Hayden Buckley just a shot behind. Leaderboard Full tee times HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Sunday: 4 p.m.-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel), times subject to change. PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 8 a.m.-7 p.m. (Featured Groups). Radio: Thursday-Friday, 1 p.m.-7 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 2 p.m.-7 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio). TOURCast: Get shot-by-shot info in real time with shot tracks and video with TOURCast. TOUR Pulse: Get the PGA TOUR app to utilize TOUR Pulse, which provides users the ability to experience a mix of content, such as video highlights, written hole summaries and stat graphics on every player after every hole they complete. MUST READS Will Zalatoris shoots 61 to share lead at Sanderson Farms Championship Will Zalatoris inspired by U.S. Ryder Cup win Insider: Chesson Hadley’s big leap

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Cameron Tringale (+3000) … He’s always had a tough time in the majors, but a T26 at The Open Championship signifies a departure from the norm. It’s his sixth payday in 13 career majors and just his second top 50 (T38, 2015 Masters). He placed T14 in his previous start in Detroit, so the 33-year-old brings momentum to Minnesota, but he doesn’t even need it after finishing T3 at TPC Twin Cities last year. Currently 49th on the PGA TOUR in greens hit, ninth in scrambling and 16th in adjusted scoring. Erik van Rooyen (+8000) … Until he confirms it, we must continue to assume that he’s a first-time father after withdrawing from each of the tournaments between the U.S. Open and The Open Championship this summer. We also should respect that the Nappy Factor will kick in even though he’s 139th in the FedExCup and pressured to perform. Simplifying life outside the ropes matters and at a time when he returns to the familiar area near his collegiate stomping grounds of the University of Minnesota. Brandon Hagy (+10000) … Capitalized on similarly built 156-man fields in Detroit and the Quad Cities this summer with a T6 and a T18, respectively. Few can send it like the 30-year-old does off the tee, but his putting is the difference-maker. Connected four red numbers here last year but he left town with but a share of 46th place. He didn’t qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs but his eligibility was extended another season due to the pandemic and he hasn’t squandered it. Currently 76th in the FedExCup. Roger Sloan (+15000) … The 34-year-old Canadian is familiar with the intensity of the summer stretch, so while he’d prefer not to be as low as 147th in the FedExCup, there is some comfort in having been there and done that on this stage before. He arrives having cashed in six of his last seven starts, too, with a mini-burst-best T21 in Detroit three weeks ago. He’s 30th on TOUR in greens in regulation, but it was a cooperative putter that yielded a T15 in the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2019. Wes Roach (+50000) … Motivations vary because goals are different. Variables such as overall talent and attainable objectives are influenced by timing. So, while he’d obviously love to qualify for the Playoffs for the first time in what is his fifth season on TOUR, the target immediately ahead is cracking the top 200 in FedExCup points and riding that wave into the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. The 32-year-old from Tennessee is 201st in the FedExCup, but he’s missed only one cut in 13 individual events on the PGA TOUR and KFT combined in 2021. If he had played enough to qualify for official rankings, he’d slot 53rd in greens hit and T13 in par-5 scoring. He also puts himself in position to pounce regularly. He’d rank fourth in first-round scoring average with 10 consecutive red numbers (after a season-opening round of par at Silverado). The set included the first-round lead (64) at Congaree. Odds were sourced on Tuesday, July 20 at 5 a.m. ET. For live odds visit betmgm. NOTE: Sleeper is a relative term, so Rob uses unofficial criteria to determine who qualifies. Each of the following usually is determined to be ineligible for this weekly staple: Winners of the tournament on the current host course; winners in the same season; recent major champions; top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking; recent participants of team competitions.

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