Rose has now posted a victory in 10 consecutive calendar years, including his gold-medal performance in the 2016 Olympics.
Rose began his 2019 PGA Tour campaign with a tie for 31st in the Desert Classic. This week, however, he seized control with a second-round 66 on the South Course.
Farmers featured U.S. Open champions Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy, along with fellow major champions Scott, Patrick Reed, Jason Day, Danny Willett, Keegan Bradley and Jimmy Walker.
“The offseason was short and sharp,” said Rose. “I didn't know how I was going to come out. It's awesome to play that well this week.”
Woods, who closed with a 5-under 67 on Sunday to post 10-under 278 and finish tied for 20th,, made his 2019 debut at Torrey Pines. He will next tee it up in three weeks in the Genesis Open at The Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Dominance in the Desert
While Rose was reaffirming his world No. 1 status, DeChambeau was also making a statement thousands of miles away in the European Tour’s Omega Dubai Desert Classic in the United Arab Emirates.
Making it a goal to get an “international victory,” the 25-year-old Californian carded an 8-under 64 in Sunday’s final round for his fourth victory in his last nine worldwide starts. His 24-under score of 264 shattered the 72-hole record on the Majlis Course at the Emirates Club, and his seven-stroke margin of victory in the event was one better than two-time U.S. Open champion Ernie Els managed in 1994.
Even with a one-stroke lead going into Sunday, DeChambeau wasn’t ready to declare his game to be 100 percent healthy. He had a different opinion after hoisting the trophy.
“Today, I was happy with my game. I executed a lot of great shots,” said DeChambeau, who bested a field that included 2018 U.S. Open runner-up Tommy Fleetwood, 2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia, Els, 2013 U.S. Amateur champion Matthew Fitzpatrick and European Ryder Cup stalwart Ian Poulter. “It’s a lot of hard work with my caddie, really grinding and trying to figure out how to take account of all the variables out there – air pressure, firmness values, mile per hour on the speed, putts and ball speed, spin rates. We’re trying to figure out as much as possible so I can be as successful as possible, and obviously it’s shown.”
