Harris English Wins the 2025 Farmers Insurance Open With a Wall of Pars

Ten years after Torrey Pines broke his heart in a playoff, Harris English finally got the trophy, and he did it with the least glamorous weapon in golf: a long run of pars.

English shot a 1-over 73 in cold, windy conditions on the South Course on Saturday to finish at 8-under 280 and win the Farmers Insurance Open by one shot over Sam Stevens. Andrew Novak, who started the day one back and briefly took the lead, finished third at 6 under. It is English's fifth PGA TOUR title and his first since the 2021 Travelers Championship, which he won in an eight-hole playoff over Kramer Hickok.

"Doesn't have to look pretty," English said, per the AP. "But I just had to get the job done."

A Shaky Start, Then a Wall

The opening stretch did not look like a winner's. English failed to get up and down from a bunker at the 1st and dropped another shot at the par-4 5th, and for a while the leaderboard was crowded and moving. He steadied with a birdie at the next par 5 and then simply stopped making mistakes.

From there, English played the final 12 holes in par. Every one of them. On a day when the wind was back and the South was making everyone uncomfortable, that was enough to keep Stevens from ever reaching the top of the board.

"It's hard to win," English said. "I might have looked calm out there on the course, but inside your emotions are going crazy."

The 18th, Done the Hard Way

Even the finish came with a wrinkle. Needing a par at the par-5 18th, English drove into the rough. Rather than force anything, he advanced it to the fairway, hit a 115-yard approach onto the green and left himself 25 feet. His lag stopped about 7 inches away. Tap-in. Ballgame.

There is something fitting about it. English lost a four-way playoff to Jason Day here in 2015 and finished third at the 2021 U.S. Open on this course. He also missed about five months in early 2022 after hip surgery. And he won this one with the same putter he first put in the bag as a senior at the University of Georgia in 2011, according to the AP. English said he loves Torrey when it plays really tough. Saturday granted the wish.

Stevens Posts the Number

The day's best round belonged to Stevens, who started six shots back and shot 68, the lowest score of the final round. Stevens went out in 32 with four birdies on the front nine, gave one back with a bogey at the par-5 13th, then birdied the 17th to get within a shot.

The 18th nearly undid it. Going for the green in two, Stevens found the water, then scrambled for a par that kept the pressure on. Stevens finished roughly 90 minutes before the final group and had to wait it out at 7-under 281.

"Today I just made the putts," Stevens said. The runner-up matches Stevens' best career finish, from the 2023 Valero Texas Open.

Novak's Flash, Then the Fade

Novak's day had the best single moment. After opening with two bogeys, Novak caught fire with three straight birdies, capped by a 54-footer at the 5th that briefly put him in front.

"That putt on five, I could hit that a hundred times and not even sniff the hole again," Novak said.

The back nine did not cooperate. Novak made no birdies after the turn and closed with a 74, finishing two back at 6 under. Still, a solo third while chasing a first TOUR title, in the final group alongside a St. Simons Island neighbor, is a result worth building on.

The Rest of the Board

Sungjae Im and Kris Ventura both shot 71 to tie for fourth at 5 under, and Hayden Springer, who opened the week with a 65, took sixth alone at 4 under. Taylor Pendrith and Will Gordon tied for seventh. Danny Willett was part of a big group tied for ninth, his best finish on TOUR since 2022 according to Sky Sports, alongside Lanto Griffin, Joel Dahmen, K.H. Lee, Lee Hodges and Greyson Sigg.

Aldrich Potgieter, two back to start the day, could not find Friday's magic and shot 78 to tie for 15th. Florida State's Luke Clanton tied for 15th at 1 under as well, the top amateur in the field. Ludvig Åberg, who opened with a 63 and shared the 36-hole lead, battled illness over the last two rounds and closed with a 79 to finish 3 over. Hideki Matsuyama finished 1 over.

What It Means

English collects $1,674,000 from the $9.3 million purse and 500 FedExCup points, a big early-season jump. More than that, it ends a winless stretch dating to the summer of 2021 and puts his name on a trophy at a course that had denied him twice.

The TOUR now heads to the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and Torrey Pines will not stay quiet long: the Genesis Invitational relocates here in three weeks after the Los Angeles wildfires, with Matsuyama defending.

Relive the week in our Round 1, Round 2 and Round 3 recaps. Final scores are on the official PGA TOUR leaderboard (opens in a new tab), and the TOUR's final-round recap (opens in a new tab) has more.

Sources: PGA TOUR (final-round recap, leaderboard and points and payouts), AP, Sky Sports. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.