The Associated Press
SAN DIEGO—Brandt Snedeker called it one of the best rounds he ever played—one he doubts he could repeat if he had to start over.
Still to be determined was whether his three-under 69 in a raging wind and occasional rain yesterday at Torrey Pines would be good enough to win the Farmers Insurance Open.
He has to wait until today to find out.
Not long after Snedeker finished, the final round was suspended for the third and final time because of unplayable conditions.
The wind was so fierce that the South Course was evacuated as the gusts started to push out windows in tents.
“It’s like playing a British Open on a U.S. Open set-up,” Snedeker noted.
In gusts that frequently topped 40 m.p.h., he delivered a major performance. Snedeker played the final 17 holes without a bogey.
Of the 23 players who finished the round, 11 of them shot in the 80s while their average score was 78.9.
Snedeker’s one regret was not getting up-and-down for birdie on the par-five 18th hole—fearing that might leave him short of another unlikely victory at Torrey Pines.
He posted at six-under 282.
As he stood on the 18th tee with the wind at his back, the final group of Jimmy Walker, K.J. Choi, and Scott Brown were above him on the ninth tee headed in the other direction.
When play was halted, Walker was at seven-under—one shot ahead of Snedeker and Choi.
The final group was through 10 holes.
“This course is so tough,” Snedeker said. “It’s blowing 25 m.p.h., gusting out there, and windy and rainy conditions.
“I wish I could say why I shot what I shot today,” he added.
“It was one of those days where you throw everything out of your mind and go play golf land grind as best as you possibly could.”
The next best score to Snedeker was a 73 by Shane Lowry of Ireland.
Neither Canadian in the field was able to finish his round.
Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C. was five-over through 13 holes and eight-over for the tournament.
Graham DeLaet, from Weyburn, Sask., was four-over through 11 holes and 13-over in total.
There already were 11 rounds in the 80s, and there was certain to be many more.
The South Course is a beast in reasonable weather. Throw in the wind and rain, especially on the holes exposed by the bluffs along the Pacific, and this was as tough as it gets.
“The first six holes were the hardest I’ve ever played in,” said Chad Campbell, who grew up in West Texas and made no apologies for his 79 while playing alongside Snedeker.
“Brandt played one of the best rounds I’ve ever seen≤” he added.
“I don’t think he missed a shot.”
Snedeker started the final round six shots out of the lead.
He won at Torrey Pines in 2012 by rallying from seven shots in the final round—needing help from a triple-bogey by Kyle Stanley on the final hole to beat him in a playoff.
This time, he got some help from the elements.
“To shoot 69 on a day like today, I knew I had to have a forecast like this to have a chance,” Snedeker said.
It will be the second Monday finish in four years at the Farmers Insurance Open.
Fog was the culprit in 2013 when Tiger Woods won by four shots.
