Jason Day edged Alex Noren on the sixth playoff hole at Torrey Pines’ South Course to capture the Farmers Insurance Open. It was Day’s 11th PGA Tour victory, but the first time he’s stood in the winner’s circle since the 2016 PLAYERS Championship.
As Day said afterwards, “It was a long time coming.”
Let’s take a look at the stats that allowed Day to break his 20-month victory drought, and hold up the Torrey Pines trophy for the second time in his career.
KEY: LENGTH AND ACCURACY
Day hit 30 of 56 fairways, good for 26th in the field (upper third), while averaging 320 yards off the tee (2nd in the field).
The combination of length and accuracy allowed the Aussie to attack more than half his par 4s and 5s from more efficient and strategic positions. This led to Day playing the par 5s bogey-free at 8-under par with eight birdies and eight pars.
The shorter approach shots not only helped Day hit more greens (49 of 72 greens, 11th in the field), it allowed him to fire at the pins, resulting in more make-able putts, finishing with 1.633 putts per GIR (4th in the field).
J-DAY’S WINNING STATS
Driving Length: 320.0 (2nd)
Driving Accuracy: 53.6% (26th)
Greens in Regulation: 68.1% (11th)
Putts Per GIR: 1.633 (4th)
HOW DAY PLAYED THE HOLES
Par 3: 2-over – 2 birdies, 10 pars, 4 bogeys
Par 4: 4-under – 11 birdies, 23 pars, 5 bogeys, 1 double
Par 5: 8-under – 8 birdies, 8 pars, 0 bogeys
Total: 10-under – 21 birdies, 41 pars, 9 bogeys, 1 double
DRIVING UP THE BOARD
Overall, length off the tee was a huge aid to scoring at Torrey Pines, as the top 7-ranked drivers finished no worse than T12, with five of them inside the top 10.
TOP 10 DRIVERS
1 Tony Finau (T6) 325.6
2 Jason Day (1) 320.0
3 Charles Howell III (T6) 317.2
4 Luke List (T12) 317.2
5 Justin Rose (T8) 316.5
6 Lanto Griffin (T12) 316.2
7 Tom Lovelady (T45) 315.8
8 Ryan Palmer (T2) 315.3
9 Brendan Steele (T29) 314.7
10 Keith Mitchell (T63) 314.5
In fact no player in the final top 10 finished with an average drive under 300 yards.
FINAL TOP 10 SCORING
1 Jason Day -10 (320)
2 Alex Noren -10 (302)
2 Ryan Palmer -10 (315)
4 J.B. Holmes -9 (302)
5 Keegan Bradley -8 (305)
6 Charles Howell III -7 (317)
6 Tony Finau -7 (326)
8 Robert Garrigus -6 (306)
8 Harris English -6 (301)
8 Marc Leishman -6 (301)
8 Justin Rose -6 (317)
Given the length of Torrey Pines (7,700 yards), driving accuracy, on the other hand, was not quite as important.
Witnessed by Day’s performance, the key to Torrey Pines was top-tier length combined with some decent accuracy. In fact, of the top 10 accurate drivers, only two finished in the final top 10, and both (Keegan Bradley and Ryan Palmer) were two of only three who averaged more than 300 yards.
TOP 10 ACCURACY
1 Rory Sabbatini (T20) 69.6, 288.3
2 Keegan Bradley (5) 67.9, 305.0
3 John Huh (T45) 64.3, 294.6
4 Kyle Stanley (T51) 64.3, 302.3
5 Kevin Streelman (T29) 62.5, 297.8
6 Chris Kirk (T35) 62.5, 298.8
7 Bill Haas (T54) 62.5, 287.7
8 Maverick McNealy (T29) 60.7, 294.1
9 Patrick Cantlay (T51) 60.7, 301.5
10 Ryan Palmer (T2) 58.9, 315.3
Credits: PGA Tour Media, Getty Images
