Sam Stevens came within inches of his first PGA Tour victory at the Farmers Insurance Open, finishing solo second after a dramatic final hole at Torrey Pines. Standing on the 18th with a chance to win, Stevens faced a 207-yard approach to the par-5 finishing hole.
The conditions seemed perfect – downwind, adrenaline pumping, 7-iron in hand. But his shot landed just short of the green on the steep bank, trickling back into the water. Though he nearly holed an impressive pitch shot for birdie, his closing par left him one shot behind winner Harris English.
“Didn’t make a terrible swing, but just kind of made the swing that you can’t make there and leave it out to the right,” Stevens said. “When it was in the air, I was hopeful, but I was pretty sure that it was going to land about right where it did.”
Name
Events
Top 10
Money
Sam Stevens
64
6
$3,711,209
The 28-year-old’s runner-up finish comes with quite the consolation prize – a $1,013,700 payday, dwarfing the $160,000 he earned from six wins during his mini-tour days. That’s the kind of life-changing money that can transform a player’s career trajectory.
The finish also earned Stevens a spot in next week’s signature event, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, through the Aon Swing 5. He’s joined by:
- J.J. Spaun
- Andrew Novak
- Justin Lower
- Lee Hodges
English’s victory gives him automatic entry into all remaining signature events this season. He’d already qualified for Pebble through the Aon Next 10 last fall, which opened up an additional Swing 5 spot.
Stevens’ 311.329 FedExCup points puts him in prime position for the Genesis Invitational in three weeks. He’s leading Charley Hoffman, the first player outside the Swing 5, by more than 170 points.
“Obviously, there’s a big opportunity there,” Stevens said of Pebble. “They have a lot of points… take advantage of the opportunity hopefully and keep playing well. Each event kind of is individual, so hopefully, I can reset and get hot early and stay hot.”
