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Justin Rose | Farmers Insurance Open | Honma Golf

Article by Ron Green Jr. of Global Golf Post | The free-for-all atop the world golf ranking may be over.

Justin Rose, who had been ranked No. 1 four times for a total of seven weeks before teeing it up in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, may be there for a while now after his two-stroke victory ahead of Adam Scott on Sunday along the Southern California cliffs.

Rose started the final round with a three-stroke lead and despite making three bogeys in the first five holes, he never lost the solo lead because neither Scott nor Jon Rahm could force the issue until Scott made a late push.

Honma TW 747 DriverRose did it with new equipment and without his regular caddie, Mark Fulcher, who was recovering from heart surgery.

“I didn’t know how I was going to play coming out,” said Rose, who made his 2019 debut a week earlier at the Desert Classic, finishing in the middle of the pack. “It was awesome this week.”

Rose opened with 63 on the North Course then strung together rounds of 66-69-69 on the South Course, which will host the 2021 U.S. Open, taking advantage of ideal weather conditions. He finished at 21-under-par 267 after being 20 under through 13 holes of the third round.

Since winning the FedEx Cup last fall, Rose has changed his equipment and his wardrobe, significant alterations for a player whose game is built on consistency.

“I’m really happy I changed the status quo,” Rose said. “A whole new look for me. I don’t mind if it’s going to produce this kind of golf.”

The final round didn’t start well for Rose. He lipped out his 5-foot par putt on the first hole then bogeyed the difficult par-4 fourth hole after hitting his tee shot into a fairway bunker.

When Rose watched his 6-foot par putt at the fifth completely circle the cup before staying out, it had the look of a volatile day. However, Rose settled himself and went about pushing forward on a layout that was largely defenseless in the absence of any breeze. Rose’s winning score was 11 strokes lower than Jason Day’s winning total last year.

Honma Rose Proto IronScott birdied the last four holes to finish second despite missing a 2-foot par putt on the fifth hole. He used a new putting technique, bracing the grip against his left forearm, and he had 28 putts in each of the four rounds.

“It was a pretty good experiment this week,” Scott said. “It’s definitely something to build on. We’ll see what happens next time.”

What’s in the Bag

Driver: Honma TW 747 460 (9.5 degrees)
Shaft: Honma Vizard FD-7X (45.25″ @D3)

3-wood: TaylorMade M6 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Orange 80TX

Irons: Honma T//World TW-U (2), T//World Rose Proto (4-9)
Shafts: KBS Tour C-Taper 125 S+

Wedges: Honma Custom Grind RAW (Rose Prototype) (48 [bent to 47], 52, 56 degrees), Titleist Vokey Wedge Works (60 degrees, K-Grind)
Shafts: KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 135XS

Putter: Axis 1 Proto (Lamkin Flat Cat grip)

Ball: TaylorMade TP5

Grips: Lamkin R.E.L. ACE