Farmers Insurance Open 2012: Kyle Stanley Crumbles, Brandt Snedeker Wins In Playoff

Kyle Stanley was having a heck of a week at the Farmers Insurance Open and in a way, it was still a heck of a week after it was all said and done. The reasons, however, were different: Stanley’s first three rounds earned him a five-shot lead and 18-under par score while Sunday earned him a spot in golf tournament lore -- and not in a good way.

Stanley’s day actually started out pretty well on Sunday as he played in the final group. He made the turn at three-under for the day and 21-under for the tournament, maintaining his big lead and only carding one bogey on the front nine. But his birdie on No. 9 would be his last of the day, and terrible things were ahead.

The 2012 Farmers Insurance Open in La Jolla ended in dramatic fashion on Sunday afternoon. Kyle Stanley, who entered the final day of play with a five-stroke lead and at one point on Sunday led by seven, collapsed on the 18th hole and lost the eventual playoff against Brandt Snedeker, who took home the trophy.

Snedeker entered the final day in second place, six strokes behind Stanley as the golfers teed off on Sunday. Stanley still held a four-stroke lead when teeing off on the 18th hole, but lost a ball in the water and triple-putted to a triple-bogey and an 8 on the hole, leading to a playoff against Snedeker.

Kyle Stanley fired a 62 in the first round to take a share of the lead at the Farmers Insurance Open, and he hasn’t looked back since. He followed up his 10-under 62 with back-to-back 68s, setting himself up in prime-position to capture the championship at Torrey Pines on Sunday. At 18-under for the tournament, Stanley holds a five-shot lead, which feels insurmountable, considering the way he’s been playing this week.

John Huh -- side note: awesome last name -- and John Rollins are tied for second at 13-under after they each carded 68s on Saturday. Bill Haas and Sang-Moon Bae share fourth-place honors at 12-under for the tournament. Jonas Blixt, Cameron Tingdale and Brandt Snedeker are at 11-under for the tournament, seven shots back of the lead.

After two rounds of play in the 2012 Farmers Insurance Open, Kyle Stanley is atop the leaderboard after following up his 62 round with a 68 on the second day with a 14 under through the first two rounds. American Brand Snedeker is right behind with a 13 under after shooting a 64 in the second round of the Open picking up 15 spots on the leaderboard.

Here are some of the most important tee times and pairings for Friday’s second round. All times are Eastern, and you can catch TV coverage of the 2012 Farmers Insurance Open on CBS from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., or watch the event via the PGA Tour’s free live online stream.

Kyle Stanley posted a four-under 68 Friday to take sole possession of the lead after the second round of the Farmers Insurance Open.

Stanley, a first-round co-leader, finished 36 holes at 14-under 130 and missed the tournament record by a stroke. He leads by one shot over Brandt Snedeker, who fired an eight-under 64 on Friday.

Conditions were ripe for scoring on Thursday as the 2012 Farmers Insurance Open got underway at Torrey Pines. And judging from the leaderboard, the North Course was the place to be as the field flip-flops over the first two days -- those that played the South Course on Thursday get the easier task, at least in theory, on Friday. Of those near the top of the leaderboard, 16 were on the North Course, with just one playing South Course to open the tournament --Marc Turnesa, who sits four shots back.

Spencer Levin and Kyle Stanley each fired 10-under 62s on Thursday to surge to the top of the leaderboard. They share the lead by a stroke, with Bill Haas, who finished with a 9-under 63, in hot pursuit. Four players, including Vijay Singh, are two shots back of the lead after one round, sharing a tie for third-place at 8-under.