Farmers Insurance Open: Bubba Watson Edges Phil Mickelson With Final Round 67; Tiger Woods Far Behind

The first PGA TOUR event of the year featuring both Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson is done. And yet it’s Bubba Watson who has claimed the Farmers Insurance Open.

Watson used his prodigious length off the tee to put himself in favorable positions all day — he used a pitching wedge for a second shot to the green on one par 5 — and birdied all four of the par 5s on the Torrey Pines course. He added two other birdies and a bogey for a five-under 67 in his final round.

Tiger Woods’ first final round of 2011 is also his first over-par final round of 2011. So Tiger’s back! (To being the Tiger Woods of 2010, anyway.)

Woods followed up going out in one-over 37 by going in in two-over 38 to finish with a three-over 75 for the final round. His back nine featured one birdie and three bogeys, and ended with a missed birdie putt on the par 5 18th hole.

Tiger Woods will not be opening his 2011 season with a win.

His final round at the 2011 Farmers Insurance Open didn’t get the jump start it needed on the front nine for Tiger to have any chance of catching Phil Mickelson and the rest of the leaders.

Bill Haas entered Round 3 of the Farmers Insurance Open with the lead. On Saturday at Torrey Pines, Phil Mickelson rallied to take a share of it.

Mickelson continued to play the same consistently solid golf he displayed in the first two rounds of the tournament. On the fourth hole, he recorded only his fourth bogey of the tournament, but he more than compensated for it with birdies on the first, third, seventh, ninth, abnd 16th holes.

Tiger Woods is on a quest to win his first PGA Tour event since September of 2009, but the noted golf enthusiast is struggling once again. After starting the Farmers Insurance Open with two 3-under rounds, Woods posted a 2-over Round 3 at Torrey Pines on Saturday.

Woods bogeyed three of his first five holes, but at least managed to mitigate the damage through the back nine. He stands at 4-under for the tournament, which sent him to the clubhouse in a crowded 14-way tie for 24th place. Had he been able to keep the 3-under pace he set in Rounds 1 and 2, he would sit in a tie for third.

Round 2 is over at Torrey Pines, and at the end of Friday’s action, Bill Haas sits atop the Farmers Insurance Open leaderboard. Haas followed up his 5-under performance in Round 1 with a 6-under showing on Friday.

Playing on Torrey Pines’ South Course, Haas opened the front nine with three consecutive birdies. Starting on the back nine, Haas more than compensated for bogeys on the 11th and 8th holes. Haas is aiming for the third PGA Tour win of his career.

Tiger Woods has charged into contention in the Farmers Insurance Open. Through the first half of his round today at Torrey Pines, he had four straight birdies through holes 3-6, and has yet to bogey a hole. Meanwhile, Americans Anthony Kim and Bill Haas are tied at 10-under and currently lead the field.

Woods is right there, though, along with John Daly, Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, and a host of others currently sitting at 7-under and three strokes back. And for Woods, the front nine is an encouraging sign. Especially after several missed opportunities for birdie in yesterday’s round, his execution looks much improved, and you have to think that bodes well for the rest of his weekend at Torrey Pines.

Trailing him by one stroke are Americans Alex Prugh and Rickie Fowler, with Chris Kirk close behind at 6-under. The crowd at 5-under includes Phil Mickelson and John Daly, with Anthony Kim and Rory Sabbatini among the 4-under pileup. Tiger Woods is the most noteworthy name at 3-under, though he’s joined by Stewart Cink and Camilo Villegas.

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Tiger Woods finished his first round at Torrey Pines since 2008 on the right track, hanging near the top of the Farmers Insurance Open leaderboard with a three-under showing. He’s currently tied for 15th place, with a cluster of players leading at six-under. Teeing off Thursday morning, Woods went one-under through 10 holes before heating up throughout the back nine.

Woods hasn’t excelled at par-five holes today, twice appearing disappointed to only come away with pars. His putter failed him on holes five, 10, and 18, spoiling his chances at securing birdies on each.

Tiger Woods probably hoped to be a little more active on the Torrey Pines scoreboard through his first nine holes of the Farmers Insurance Open, but 1-under is a solid start. His front nine featured just one birdie to go with eight pars. Woods is tied for 28th, but just three back from the leader, American Brandt Jobe. Perhaps there is some rust showing on Woods, as he has left several shots short, and has not been hitting greens with near the accuracy as fans have come to expect.

By contrast, several other notable names have had some early success. Hunter Mahan is 3-under through eight, David Duval is 2-under through eight, and John Daly is 2-under through 11. Obviously it is still very early in the tournament, but since Woods is on the North Course at Torrey Pines, the easier of the two courses being used today, some had expected an early surge from the player who owns six victories at the famous course.