SAN DIEGO – Patrick Reed, who showed no effect of a rule fight a day earlier, pulled away for a 5-stroke victory Sunday at the Farmers Insurance Open.
Reed finishes with a 4-under-68 on Torrey Pines, makes an eagle on the sixth par-5 and finishes his ninth PGA Tour with a birdie on the 18th.
The former Masters champion finished at 14 under after a steady four days on the municipal tracks overlooking the Pacific Ocean. He shared the lead in the first round with Alex Noren, was in a group and shot down the lead in the second round and then shared the lead in the third round with Carlos Ortiz.
The controversy erupted on Saturday in the 10th par-4 when Reed fired a 190-shot from a bunker. A repeat of the TV showed the ball bounced once before sinking into the field. Without waiting for an official, Reed picks up the ball to see if it is embedded. Reed told the officer that no one in his group, as well as a nearby volunteer, saw it reflected. He got a free fall and is in a round of 70 par.
On Sunday, Reed began his round with a 45-foot eagle shot at number 6 to get to 12 under and followed with a birdie on the par-4 seventh. His only fuss was on the eighth par-3, and he bounced back with a birdie on the ninth par-5. He played level the rest of the way until he hit an 8-foot birdie set at no. 18 sank.
Tony Finau, Xander Schauffele, Ryan Palmer, Henrik Norlander and Viktor Hovland are tied for second place.
Hovland was closest to the goal with four birdies on the top nine, including on the ninth to 12th under. But the birds dried up and he had no. 14, 15 and 17 knocked out – he missed a 2-foot on 17 – in a round of 1 under 71.
Ortiz stumbled badly with a round of 6-over 78. He hurt himself with three bogeys on the top nine that even left him at the turn. He had even more problems on the back nine, where he was no. 11 and then had trouble getting out of a green bunker at no. 12 to come and a double bogey 6. He had 15, 16 and 18.