News: Farmers Insurance Open
February 1 2012
4:49 pm
Snedeker: Congratulations ‘tempered’
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Brandt Snedeker understands. He knows the Farmers Insurance Open will probably be remembered more for Kyle Stanley’s triple bogey at the 18th hole than for his own playoff victory.
That’s what happened when Robert Garrigus surrendered a three-stroke lead on the final hole of the 2010 St. Jude Classic and Lee Westwood won in a playoff. Ditto for Jean van de Velde’s collapse at the 1999 British Open that paved the way for Paul Lawrie’s win.
And Snedeker is fine with that.
"This has definitely been a weird week because it’s been a tempered congratulations," Snedeker said. "I think everybody feels for Kyle, and I think it’s probably more the story this week than me winning with the way that Kyle lost. So it’s been kind of a weird thing to deal with.
"But that’s the great thing about the PGA TOUR and golf is as great as last week was, come Thursday morning it’s not going to matter a bit. It’s a new golf tournament, a new course, and I’ve got to get my mind ready to play, and I feel like my game is really good, so I’m excited about teeing off tomorrow morning."
Snedeker, who is making his sixth start in Phoenix, hasn’t seen Stanley yet this week. When he does, he hopes to take a few minutes and talk to him.
"I saw his press conference yesterday … and looks like he’s in good spirits and everything is going the right direction, so he certainly has plenty of game,” Snedeker said. "He’ll certainly be back out here winning … hopefully before the next couple tournaments he’ll be up there again because the way he played over the weekend was fantastic."
Snedeker has similar goals at TPC Scottsdale this week. He’s currently second in the FedExCup and has a tie for eighth at the Humana Challenge to go along with Sunday’s victory. He wants to ride the momentum as best he can.
"Last week is gone now," Snedeker said. "After playing today, great as it was last week, exciting as it was for me on Sunday night, this week is a whole new week and I know I’m playing great, and the hardest thing for me to do is getting focused ready to play tomorrow. It’s a whole new grind, a whole new 72-hole tournament.
"What great players do when they’re playing well, they keep playing well, and I’ve got to figure out how to do that. I haven’t been real successful at it before, but I feel like I can be now."
2:29 pm
Couples withdraws, replaced by Duke
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Fred Couples withdrew from the Waste Management Phoenix on Wednesday.
Couples, who is ill, was replaced in the field by Ken Duke. Duke will be playing at TPC Scottsdale for the fourth time and looking for his first made cut.
1:03 pm
Kisner qualifies, has to change plans
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM
SCOTTSDALE., Ariz. – The good news? Kevin Kisner rolled in a 7-footer for birdie on the sixth playoff hole Tuesday to claim the final spot in the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
The bad? If he plays well and makes the cut at TPC Scottsdale this week, Kisner will end up missing his own bachelor’s party in Las Vegas. He’s already got a back-up plan, though.
“It just depends on how it goes,” Kisner said. “If I miss the cut I’ll probably still fly over there and go. If I play well, I may bring them all down here because you can drive (in about 4 ½ hours) and let them watch me play on Sunday and then watch the Super Bowl with them.”
Kisner is getting married to his college sweetheart, Brittany de Jarnett, on March 17. One of his best friends’ wedding is two weeks earlier, so they had planned a joint bachelors’ party in Las Vegas.
Shortly after he made the putt to eliminate Billy Horschel in the playoff on Tuesday, Kisner sent a tweet to his friends. @K_Kisner Have to put the bachelor party on hold in Vegas this weekend! Sorry fellas, we have parties enough though
Kisner says his buddies, eight of them, to be exact, understand his situation. This will be the fourth start of Kisner’s second year on TOUR and marks the first time he successfully Monday-qualified.
“They knew that was a part of it,” Kisner said. “When we were planning it I said this is the only (tournament) I know before (the wedding) that I’m not going to get into. So if y’all want to go this weekend, let’s do it.
“And then, it always works out that way and I end up getting in this week.”
The wedding, which will be held in Athens, Ga., where the two met at the University of Georgia, is the week of the Transitions Championship. The 400 people expected to attend don’t need worry, though – there won’t be any last-minute change of plans.
“I probably would get in (to the tournament) but it doesn’t matter,” Kisner said. “You only get married once, hopefully.”
Round 4: Farmers Insurance Open
January 29 2012
9:48 pm
With this Victory: Brandt Snedeker
With his win at the Farmers Insurance Open, Brandt Snedeker:
• Earns third PGA TOUR victory in 146th career PGA TOUR start at the age of 31 years, 1 month, 21 days.
• Collects 500 FedExCup points and moves to No. 2 (578 points) in the FedExCup point standings, 205 points behind Johnson Wagner.
• Earns his third PGA TOUR victory: 2007 Wyndham Championship, 2011 RBC Heritage, 2012 Farmers Insurance Open
• Extends fully-exempt status through the 2014 season.
8:35 pm
Notes from inside the ropes
Fred Albers shares his observations from the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open:
• How much difference does 1 degree make on the face of a driver? Kyle Stanley had his loft adjusted from 7.5 to 8.5 degrees this week. He came to Torrey Pines second on the PGA TOUR in driving distance at 316.4 yards, he averaged 323 yards on Sunday and was second for the week in driving distance.
• Kyle Stanley is always a quick player, he never even takes a practice stroke before putting but he was extra quick over his final nine holes on Sunday. When golfers get under pressure everything seems to go quicker including a players swing. It was evident as Kyle Stanley tried to win for the first time on the PGA TOUR. His swing was noticeably quicker as he played the back nine, even his putting stroke was quick when he missed a four footer on the second playoff hole. Vijay Singh use to practice while saying "seventeen." He claimed reciting that number provided him with the perfect swing tempo.
• Brandt Snedeker is most dangerous when coming from off the pace. He won for the first time on the PGA TOUR, shooting 9 under in the final round of the 2007 Wyndham Championship and won the 2011 RBC Heritage coming from six shots back on Sunday. Snedeker’s 67 in the final round at the Farmers Insurance Open was tied with Bud Cauley for low round of the day, and was good enough to force a playoff.
• Caddie Brett Waldman had to deliver some bad news to Stanley on the 13th fairway. The caddie asked CBS Announcer David Feherty if Stanley led by five, and was surprised to hear the lead was just three. Waldman delivered the news to Stanley who responded with five straight pars before his triple-bogey on the 18th.
• The defending champion went down swinging with a 13th place finish. Bubba Watson won the 2011 Farmers Insurance Open, leading the tournament in both driving distance and greens in regulation. This year, Watson led the tournament in driving distance at 320.8 yards and was tied for fourth in greens in regulation finishing 9 under for the week.
• Stanley led the tournament in birdies, making 25. In the first three rounds, he never went more than five holes without a birdie, but his last birdie of the final round came on the ninth hole. He played the back nine in 5 over 41 including an 8 on the par-5 18th.
7:45 pm
Snedeker takes surprising victory
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM
LA JOLLA, Calif. — Brandt Snedeker was fielding questions in the interview room of the media center when Kyle Stanley hit his third shot to the 72nd hole at the Farmers Insurance Open on Sunday afternoon.
He glanced over at the TV and saw the ball spin back into the water. Suddenly Stanley’s three-shot lead was looking a bit more tenuous, but even so, Snedeker didn’t anticipate what was about to happen.
When Stanley hit his fifth shot to the back shelf of the green, though, Snedeker decided he’d best head back to the scoring area. He knew that 43-foot putt Stanley faced wasn’t easy, not when he had to judge the speed on the slope and block out the water in the background.
And he was right. One three-putt later, Snedeker and Stanley were headed back to the 18th tee for a playoff.
Snedeker earned the win when he got up and down for par from the back of the green on the second extra hole. He made his putt of just over 5 feet and then watched as Stanley’s went sliding by the hole.
The victory was the third of Snedeker’s PGA TOUR career. He’s come from well off the pace in all — making up five strokes at the 2007 Wyndham Championship and six last year at The Heritage when he beat Luke Donald in a playoff.
Snedeker started Sunday’s final round at Torrey Pines trailing Stanley by seven strokes after a disappointing 74 in the third round had seemingly given the Tennessean too much ground to make up. Snedeker closed with a 67 which tied Bud Cauley for the day’s low round and he was ready when the opportunity came.
"When I had the second chance, I really had to get myself refocused and realize that this tournament is anybody’s now, now that I was in the playoff," Snedeker said. "If anybody had an advantage, I did, because I had done that a couple times before. I had won in a playoff on TOUR, and I know Kyle probably wasn’t in his best frame of mind at that point after doing what he did on 18.
"So I really refocused. I played great in the playoff. Hit one bad tee shot on 18, and made a good putt on 18 for birdie, hit a great 5-iron on 16. I thought it was going to be right next to it. It ended up going over, but made a great putt there on those greens.
"I’m just floored right now. I had no idea I was going to be in this room right now for a second time. So I’m so excited."
7:39 pm
Congratulate Snedeker on his victory
Brandt Snedeker rallied to win the Farmers Insurance Open in dramatic fashion Sunday at Torrey Pines. With the victory, Snedeker is now a three-time winner on the PGA TOUR and has playoff victories in each of the last two seasons. Want to send your congratulations? Leave a note in our comments section and we’ll send it to him!
6:51 pm
Leaderboard update: Snedeker wins
LA JOLLA, Calif. – Here is the play-by-play for the sudden death session between Kyle Stanley and Brandt Snedeker. The playoff begins at No. 18 and rotates to Nos. 16, 17 and 18, if necessary.
No. 18 (536-yard, par 5): Kyle Stanley hit first and put his tee shot down the right side of the fairway while Snedeker’s ball veered left and landed in the fairway bunker.
Snedeker’s second shot from the bunker went to the right side of the fairway and landed next to a huge clump of grass. When he got to the ball, he was able to carefully move the turf.
Stanley’s second shot, meanwhile, went over the green on the par 5 so he faces a delicate shot downhill with water on the other side of the green.
Snedeker’s third shot was similar to the one he had in regulation that produced a 20-inch birdie. This time his ball landed 3 feet, 2 inches from the pin.
Stanley chipped to 2 feet, 11 inches so both have birdie putts. Snedeker made his and so did Stanley, so it’s off to the 16th hole.
PLEASE NOTE: TV coverage has now shifted to the Golf Channel on the East Coast. CBS will stay with the coverage on the West Coast.
No. 16 (195-yard, par 3): Stanley’s tee shot hit about 20 feet short and trickled back down the slope of the green. Snedeker hit 5-iron and his ball one-hopped over the green, stopping just below the TV tower. He’ll get a drop, as a result.
Snedeker ends up having to place his ball on the hill. He chips to about 5 1/2 feet for the potential par putt.
Stanley had a 47-footer for the birdie. The ball stops 5 feet, 3 inches short of the green. PGA TOUR rules official Mark Russell had to use the flagstick to determine who was away.
Snedeker makes his par putt but Stanley misses his. The win is the third of Snedeker’s career.
“It’s just crazy,” Snedeker told Peter Kostis minutes after the putt dropped. “I was literally in the media tent watching Kyle play 18. It’s hard to get my mind around what happened in the last 30 minutes. My heart goes out to Kyle.”
Stanley told David Feherty he was “kind of in shock right now. I don’t really know what to say.”
6:42 pm
Stanley, Snedeker heading to playoff
What once seemed like it would be easy has turned into a whole different story for Kyle Stanley.
The second-year TOUR player took a three-shot lead to the 72nd hole but gave all three away with a third shot that spun back off the green and into the water hazard short of the flagstick, followed by a three-putt.
Stanley will now enter a sudden-death playoff with Brandt Snedeker, who birdied the 18th to reach the clubhouse at 16 under.
Snedeker and Stanley head to the teebox at the par-5 18th. Should they tie on that hole, the sudden-death playoff will move to 16, then 17, then 18 again if necessary.
Stick with the TOUR Report for shot-by-shot updates of the Stanley-Snedeker playoff.
5:47 pm
Leaderboard update: Stanley by 3
LA JOLLA, Calif. — Should Kyle Stanley go on to win the Farmers Insurance Open on Sunday, he’ll likely look back to the 14th hole as being pivotal in the victory.
Stanley’s lead had dwindled to three shots after he made consecutive bogeys on Nos. 11 and 12. He found the right fairway bunker off the tee at the 14th hole and his second shot landed just short of the green.
Stanley’s third shot checked up and stopped 13 feet short of the pin. But he managed to coax the ball into the hole to preserve the three-stroke lead over Brandt Snedeker.
The understated Stanley quietly celebrated by bumping fists with his caddy, Brett Waldman, an accomplished player in his own right who formerly worked for Camilo Villegas and played the Nationwide Tour last year.
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