Day wins four-man play-off
Jason Day survived a four-man play-off to win the Farmers Insurance Open at a difficult Torrey Pines on Sunday.
The Australian closed with a two-under 70 to enter a play off with Harris English, JB Holmes and defending champion Scott Stallings.
It was consistent golf that got him there on a tough day of scoring at the US Open course. A long run of pars lead to his first birdie on the ninth, but he dropped a shot on the next hole.
Day birdied the 15th, rolled in an impressive 50 footer for another on the 16th and had a stroke of luck on the 17th. His ball has plugged in a bunker and Day took a big stab at it to get it out and nailed the par putt to stay tied for the lead.
Meanwhile, Stallings was a late entry into the play off, as he sank two birdies during his round and an eagle on the par five 13th to bring him into contention as he closed on a three under 69.
After the group of four teed off from the 18th once more, it was Day who pilled on the pressure with a sublime pitch that left a tap in for a birdie. Holmes was the only one that could match him after he rolled in a four footer for birdie and the pair went back to the par three 16th.
Holmes took the pressure off Day with a disastrous tee shot that ricocheted off the stands and settled in the rough, while Day plonked his in the centre of the green, leaving himself with a 15 foot putt.
The American struggled to control the ball coming out of the dense rough and would eventually bogey the hole while Day tapped in for par, earning him his first win since February 2014 and his third on the PGA Tour.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” the 27-year-old told Sky Sports.
“I’m really proud of myself for hanging in there and grinding it out. This is a course I love to be at, the San Diego area is a fantastic place and we’ve had good weather this week so I’m thrilled.
“My ultimate goal is to get to No 1 at some point. There are a lot of great golfers ahead of me but this is a good start to the year and hopefully I can stay healthy and get on a good run.”
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