Pavon hits hero shot on remaining gap to win Farmers

SAN DIEGO — Oui!

Matthieu Pavon turned the primary participant to win a PGA Tour occasion beneath the French flag since World Conflict II when he made an 8-foot putt on No. 18 at Torrey Pines South on Saturday for a dramatic birdie and a one-shot victory within the Farmers Insurance coverage Open.

He raised his arms in celebration and shouted earlier than hugging caddie Mark Sherwood after the putt rolled in because the municipal gem excessive above the Pacific Ocean glowed beneath the late-afternoon solar.

Pavon glowed, too. He mentioned he virtually stop golf 10 years in the past due to the yips.

“It’s massive for our nation,” the 31-year-old PGA Tour rookie mentioned. “I hope it should encourage lots of people, as a result of coming from an newbie participant which is 800 on this planet to a PGA Tour winner is fairly massive.

“I nonetheless can’t imagine it,” mentioned Pavon, who grew up taking part in soccer — his dad was knowledgeable participant — earlier than switching to golf. “It appears like there’s one other spherical to play tomorrow as a result of we’re solely Saturday.”

The Farmers ended Saturday to keep away from going up towards the NFL’s convention championship video games.

Pavon’s final-round 3-under 69 put him at 13 beneath, one stroke higher than Nicolai Hojgaard. Pavon was two pictures forward of Stephan Jaeger, who led after the second and third rounds, and Nicolai Hojgaard and Nate Lashley.

French-American Martin Coach gained his first PGA Tour occasion on the 2019 Puerto Rico Open, an alternate occasion, whereas representing the USA. He later switched his nationality to France.

Pavon took the lead on the twelfth gap, constructed the benefit to 2 strokes after which missed a 3-foot putt on the par-4 seventeenth for a bogey that minimize his result in one stroke.

His solely birdie on the again 9 saved him from a playoff.

He seemed to be in hassle on the par-5, 541-yard 18th when his drive landed in a sand entice, about 4 inches from the entrance lip. His second shot went 103 yards into the left tough, which was excessive due to heavy rain Monday, with 145 yards to the outlet. He responded with an excellent third shot inside 8 ft.

After watching Hojgaard’s 300-yard drive down the center of the green, “I used to be like, ‘OK, it’s going to be spicy now. I may need to do a birdie or one thing particular,’” Pavon mentioned.

After ending up within the entice after which not getting again to the green, he and Sherwood mentioned whether or not he ought to lay up or go for it.

“I used to be like, ‘Pay attention, just like the lie doesn’t look too dangerous, I really feel like I can do it.’ He mentioned ’OK, nevertheless it’s your name.’

“It’s my name. And I used to be so pumped at the moment, I do know I had the vitality to elevate that ball up on the inexperienced. I sort of aimed to the center of the inexperienced figuring out the face would shut somewhat bit as a result of it’s fairly deep and thick. That ball got here out like a butterfly and it actually feed the slope on the inexperienced. That was the appropriate time to show I’ve the heart to complete that match and I did it so I’m so blissful about that final gap.”

Pavon, who was born in Toulouse, was taking part in in simply his eleventh PGA Tour occasion. He has one victory on the European Tour.

Pavon pulled right into a tie for the lead with Jaeger with a birdie on the par-5 ninth. They stayed tied till the par-4 twelfth, when Pavon made a brief par putt to take the lead whereas Jaeger missed his for bogey.

Pavon rolled a 34-foot putt excellent on 14 that might have given him a three-stroke lead. He made a 24-foot par putt on 16 to remain two strokes forward and pumped his fist.

Pavon mentioned it’s all the time been his dream to play in America.

“Since I got here to America for the primary time to apply in West Palm, I cherished all the pieces about America; the mentality, the game, all the pieces you guys do. It appears like I’m an American by some means.

He mentioned he’s felt no stress taking part in in America. “If I fail, I might simply return in Europe and begin once more. So it was identical to attempting to do your finest day by day, get pleasure from each second as a result of they’re particular ones.”

Pavon remembers watching this match on TV a number of occasions. He bought his first have a look at Torrey Pines in individual within the rain and fog on Monday, when he walked the South Course with Sherwood and simply three balls and a putter to check the greens.

“It was foggy. I imply, I couldn’t see 100 yards away from me, so I used to be like, ‘OK, good, welcome to California.’ ”

He shot an opening-round 69 on the North Course on Wednesday after which an excellent 65 on the South Course on Thursday that had him simply two pictures off the lead.

As he started his second spherical, “It’s like, ‘Oh, there’s a fairway, there’s the tough, there’s a cliff. So all the pieces was sort of model new for me. However I used to be disciplined on my foggy apply spherical on the place might be the pins and I had a superb have a look at it.

“You already know, it appears like if you don’t actually know what you’re going to be confronted with and also you don’t have any expectation, that is generally if you present the very best and that is clearly what occurred.”