Justin Rose looks to buck front runner curse at Torrey Pines

SAN DIEGO – Torrey Pines is not always kind to a front runner. FedExCup champion Justin Rose remains the player to beat in the Farmers Insurance Open but if he is aware of recent history at the iconic coastal course he might sleep a little restlessly. England’s Rose fired a 3-under 69 Saturday to move to 18-under 198 and set up a three-shot lead over his good friend Adam Scott. The Australian set the South course alight on Australia Day no less, posting a tournament low 7-under 65 on the tough track to get to 15 under. Spain’s Jon Rahm – the 2017 champion at Torrey Pines – is third after a 68 left him four off the pace, setting up a stellar final threesome of ball-striking machines. While Rose has been producing a clinic from tee-to-green for the most part this week the chasers are buoyed with life after a sloppy bogey on the final hole of his third round. Especially as Tiger Woods is the only 54-hole leader to win in the previous 10 Farmers Insurance Opens and of the other nine winners’ six started Sunday at least three off the lead. Even still Scott used a veteran tactic on his friend and said the tournament is Rose’s to lose. “It’s almost all up to him tomorrow, so that’s no pressure on me,â€� Scott said. “He’s just playing too good. He’s done that right from Thursday. He’s the No. 1 player in the world, he’s played well for over two years. He’s feeling it. He wants to take advantage of all of his good golf and that’s why he’s running away with this thing. “The good news is it’s only one person out in front, so it all sits on his golf club tomorrow. This is not a course I can go out and just fire at pins, it’s too easy to make big errors. I’ll just have to chip away and we’ll see if he can do the same.â€� MUST READS: Round 3, Farmers Insurance Open ‘Everything’s fine’ between Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed Tiger cards third-round 71 at Torrey Pines Sponsor invite Doug Ghim is in contention sitting solo fourth Rose and Scott live close to one another in the Bahamas. They’ve battled against each other for a couple of decades. When told of his friends’ comments Rose broke into a smile. “Of course he does (say that). He’s deflecting from himself,â€� Rose grinned. “I don’t think so. If you’re five or six ahead, then yeah … but I expect Jon and Adam to come out and play well tomorrow … One of those guys is capable of something in the mid 60s. “It’s going to take a good round of golf tomorrow to get this done.â€� Rahm does not need to look far in his memory bank for form at Torrey Pines. When he won two years ago the Spaniard burst out of a condensed leaderboard with a blistering finish. The now two-time TOUR winner went six under on his last eight holes with two eagles and two birdies to annihilate the competition and win by three. He doesn’t intend to need such an effort Sunday, instead targeting a front nine assault to apply some pressure. “You’ve got to understand, besides No. 10, 11 through 18 are really, really difficult holes,â€� Rahm says. “The back nine at Torrey Pines is no joke. The fact that I shot 6 under a couple years ago, it’s a borderline miracle. It’s very hard to do that again. I’ve just got to keep hitting good shots and put it in the fairway and be patient … I just need a chance going to the back nine.â€� Rose not only has to battle the tournament history but his own as a frontrunner. He has converted just four of his 15 54-hole leads on the PGA TOUR. He let Keegan Bradley overrun him at the BMW Championship during last season’s FedExCup Playoffs. “It’s going to be a lot more strategic tomorrow,â€� Rose added. “It’s going to be a tougher test. Today I think the pins were quite gettable. Tomorrow it won’t be as much. “Clearly, if you miss the tee shots here you can run into trouble really quick, so I would say there’s a lot more going on tomorrow with a three‑shot lead in a different type of venue.â€�

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