Noren, Day to continue slugfest
Sixth playoff hole needed Monday at Torrey Pines
Jason Day and Alex Noren went 77 holes in the Farmers Insurance Open and it still wasn’t enough to decide a winner.
Day holed a six-foot birdie putt in the dark on the fifth hole of a sudden-death playoff Sunday in San Diego. Noren followed with a five-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th hole at Torrey Pines. They had no choice but to return Monday morning to decide the longest playoff in the 67-year history of this event.
Ryan Palmer began the playoff with them at 10-under 278. He was eliminated with a par on the 18th on the first extra hole.
Day closed with a 2-under 70. Palmer hit wedge to two feet for birdie for a 72 to get into the playoff. Noren had a 12-foot birdie attempt in regulation.
Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., was the top Canadian and eight strokes back, tied for 29th. Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., was nine back, while Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., was 16 off the lead and Abbotsford’s Nick Taylor was 20 strokes back.
As for Tiger Woods, he was never in contention in his return to the PGA Tour. He missed three times more fairways than he hit in his four rounds.
Yet he was “very pleased” with only his second PGA Tour event since he tied for 10th in the Wyndham Championship in August 2015. He had two back surgeries that fall and fusion surgery on his lower back last April.
“After not playing for a couple years and coming out here on the tour playing, you know, a solid four days, I fought hard for these scores,” Woods said. “They weren’t like drive down the middle, hit it on the green, two-putt, one of those yawners. This was a lot of fight.”
They certainly weren’t yawners, although Woods once again drew a large, lively gallery as he played the weekend on the PGA Tour for the first time in 29 months.
Woods will be back in his native Southern California in three weekends for the Genesis Open at Riviera.
Woods hit only 17 of 56 fairways in his four rounds, three on the South course and one on the North, which is no longer considered easier than its neighbouring layout at the seaside location.