SEAMUS POWER HAD the low round of the day on Torrey Pines’ South Course, shooting a seven-under par 65 to share fifth place after the opening round of the Farmers Insurance Open.
Justin Rose conjured a bogey-free 10-under par 62 on the North Course to grab the first-round lead, while Brooks Koepka showed signs of rust but basked in a warm welcome on his return to the PGA Tour.
Power’s putter was red-hot on Thursday as the Waterford native sank nearly 160 feet of putts, including a brilliant run of three straight birdies on his final three holes.
With the South Course playing more than three shots harder on Thursday, Power birdied all four par threes, and two out of four par fives, on a card which included eight birdies overall and just a solitary early bogey at the fourth.
Rose, the 2013 US Open champion, torched the North Course with 10 birdies, just missing an 11th at his final hole, the par-five ninth, that would have given him the course record.
Advertisement
“It’s funny how you can walk off frustrated for sure,” said Rose, who said he second-guessed himself on the tricky birdie putt.
“But, listen, I made my share out there today. My process was fantastic. I feel like I managed my game really, really well today.
Rose, right, shares a joke with Jason Day during their round. AP Photo / Denis Poroy/Alamy Stock Photo
AP Photo / Denis Poroy/Alamy Stock Photo / Denis Poroy/Alamy Stock Photo
He leads by one stroke from Justin Lower on nine-under, while Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama picked up five strokes in his last five holes with an eagle and three birdies to grab a share of third on eight-under 64, tied with American Max Greyserman.
Koepka, who hadn’t played a non-major PGA Tour event since the 2022 WGC Match Play, carded a one-over par 73 on the South Course, where he said his reception from fans helped quell his first-tee nerves.
The five-time Major winner’s return — after he jumped ship to the divisive Saudi-backed LIV Golf league that rocked the global game — had dominated the build-up to this week’s tournament.
"I just care. I care about what everybody's thinking out here ... Just like everybody else, you walk into a room, nobody wants to feel exiled. They just want to be loved."
”I just cared about my perception, what people thought or what the fans thought,” Koepka said. “It’s easy when you’re around the players and they come and talk to you or you talk to them, or caddies or people around here, but everybody else, I wasn’t sure.”
In the end, he said, the fans were “awesome”.
“It was very cool to hear ‘welcome back,’ it was pretty much every hole.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
Seamus Power sits T5 after lighting up South Course at Torrey Pines
SEAMUS POWER HAD the low round of the day on Torrey Pines’ South Course, shooting a seven-under par 65 to share fifth place after the opening round of the Farmers Insurance Open.
Justin Rose conjured a bogey-free 10-under par 62 on the North Course to grab the first-round lead, while Brooks Koepka showed signs of rust but basked in a warm welcome on his return to the PGA Tour.
Power’s putter was red-hot on Thursday as the Waterford native sank nearly 160 feet of putts, including a brilliant run of three straight birdies on his final three holes.
With the South Course playing more than three shots harder on Thursday, Power birdied all four par threes, and two out of four par fives, on a card which included eight birdies overall and just a solitary early bogey at the fourth.
Rose, the 2013 US Open champion, torched the North Course with 10 birdies, just missing an 11th at his final hole, the par-five ninth, that would have given him the course record.
“It’s funny how you can walk off frustrated for sure,” said Rose, who said he second-guessed himself on the tricky birdie putt.
“But, listen, I made my share out there today. My process was fantastic. I feel like I managed my game really, really well today.
He leads by one stroke from Justin Lower on nine-under, while Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama picked up five strokes in his last five holes with an eagle and three birdies to grab a share of third on eight-under 64, tied with American Max Greyserman.
Koepka, who hadn’t played a non-major PGA Tour event since the 2022 WGC Match Play, carded a one-over par 73 on the South Course, where he said his reception from fans helped quell his first-tee nerves.
The five-time Major winner’s return — after he jumped ship to the divisive Saudi-backed LIV Golf league that rocked the global game — had dominated the build-up to this week’s tournament.
”I just cared about my perception, what people thought or what the fans thought,” Koepka said. “It’s easy when you’re around the players and they come and talk to you or you talk to them, or caddies or people around here, but everybody else, I wasn’t sure.”
In the end, he said, the fans were “awesome”.
“It was very cool to hear ‘welcome back,’ it was pretty much every hole.”
– © AFP 2026
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Golf PGA Tour