Rose Dazzles at Torrey Pines, Breaks His Own Tournament Record
Justin Rose is putting on a masterclass at Torrey Pines, breaking his own 36-hole tournament record by two shots to build a commanding four-shot lead at the Farmers Insurance Open.
Rose followed his opening 62 on the North course with an equally impressive 7-under 65 on the notoriously difficult South course Friday. That’s a combined 17-under 127, shattering the previous mark he set in 2019 (also held by Tom Lehman in 2005 and Lennie Clements in 1996).
What makes Rose’s performance even more remarkable is how much better he’s playing than the field. His first round was 7.139 shots lower than the field average on the North, and his second round was an astounding 7.392 shots better than everyone else on the South — the same course that’s hosted two U.S. Opens.
“I kind of saw the ‘NC, NC, NC, NC, NC, NC, NC’ on the leaderboard, so by process of elimination, I kind of knew what I was facing today,” Rose said, noting how many competitors were still playing the easier North Course. “I was able to go and play the South I thought with the right mindset to play it, which is kind of respectfully.”
Rose found his groove early with a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-3 third and a clutch 10-footer for par on the fourth. From there, he was locked in — hitting a long iron to 8 feet for eagle on the par-5 sixth and never looking back.
Seamus Power sits in second place after a 66 on the North, but even he acknowledged the level Rose is playing at.
“I’ll tell you, that’s good golf,” said Power, who made a long eagle putt to close out his round. “You could shoot 2 under and play pretty well here. It’s just the standard is high.”
Brooks Koepka made the cut on the number in his return to the PGA Tour after four seasons with LIV Golf. The five-time major champion posted a 68 on the North course to finish right on the cut line at 3-under 141, though he’s a distant 14 shots behind Rose.
“I think yesterday I was excited to play — nervous, and kind of didn’t know what to expect — but today felt more normal,” Koepka said. “Don’t get me wrong — I definitely still got antsy. Maybe a little bit of nerves just trying to figure it out and see where my game’s at.”
The weekend won’t include Xander Schauffele, ending his impressive streak of 72 consecutive made cuts. The two-time major champion and San Diego native had been riding the longest active cut streak on tour, having not missed a weekend since the 2022 Masters.
Schauffele, who took significant time off to be with his newborn son, nearly pulled off a difficult shot behind the green on his final hole but missed the 8-foot birdie putt that would have extended his streak.
Scottie Scheffler now holds the longest active cut streak at 65 tournaments, still not halfway to Tiger Woods’ record of 142.
Joel Dahmen, who only got into the field because the two-course format allows for an expanded field, made the most of his opportunity with three eagles in a round of 63 on the North. He’s tied for third with Max McGreevy (67 on North), six shots behind Rose.
The question now is whether anyone can catch Rose over the weekend. He’s playing at a level we rarely see at Torrey Pines, where the South course typically punishes even the slightest mistakes. His 17-under total through 36 holes matches the exact same score that led The American Express last week — but the difficulty level between Palm Springs and Torrey Pines couldn’t be more different.
