With a 3-stroke lead at Torrey Pines, Justin Rose shows why he is number one

SAN DIEGO – Although Tiger Woods took the most headlines during the Tour Championship in September, with a victory that ended its five-year year drought, it was Justin Rose who left the event – the final of the FedEx Cup playoffs – with a $ 10 million bonus for winning the season-long points race.

Rose also moved to number 1 in the world that weekend in Atlanta, passing by Dustin Johnson.

The past few days at the Farmers Insurance Open, his second PGA Tour event in 2019, Rose has shown why, after having acted several times with the top rankings of Johnson and Brooks. Koepka, he came to this tournament at No. 1.

Despite two double bogeys and a closing bogey during the third round of Saturday, Rose shot a three-under-par 69 on the South Course at Torrey Pines a three-headed lead in the final round of Sunday. His 54-hole total of 18-under 198 linked a tournament record, as did his 36-hole total of 15 under.

Rose's closest pursuers were the Masters champion of 2013, Adam Scott (15 below), whose-below 65 was the low point of the day, and the world No. 7, Jon Rahm (14 bottom after a 68), the champion of 2017 at this tournament.

Woods, 43, struggled with his iron game on Saturday and needed three birdies in his last five holes to save a one-under 71 for the day. At five for the tournament, his first season competition, Woods remained at 48.

Rose, 38, attributes his rise in the world rankings to a better move of the past year. In 2018 he won the Fort Worth Invitational with Colonial, who finished second in the British Open in Carnoustie and two second places ended in the playoffs of the FedEx Cup: at the Dell Technologies Championship near Boston and the BMW Championship in near Philadelphia, where he lost in a playoff. He has conquered the entire world five times since October 2017.

"My game just got better everywhere," Rose said. "I think I've been working on my weaknesses over the past few years and the putting has been better, which I think will ultimately yield more top 10 & # 39; s and more profit." My ball strikes, I've always been considered a force It has always been pretty decent to fight week in and week out. "

Rose has made twenty birdies and two eagles in three rounds in Torrey and he is in second place in the fight against the greens in the regulations. . He is also in second place for greens hit in regulation on 44 of 54, or 81 percent.

Rose led by no less than six shots after a birdie on the par-5 13th hole, where he narrowly missed his second eagle of the day, then gave back two shots when he drew his 7-iron approach in the danger left from the 14th green on the way to a double bogey 6. He had already made a double bogey 6 on the 488-yard, par-4 fourth hole, where he also drew his approaching shot in a danger to the left of the green.

On the par-5 18th, he argued if he had to take off with his second shot before he hit a 3-wood in the greenside water hazard, which led to a bogey 6. Those errors were compensated by six birdies and an eagle on the 615-yard, par-5 No. 9, where he reached the green with a 285-yard 3-wood and rolled into an 18-foot putt.

"I made a few mental mistakes, tried to force it out of a bunker at number 4, and then 18 was similar," Rose said. "Hindsight is great, but I'm really more satisfied with how I reacted on those occasions and rebuilt the round in the future."

Woods expressed hope for a "special weekend" and played himself into battle his favorite courses evaporate quickly during his early morning round. He did not make a birdie until No. 17, his eighth hole, and made birdies at Nos. 5, 8 and 9 on his inboard nine to compensate for No. 1's bogeys, where he collided with a pitching wedge against a greenside bunker, and at number 3, where he came three meters from the ground (1945 meters)

"I finally drove well and did not hit my irons very close," said Woods. "And again, I had a lot of close calls on putts that just did not go in. I'd like to do something positive, if I can get double digits below par, that would be a nice way to end the week."