Luke List Wins A WILD Farmers Insurance Open With A Dart On The First Playoff Hole
What a golf shot. What a tournament. What a finish.
Torrey Pines never disappoints. Luke List went out there 5 shots back on a jam packed leaderboard and made a move on Sunday Saturday. Filled it up with 7 birdies and only one bogey to post a 66 and a -15 lead in the clubhouse. At that time, Will Zalatoris was also -15 with 6 or 7 holes to play. The groups around him were full of big names just a shot or two off the lead. We're talkin Jason Day, Jon Rahm, Justin Rose, Sungjae Im, and a few other guys who had plenty of holes left to blow past List's -15 number.
Nobody did. Jason Day hooped an eagle from the fairway to reach that number, but faltered down the stretch with bogeys on 16 and 17. Rahm made a bomb of a birdie on 17 (much like he did in the US Open) to get to -14, but couldn't cash in with a much needed birdie on 18. Nobody else could make the noise needed to reach List's -15 number. Will Zalatoris had the best chance of anyone to go out and take his first PGA Tour W, but failed to take advantage and parred his final 12 holes. Most painful of all of those pars was the 72nd hole, where he had about 10 feet from below the hole to take the trophy outright.
That's that damn poa annua. Tried to tell y'all in my preview on Tuesday that it might get a bit bumpy out there late in the day.
Off we were to the first playoff hole, the par 5 18th. Somehow these two happened to hit their drives within a foot of each other in the same bunker. Absolute bananas. It was mayhem out there with them raking the bunker for Will after Luke's 2nd shot sprayed sand all over his lie.
From there, both splashed out about 100 yards forward in the fairway to set up 3rd shot wedges into 18. That's where Luke List dropped the dart of the tournament.
Will Zalatoris hit his wedge to a pretty similar spot as he did in regulation, but missed the putt well to the left of the hole. Ballgame. Have to feel for the guy and you know he's gonna win on Tour soon enough, this was just right there in front of him and he couldn't take advantage.
Anyways, unreal comeback for Luke List. He started the day T-19 and walked away the winner. That doesn't just happen.
For those who aren't familiar (and I'm sure there's many), Luke List is a guy who's been on Tour for a good while. He's typically just good enough to keep his Tour card, but hasn't been able to cash a W since joining the Tour in 2015. The closest he came was at the 2018 Honda Classic, where he lost to a red-hot Justin Thomas in a playoff, a tournament better remembered for JT's "get in the bunker" incident. Luke is known for hitting the ball a long way, but tends to be a disaster on the greens. However, the guy has been striking it pure since the middle of last year and it was only a matter of time before he caught a good week with the putter.
May have taken some good fortune for Luke from the rest of the field, but Torrey Pines South is no picnic. Congrats to Luke List on a huge win well earned.
Donald Miralle. Getty Images.